


My First Crush

by Ashratherose



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: ABO, Abuse, Alpha Levi, Angst, Blow Jobs, Cheerleader Eren, Crush, Dorks in Love, Erenxreiner, First Time, Fluff, Heats, Hurt and comfort, Knotting, M/M, Minor Furlan Church/Isabel Magnolia, Minor Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Ymir, Minor Reiner Braun/Bertolt Hoover, Minor Sasha Blouse/Connie Springer, More Sex, Mpreg, Omega Eren, Omega Eren Yeager, Pining, Pregnant Eren, Ren and Eli Yeager - Freeform, Seperation, Sexy Times, Side couples, Summer Holidays, They're the same age, Underage Sex, Werewolf Levi, Young Love, awesome carla, but no feels between them, buuuut... Levi's a bad boy, douchey grisha, erens popular, highschool, levi worships Eren's body, levixpetra..., mumma eren, slightly feminine Eren, underage consentual, werewolf Eren
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-25
Updated: 2017-11-09
Packaged: 2018-12-19 17:59:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 123
Words: 520,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11903151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashratherose/pseuds/Ashratherose
Summary: Eren's a kid who would happily spend all his time in his wolf form. He loved the forest, he loved exploring, but most he loved napping in the sun. That was until a strange kid shows up out of nowhere, in his spot nonetheless, and Eren starts experiencing all sorts of things that leave him questioning just who he is.Lovelies, art is now up. Chapter 103 xxx





	1. Chapter 1

Eren loved the forest. He loved the smells, he loved the animals, but most of all he loved the feel of the dirt under his paws as he ran. This was the best part of school holidays, he could shift into his wolf form and spend hours exploring. The best place in the whole forest was the river, no one else came here and it was his little corner of the world, so he never expected another kid to be in his spot. Letting out a long whine, he approached the boy slowly. The kid was ghostly white, with a somewhat serious haircut and he could smell the wolf rolling off the stranger, but what really hit him was the boys eyes. He'd never seen anything like them, so grey and so shiny... they were like liquid mercury and Eren rushed to shift back to his human form. He needed to know more  
"Who... who are you?"  
Letting out a low "tch", the boy eyed him up and down   
"Levi. What's it to you"  
Levi. Even the boys name had his heart beating faster. He had no idea what was going on, he'd never felt like this.

Levi had no idea who this weird boy in front of him was. He'd just wanted a bit of peace, but here was this dirty and bruised kid, with the most amazing green eyes he'd ever seen. His heart was racing   
"What's your name?"  
"I'm Eren Yeager... you're a wolf too right?"  
Apparently things were different in the country, wolves in the city were always desperate to hide their other side. He had no idea what to make of this brat, but he had the feeling his summer holidays had gotten a lot more exciting  
"Maybe... is this your spot?"  
Eren nodded his head, the kid sitting down and stretching out  
"But I'll share it with you"  
Levi snorted  
"Thanks kid, what's there to do around here"  
"This, that's about it. Shinganshima isn't the kind of place you come for excitement. Are you here for the holidays?"

Eren rolled over onto his stomach and looked to Levi, the kid was still sitting in the same spot staring at him  
"My uncles here on work"  
Eren nodded, sometime in Levi's tone told him that he shouldn't pry, and his friends told him he'd always been too nosy for his own good... they'd be proud he changed the subject   
"Hey, can I see your wolf form? You saw mine?"  
Levi snorted again and the boy rose, before shifting smoothly into a large shaggy grey and black wolf. His pelt looked so soft and shiny, and the way he held himself told Eren the kid was an alpha  
"Wow, you're so pretty... we don't have many alpha's around here..."  
Levi sat and his tail flipped lazily behind him, Eren pushed himself up  
"No one wants to come out to the woods anymore, so I've usually got this place to myself... do you want to go for a run?"  
Levi nodded and Eren shifted, before rolling onto his back and rubbing against the rocky outcrop. Levi padded over and stared down at him, as if telling him to hurry up.

Running through the woods with Levi was more fun than he'd expected, the alpha wolfs form was sleek and graceful, and Levi almost seemed to shine as he ran beside him. Eren spent the afternoon showing Levi all the best spot for napping and when it came to say goodbye for the night, he found he didn't want to say goodbye to Levi. He'd made a new friend, and the alpha had even followed him back to his place. Shifting back to his human form, Eren couldn't help but card his fingers through Levi's soft pelt, he could practically hear the boy asking him what the hell he thought he was doing  
"Do you want to stay for dinner? Mums a great cook..."  
Levi let out a whine and shook his head, causing Eren's stomach to knot weirdly. He pulled his hand back and trudged towards the back door. Pulling himself together, he looked back to ask if Levi wanted to hang out again, but the alpha was already gone. Almost immediately his father had him go and wash up, it wasn't like he didn't understand, but he was already 12 and knew that without being told. He still trudged through the house and into the bathroom, making sure to scrub not just hands, but up to his elbows and then his face. He tried to look somewhat presentable, but bits of twigs and leaves clung to his hair.

During dinner his mother asked him all about his day, but Eren felt some kind of weird possessiveness, he didn't want to share Levi... even if he'd invited him to dinner. It was quietly thrilling having a secret friend, someone only he knew about and he was still smiling as he climbed into bed. Tomorrow he'd go see if Levi was in his... their spot.

 

*  
After leaving Eren, Levi sighed before beginning to pad slowly away. The kid obviously had a family who loved him... nothing like his piece of shit uncle. The only reason Kenny kept him around was for the government payments. His uncle worked in construction, but the man drank away everything he made and bitched about how ungrateful Levi was. Shaking his head to rid himself of the thoughts of Kenny, he went back to thinking about the green eyed kid called Eren. The boy was clearly an omega, his wolf stature was smaller than his own, and his pelt a mottled mix of brown, but it suited the kid. 

Sighing to himself again, Levi broke into a run, he couldn't allow himself to have such thoughts about the kid. His two weeks here would come to an end, Kenny would ring up a huge hotel room and then skip town before paying. That's how things always went and he was fucking sick of it. He ran harder, his heart pounding and his paws thudding solidly against the forest floor as he headed for "home".

Kenny was a drunken mess, the man had passed out with a bottle of whiskey in his hand. Given there was nothing to eat in the room, Levi hunted around for his uncles wallet. He found the poor sad looking thing under he coffee table and opened it to find it empty. Of course it was. Letting out a "tch", he threw it down on the table and let himself out the hotel room. Eren would probably be disgusted if he knew Levi had to dumpster dive to eat. He could go hunt a rabbit, but even in wolf form, his tastes still ran on the human side and he killed something he'd then have to cook it. It was far easier to hang around the back of the hotels kitchen and wait until they were throwing out the nights leftovers. While he sat and waited, he found himself thinking of Eren again. He wondered if he should have taken the boy up on his offer... but then again, he was a total stranger and Eren's parents would probably ask him all the same pesky questions Eren did. He wasn't sure if he liked the kid or not, but with two weeks and no one else around, he kind of hoped he hadn't blown his chances. 

 

*  
Eren slipped out of bed early, and into the kitchen. His plans to make both him and Levi lunch were cut short by his mother quietly making herself breakfast. She smiled warmly as he approached and took a seat at the breakfast bench  
"You're up early"  
"I wanted to head into the forest early"  
His mother hummed  
"I'm happy you like the forest, but you've got to be careful. Not everyone likes wolves remember"  
"I know mum... I was thinking I'd spend the whole day there..."  
"Does this have something to do with the your new friend"  
Eren gaped. How did she know about that?!  
"Don't look so surprised, I could smell it on you last night. I know it's not Armin or Mikasa... is it someone from school?"  
Eren shook his head quickly  
"No... he's in town for the holidays"  
"Oooh, I wonder why... what's his name?"  
Eren hung his head and his mothers hand ruffled his hair  
"Alright, you don't have to tell me. Just be careful"  
"Thanks mum... so do you think I can make lunch? I don't really know a lot about him, but I kind of want to... is that weird?"  
His mother paused for a moment before answering and Eren's stomach was doing flips   
"It depends. What do you think of him?"  
"He's really cool, he's an alpha and he doesn't even care that I'm not as big as him... and you should see his eyes..."  
Realising he was gushing, Eren promptly shut up  
"So you like him? Maybe you should invite him for dinner? It doesn't matter when, just bring him around"  
"But..."  
"But what?"  
"I don't even know if we're friends..."  
"I'm sure you are. You might be a bit of a trouble maker, and god knows all my grey hairs have come from you, but your hearts in the right place and I love you"  
Eren pulled a face as his mother leant over the bench and pressed a kiss to his forehead. For a second he wondered what it would like to kiss Levi and his face went bright red  
"I know, you're too old for my kisses. Why don't you let me make you up something to take out with you? You can go get a few more hours sleep that way"  
"Ok... mum... please don't tell dad..."  
"Alright, I know you're father doesn't always agree with you spending so much time outside, but he was raised in the city and never got the chance to run in the forest..."  
He knew what she was saying, but that didn't help. His dad refused to talk about his past and all Eren knew was that he was a different like of Wolfblood to what was around these parts. 

Sliding from the breakfast bench, Eren retreated back to his room. He wanted to look good today, not like really good, but not like a total country bumpkin. Nothing seemed right, and he settled for grabbing out a pair of brown jeans and a white shirt. It was then that he had the funniest thought, well it wasn't really that funny, when a Wolfblood shifted, their clothes shifted with them. He'd just had the mental image of all these different wolves shifting and scaring people by being naked. His laughter died down after a few seconds and he forced himself to crawl back into bed. He was so nervous that Levi wasn't going to show, but way more excited about the idea that he might and because of that sleep refused to come.

After rolling over for the hundredth time, Eren pushed himself out of bed and pulled his shoes on before heading back out the kitchen. His mum laughed lightly as he sat back down at the breakfast counter  
"I thought you were going back to sleep"  
"I tried... but I'm too excited... at least I tried right?"  
"Eren, honey, it hasn't even been half an hour. I need some more time to finish up here"  
Eren let out a dramatic sigh and slipped from the stool he'd just climbed on, before rounding the counter and wrapping his arms around his mothers waist  
"Mum... I really want him to like me"  
Placing down the knife in her hands, his mother wrapped her arms around him  
"I know, I promise this picnic will be really nice for both of you"  
She dropped a kiss on the top of his head and Eren sighed again  
"Why don't you lay on the sofa until I'm done, I have the feeling you're too excited for breakfast"  
"Thanks mum... you're the best"

 

*  
Just over an hour later, Eren was padding into the forest, the basket his mother had made up was safely between his teeth and he forced himself to be careful as went. He hoped Levi liked it, his mum was an awesome cook and had way too much food. Rounding the bend in the path, his stomach dropped. Levi wasn't there. He padded the last few steps and placed the basket down, before flopping down next to it and letting out a discontented whine. He'd thought they'd had a good day yesterday... but maybe he was the only one thinking that.

Laying besides the basket, he let out another whine before rolling over and rubbing his back against the rock. Now that Levi wasn't coming, he felt too foolish to return home. His mother would try and make him feel better, but he was too ashamed to tell her. Maybe he'd just take a nap and then eat something and head back... 

Waking up, it took Eren a few moments to realise he wasn't alone. His eyes widened at Levi sitting a little way away from him and his began to race. He'd shown up. He hadn't been wrong at all. Shifting back, Eren grinned happily   
"Levi! Why didn't you wake me?"  
Levi looked towards him and the corner of the boys mouth curled up, it wasn't quite a smile, but Eren felt like he was melting from the look  
"You looked pretty happy, must have been a good dream?"  
"Yeah... but this is better. How long have you been here?"  
"Not that long. What's with the basket?"  
"Mum packed us lunch... I didn't think you'd show"  
"Got nothing else to do... and you told your mum about me?"  
"Yep. She asked if you wanted to come for dinner some time"  
Levi let out a sigh   
"I can't promise anything. So what do you want to do?"  
Eren's stomach rumbled and he blushed before picking up the basket  
"Lets eat"  
His mother had even placed a blanket in there and Eren rushed to lay everything out. He didn't miss the way Levi's eyes widened at seeing so much food  
"Eat as much as you want, mum loves cooking and she's not expecting any leftovers"

Eren was impressed, Levi had eaten about three quarters of the picnic alone. He wondered if the boy was getting enough to eat at home... Levi was a bit on the thin side. He couldn't help but smile at felt a small rush of pride that he could feed his friend  
"What are you smiling about? It's creepy"  
Eren continued to grin, Levi really wasn't mad at him  
"Nothing. Just thinking of how nice it is to have a friend out here"  
"You country people are weird"  
"Probably, so what do you want to do today?"  
"Whatever. What do you usually do?"  
"Nap, run, swim and nap again"  
Levi rolled his eyes and the boy placed his cup of juice back down  
"Yep. Weird. Let's just hunt around, see what we can see?"  
Eren nodded quickly and began to pack everything back up  
"The basket will be fine here... we can pick it back up later"

 

*  
Eren was definitely a weird one. The kid had no filter and it was kind of refreshing. They spent the first week of the holidays exploring and talking, he couldn't wait to get up and head out each morning knowing he'd meet the kid. In many ways, Eren was his first friend. The kid didn't even want anything from him, seemingly just happy not to be alone and Levi couldn't explain what he was beginning to feel for the boy. He honestly didn't want the holidays to come to an end, but there was no way he was admitting any of this out loud. He was an alpha after all and all these feelings were way too girly.

Eren was waiting for him at the rocky outcrop, the boy stretched out in human form, clearly enjoying the sun. Levi padded over to him and sat down at the boys side, he'd thought Eren was awake, but the sleeping boy curled towards him and nuzzled into his fur. Levi's heart was pounding, he didn't want to move, but wanted Eren's to wake up already and shifted back to human form. The alpha smiled to himself as Eren nuzzled his hip before yawning sleepily  
"Levi?"  
Eren rushed to pull back, but Levi didn't miss the blush across the boys face  
"Hey Eren, sorry I was late"  
Eren shook his head adorably  
"Um... I'm sorry I for hugging you"  
God. This kid  
"It's fine. Wanna take a nap? You look a little sleepy still"  
Laying down, Levi waited until Eren moved back to the same spot he was in before, before rolling to face the boy. Bright green eyes sparkled ridiculously and Levi shuffled forward  
"Eren, have you ever kissed anyone?"  
Biting his lip, Eren shook his head. The kid looked down and the back up at him  
"H-have you?"  
Levi shook his head and shuffled even closer  
"Eren... can I kiss you?"  
Eren scrunched his eyes closed and nodded quickly and Levi moved so their lips were close, but not touching. He was so fucking nervous, but pressed a small kiss to Eren's plump pink lips. It was a beginner kiss, just a small peck, but Levi felt like an electric shock had run through his body. Eren's lips were so soft, softer than he'd expected and he quickly moved to claim them again. It was embarrassingly awkward and he pulled back in fear, he was scared Eren was going to reject him, but the kid had the dopeyest smile on his face  
"Wow"  
Levi let out a small snort and Eren's smile dropped  
"Did I do something wrong?"  
Levi shook his head quickly   
"No... no... nothing like that. Here, curl up with me and we'll take a nap"  
Eren was clearly not sure, but Levi gently coaxed him over. So this was what it was like having a first crush. He snaked his arm around Eren's waist and sighed gently. This was stupidly nice.


	2. Chapter 2

Waking up in Levi's arms, Eren felt like he was blushing all the way to his toes. Levi was still sleeping and Eren stared at the boys face. He couldn't believe Levi's eye lashes were so long, and the teens lips looked so soft. Eren couldn't help but blush harder remembering the kisses they'd shared, he'd never felt anything like it and his whole body wanted more. Squirming slightly, he tensed when Levi let out a sleepy yawn   
"Mmm, hey"  
"H-hey..."  
"Time to get up?"  
Eren didn't want to get up, but he nodded anyway and began to slide from Levi's hold. His heart was racing and he rushed to shift into his wolf form so Levi wouldn't see how nervous he was. Stretching and shaking off his form, Eren cast a glare to Levi  
"I take it you wanna go for another run?"  
Without waiting for him to answer, Levi shifted and Eren felt like his whole body was trembling. He wanted something, his body wanted something, but he had no idea what. Not waiting for Levi to follow, he took off into the forest. 

Eren barely heard the drumming of his paws against the dirt, his heart was still racing and he plunged on blindly. Levi's graceful form soon caught up to his and the alpha wolf moved closer until they were running shoulder to shoulder. God... Levi was beautiful. They continued to run until Eren finally ran out of steam and began to slow down, trotting before finally slowing to a walk. He could feel his tongue lolling limply from his mouth as he tried to catch his breath and Levi nudged against his side, as if telling him to stop already. Flopping down dramatically, his whole body heaved as he sucked down air. Levi didn't seem to be out of breath in the slightest the alpha wolf sitting a few metres away watching him. Eren let out a whine as he sat up, and forced himself onto shaking legs, crossing to Levi and nuzzling up against him. When the alpha didn't pull away, Eren gently tugged on Levi's ear. The look his friend gave him was along the lines of "are you serious?", but when alpha didn't pull away, he felt a little more confident and moved to nuzzle Levi's stomach. Before flopping back down and watching Levi's tail flop lazily. He couldn't help himself. Sliding forward on his stomach, he caught the alpha tail in his mouth, he meant to bite lightly, but then Levi let out a pained howl and he realised he'd messed up. Rushing to release Levi's tail, tears filled his eyes and ran. He'd only meant it as a joke, but he'd stuffed up and hurt him... he was such an idiot.

 

*  
Having Eren nuzzle up against him was nice, he didn't even mind the kid tugging and nipping at his ear. But then Eren bit him. He'd seen Eren slide towards his tail and was half curious what the boy intended to do, but wasn't prepared for Eren to bite down. The bite itself hadn't hurt that much, but he'd still howled like it did, expecting Eren to know he was joking. His stomach knotted as the smell of the kids distress to hit him and he cursed himself for being an idiot. Before he could shift and explain, the boy was off.

Pushing himself up, Levi checked his tail. Other than a little bit of slobber, there was nothing to show he'd bitten. He shouldn't have teased Eren like that. He knew the kid was still feeling nervous after their kiss, that's why Eren had taken off in the first place. He turned towards where Eren had disappeared and began to chase after the boy.

He caught up with Eren, or at least gained enough ground to see Eren barreling through the smaller bushes and Levi pushed himself harder to catch Eren. He couldn't bare that Eren was so upset over him, especially when it'd been a joke. The kid seemed to be headed for the rocky outcrop and he slowly again, he'd thought Eren was slow, but the kid didn't even seem to notice until it was too late.

 

*  
Eren was miserable. He didn't even know where he was running, and he could smell Levi chasing after him. The boy was probably going to yell at him and he was already ashamed enough. He plunged forward recklessly, not even realising the dirt had given away to rock, until it was too late to stop. Desperately he tried to throw himself backwards, but still slid across the rough bare rock, his claws only just catching him before he went off he ledge. He'd jumped off the ledge a hundred times, it was only a few metres above the lake below, but you had to jump right out or you'd hit the submerged rocks and as it was, if he fell, that's where he'd land. His nails cracked as he fought for purchase, his hind legs were hanging and he couldn't find anyway to push himself up. He was completely terrified. 

Looking up, he saw Levi running towards him, he let out a desperate growl, trying to tell the boy to stay away, but Levi didn't. The alpha continued to running, and before he knew what was happening, Levi's jaws had clamped down on the nape of his neck and he was being hurled backwards off the ledge. They seemed to fall in slowly motion, Levi only letting go just they hit the water and Eren gasped in in shock. Water rushed to filled his mouth, as he plunged down further. The coldness stabbed at his body and he began to panic, only serving to swallow more water. He was sure he was going to drown. He couldn't even keep his eyes open. His last thought being "why'd he always have to be so stupid".

 

*  
Eren wasn't moving. The kid had hit the water and sunk like a stone. Levi was terrified. What if Eren had hurt himself? He'd acted without thinking at all. Shifting into his human form, he propelled himself upwards, taking in a deep desperate breath, before ducking back under the surface and searching for Eren. The water was cloudy from their fall, but it hadn't looked that deep. His skimmed the slimy underwater grass, before finally finding Eren, grabbing the kid firmly around the waist and hoisting him up. 

Breaking the surface, Eren was limp in his arms and Levi was terrified the kid wasn't breathing. He struggled to get the boys wolf form to shore, and his fingers shook as rubbed at Eren's chest. He didn't know what to do  
"Eren!"  
Rolling him onto his side, Levi pried Eren's mouth open and forced a breath into the kid's mouth. When nothing happened, he pounded down on Eren's chest  
"Wake up! How am I supposed to tell you I was joking if you won't wake up!"  
He pounded down over and over, until Eren finally vomited up a mouthful of water before sucking in a deep breath  
"Eren!"  
Letting out a long whine, Levi watched as the kid shifted and Eren began to throw up more water. Sitting back, Levi waited until Eren finally stopped, the kid flopping back limply  
"Eren, I am so sorry..."  
Levi hadn't even realised he was crying, and now that Eren was breathing, he could see the kid's fingers were bleeding, as was his left leg. Desperately looking around, he realised he didn't know how to get back up to where they were. Eren would know, but the kid was obviously shaken by what happened. They both were. 

Moving carefully back to Eren, Levi lifted him awkwardly. The kids clothes weren't making things easy and neither were his own. He was frozen to the bone and could only imagine Eren was the same. He needed to get Eren cleaned up and warmed up. Struggling to nearest grassy patch, Levi lowered Eren and began stripping his wet clothes off, the kid was sobbing now and Levi felt like worst person on Earth. The boy wanted his mum and Levi didn't know how to get her. He laid Eren's clothes out to dry, before stripping his own off and beginning to gather up dry sticks for a fire. By the time he finally got it going, Eren had fallen silent. The tears rolling down the boys place had him feeling even worse   
"I'm really sorry... I didn't think... I knew there were rocks and I didn't want you to fall on them..."  
A shaky hand extended towards him, and Eren's lips trembled as he forced out a single word  
"Cold"  
Levi rushed the boys side, moving to then to spoon up against him. Eren's skin was covered in goosebumps and the boy practically vibrated in his arms. Shit. Eren was probably going get sick over this...

It took a few hours for Eren to recover enough to sit up. The kid wouldn't stop staring down at the ground and Levi wrapped his arms around him  
"Eren?"  
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to hurt you"  
Levi was blown away. The boy had nearly died because of him, but now he was apologising. Eren started crying again and Levi nuzzled against his neck  
"You didn't, I'm fine..."  
Eren shifted in his arms, the boy wrapping his own arm  
"I'm sorry! I really wanted you to like me..."  
Levi hushed him and Eren practically crawled into his lap  
"I do like you, I wouldn't be hanging out with you if I didn't"  
"But..."  
Eren sniffled and Levi took his face into his hands   
"Eren, can I kiss you again?"  
Eren nodded and Levi gently kissed the boy, relieved that Eren was safe, warm and breathing.

 

*  
Eren moaned into Levi's mouth, his heart was pounding and the lingering coldness was melting in the alpha's hold. It didn't even occur to him to be ashamed that they were both naked, or that he was growing hard. Squirming in Levi's lap, he didn't understand why his arse was growing damp, but ground his hips down in need, causing the alpha to growl. Levi broke the kiss and Eren's nuzzled into the boys neck   
"I want to touch you"  
Eren nodded quickly, letting Levi guide him onto his back, before moving between his legs. His whole body shook as Levi's hands slid across his skin, mewing when Levi moved to lap at his neck  
"I broke the skin when I grabbed you by the neck"  
Eren didn't care, he raised his hips, trying to rub against Levi. The boy above him was hard and Eren felt like his heart was going to explode  
"Levi..."  
Levi pulled back and looked down at him, causing Eren to blush  
"Um..."  
Levi smirked at him, before pulling back, the boys hand coming to grasp his erection and Eren whined, thrusting up desperately   
"More..."

Slowly but surely their awkward fumblings continued, Eren couldn't even think straight. He'd never thought of doing anything like this before, but Levi was making him really good... not completely sure why, he rolled over into boys hold, and raised his arse. Something warm and wet was pouring down his thighs and his erection was throbbing painfully. He felt Levi rut up against him, before something blunt pushed inside and pain and pleasure poured through every inch of him. He came hard across the grass, but Levi continued to rock and thrust against him. So this was sex? Not only had he had his first kiss with his crush, he'd nearly died, and now they were having sex. This had to be a dream. Levi let out a growl and Eren felt the boys erection thickening as a warmth filled him. He couldn't help but cum again. He wanted to scream how happy he was, but bit down hard on his lip. He couldn't even turn to look back at Levi... he was suddenly so nervous that it wasn't Levi behind him. Tears formed in his eyes and Levi pulled him down so they were spooned up together  
"Well..."  
Eren nodded, he tensed at having something so big shifting inside of him and whined as Levi pulled him closer  
"Sorry... I didn't know I would knot you"  
So that's what it was. Levi had knotted him... then again, the boy was an alpha  
"Are you alright?"  
Eren nodded quickly, sniffling before wiping his eyes  
"I really like you Levi. I don't want you to go"  
Levi pressed a kiss to the back of his neck, before beginning to lap at it, causing Eren to whimper  
"I'm sorry. It's really sore looking"  
"It is... but thank you... I was really scared"  
"I know... let's stay like this until you've calmed down, then I'll help you home"  
Eren nodded against him. Levi was so good to him.

 

*  
Given Eren was struggling to walk, let alone stand, Levi hard him sit up and ride upon his shoulders. Once the pleasure had faded, Eren had promptly broken down from the pain and Levi had urged him to let him take him home. He'd redressed, but Eren just had his shirt and underwear on, given the kids leg had come up in nasty shades of black and purple. With light tugs on his fur, Eren guided him back up and through the woods to the boys house. Levi waited until Eren had slid off, before shifting and wrapping his arm around Eren. The boy tried to tell him he was alright, but Levi wouldn't listen. He was so scared Eren would get into trouble and wanted to explain what had happened to the boys parents.

The woman who answered the door was pretty, Eren clearly took after her and Levi was struck dumb for a moment  
"Um..."  
"You must be Levi? I see Eren managed to get himself into another scrape"  
"It was my fault..."  
"I'm sure that's not true, why don't you come in? You looked exhausted. My husband's a doctor and this isn't anything unusual for Eren"  
Levi shook his head  
"He fell off a ledge... and nearly drowned... I'm so sorry..."  
Eren's mother looked to Eren and let out a sigh  
"Don't tell your dad that bit"  
"I wasn't going to. Levi saved me. He grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and pulled me off the cliff so I didn't land on the rocks below"  
"I don't think I want to know anything else, but thank you Levi. Why don't you come back tomorrow? I don't know if my husband will let Eren out, Eren has a bit of a habit getting himself into trouble"  
"I don't want to impose"  
"You won't be. We've both got work tomorrow, and Eren would be here on his own otherwise"  
Levi looked to Eren and Eren smiled at him  
"Thank you... I'm really sorry"  
Eren's mother moved to take Eren from his hold and Levi bit down a snarl. He felt a sudden rush of jealousy towards the woman  
"Bye Levi, I'll see you tomorrow"  
"Sure, see you then"


	3. Chapter 3

Levi was nervous as he made his way to Eren's. How was he supposed to act? How did he act every other day until now? His throat was dry and he ran all sorts of conversations through his head. Eren's mum said she wouldn't be home... but what if Eren's dad was? The man would be mad at him probably... he'd hurt Eren and Eren had nearly drowned... mustering up all his courage, Levi padded across to the front door of Eren's house and shifted into his human form before knocking. It felt like forever before Eren opened the door. The boy looked horrible and Levi nearly fled  
"Levi! I'm so happy you came, come on in"  
Eren stood back and Levi forced himself to move into the house.

Eren's house was how he expected it. Family photos covered the walls and you could feel the love in the house. He swallowed hard. He'd never had this and didn't know what to do  
"Um... how's your leg?"  
"Dad cleaned it up. But I can't run for a while. What do you want to do? We can watch TV or we can hang out in my room?"  
"Whatever you want to do?"  
"Let's hang out in my room then. It's pretty boring though"  
Levi snorted  
"I'm sure it's fine"  
He followed Eren down the hall, his eyes fixed firmly on the white dressing over the back of Eren's neck. He didn't understand why it bugged him so much, and he was so focused on it that he nearly walked into him when he stopped  
"This is it..."  
Eren opened his bedroom door and walked into his room, before flopping down onto his bed  
"Are you coming in?"  
Levi cleared his throat and walked into Eren's room. He smiled at the sketches that covered the kids walls. They were pretty awful, but Eren must like them. He sat down on the edge of Eren's bed and Eren rolled towards him  
"I didn't know if you'd come back... I was afraid you'd hate me?"  
"No... I could never hate you... I was worried you'd hate me, or your dad would be home"  
"Nah, he's a bit of a grouch, but he's alright"  
Levi shifted uncomfortably, his eyes flicking around the room  
"So you like to read?"  
"Yeah, there's not much to do. I'm not allowed in the woods at night..."  
"That's probably for the best, you do seem to get yourself into trouble rather easily"  
Eren let out a groan, but remained smiling   
"Probably. Wanna see the bruises?"  
Eren was up and off the bed before Levi could protest. The kid stripped off his shirt and sweats like it was nothing. Levi felt a twitch in his penis and swallowed hard. He'd had sex with Eren... and now he wanted to touch him again  
"Levi?"  
Shaking his head, Levi looked Eren up and down. The kid was littered in bruises, and he could see the ones he'd inflicted on the boys hips  
"Do they hurt?"  
"Nope, but dad gave me painkillers, so I don't really feel anything"  
Swallowing again, Levi nodded, reaching out to grab Eren's wrist, he pulled the boy over and Eren fell into his lap  
"L-Levi..."  
"Sorry..."  
Eren moved to straddle his lap and Levi didn't know what to do, the boys lips found his and Levi moaned into his mouth gently, before letting out a small growl as Eren pulled back  
"Can I tell you something?"  
Levi nodded mutely  
"I couldn't sleep last night... I kept thinking about you..."  
Levi's hand shook as it ran up and then down Eren's side stopping at the boys hip  
"Eren, we barely know each other"  
"I know... and I know you're leaving... but... I really want to touch you... I don't understand why... but I've never felt like this for anyone ever"  
Levi looked into Eren's green eyes, the boy was deadly serious and Levi nodded.

Laying with Eren beneath him, they were both naked and Levi was languidly claiming the boys mouth. His hunger to consume the boy surprised even himself. Eren really was something special and he took his time opening the boy. He had no real idea what to do, but Eren's open moaning spurred him on. He wanted to make him feel really good, and look his time before taking the boy. He was well aware they were both kids, and their bodies were barely developed, but he couldn't help but want to touch and feel like he was one with the green eyed kid. They spent the whole morning and mid afternoon sharing secret touches and kisses in Eren's room. By the end of it Levi didn't want to leave, but he was still scared over Eren dad freaking out. He left the boy curled up in his bed and let himself out. He didn't know that would be the last time he'd see Eren.

 

*  
Eren let out a small whine as he heard Levi leave. He really wanted the boy to stay, but he needed to clean up. His parents would freak if they knew what he'd done... he bundled up his sheets and dumped them in the washing machine, before opening the bedroom window and then heading into the shower. He didn't want to wash Levi's smell away. It was nice and comforting, the boy smelt earthy like the forest and tears filled his eyes and the scent disappeared down the drain. He only had a few more days before Levi would leave and he didn't even have a phone or anything that he could call the boy on. By the time he got out the shower, he was sobbing. He didn't want Levi to leave.

Eren was still crying when his mum came home, the woman finding him curled up on his bed. She said nothing as she gathered him up against her and Eren clutched at her shirt  
"Carla, why's Eren crying?"  
"It's fine Grisha, I'll handle this"  
"Alright"  
Eren sniffled as he heard his dad leave, his mothers warm, kind hands came to wipe at his tears  
"I don't want Levi to leave"  
His mother let out a soft sigh  
"I know you don't, you really like him don't you?"  
Eren nodded quickly  
"Mum... can I tell you something? And you won't tell dad?"  
"Of course"  
"We kissed... and it felt really good"  
His mother let out a small laugh and Eren frowned  
"Sorry honey, it's just really cute. You're first crush..."  
Eren pouted as he pulled away, causing his mother to laugh again  
"I know, you're heart broken cause Levi's leaving, but you know you can always call him or email him?"  
Eren shook his head  
"No... he's going to forget about me..."  
"He's not going to forget about you. You're kind of unforgettable in more than ways than one"  
"Mum!"  
His mother sighed, but her smile didn't fade  
"Alright, I'm leaving, dinner won't make its self... Eren, do I want to known where your sheets are?"  
Eren turned beat red and shook his head, his tongue twisted as he tried to lie  
"Blood... I got blood on them"  
He knew his mother wasn't entirely convinced, but she tactfully left without asking anything else.

He thought he'd escaped embarrassment for the rest of the night, but after dinner his father pulled him aside and he was given the "talk on the alpha's and the omegas". Eren resisted sticking his fingers in his ears, and his father looked just as awkward as he felt and when they hit wet dreams Eren thought he was going to die from shame. He sat through the whole thing, before being awkwardly hugged by his father. He'd learnt more than he'd ever wanted to and wanted to forget all of it as soon as possible.

 

*  
Levi didn't come back the next day, or the day after that. Completely miserable, he spent the last day of his holidays stalking the woods, even though he knew he wasn't going to find Levi. 

Monday came too soon, and Grisha dressed the marks on the back his neck, they'd only partially healed, and his leg was still messed up. He hated the marks. They were a sign that Levi hadn't been in his head, and he didn't want them to fade and leave him like the boy had. Walking to the bus stop, Eren found himself searching for Levi, even though he wouldn't find him. He'd known all along he'd have to say goodbye, but it wasn't fair that the boy had just disappeared as suddenly as he'd appeared. Even when his two best friends, Armin and Mikasa, showed up at the bus stop, Eren couldn't laugh and smile like he usually would have. Instead he remained quite for the whole ride to school, letting their fast chatter wash over him as he watched the world outside the window. If this was what love felt like, he wanted nothing to do with it.

The day passed painfully slowly. He wasn't allowed to do sports, and Armin had taken to hovering annoyingly close to him. The pit of misery in his stomach only grew as he sat on the sidelines and he wasn't surprised when Armin came and sat next to him  
"Eren, is everything alright?"  
"I'm fine Armin"  
"But you've been quite all day and you've got dressings on the back of your neck... you weren't attacked or anything were you?"  
"What do you mean attacked?"  
"Well... by another wolf... or something?"  
Eren sighed as he shook his head  
"No... nothing like that. Sorry, but I don't want to talk about it"  
"Ok, it's just 'cause there where you'd find a bonding mark is all... I thought someone might have marked you or something"  
"It's nothing. You better get back over there before you get in trouble"  
Armin gave a small nod  
"Ok... but if you want to talk"  
"It's nothing. I'm sorry for making you worry"  
The small blonde boy climbed to his feet and cast him a sympathetic look before jogging back over to where the class was doing sprints. Eren itched to run. He didn't have to think then, and that meant he didn't have to think about Levi. Even thinking about not thinking about Levi had him reaching to rub the back of his neck. He kind of hoped Levi's bite would scar, and he knew that was really pathetic. He'd fooled around and had a summer romance. That's all it was. Levi wasn't his alpha and Levi wasn't coming back for him. He had to suck it up and move on.

Sucking it up and moving on was harder than he'd expected. His bruises had faded, and Levi's fang marks had scarred. His mother had shown him how to use concealer to hide it, but Eren could tell she was troubled by the fact the marks had scarred. More than once he'd caught his parents deep in conversation, both shutting up the moment he walked into the room and Eren couldn't help but feel self conscious over it. It was his body after all, he deserved to know what was happening. No one was going to want someone who was still to present, yet seemed to be already marked, especially when that wasn't the case at all. A bonding mark was important to most people, but doubly so to a wolf. As long as the bond existed, the clan of the person who'd given the mark was bound to offer help and protection to the wearer. If Levi's bite mark was to be counted as a bonding mark, than Levi's family and the pack he ran with were obligated to protect Eren, even if Levi brought shame, Eren still wouldn't come to harm by them. It was a primitive way of looking at things, but had once been necessary for to keep the peace. The thought however just left him feeling worse and worse. Levi was gone, and all Eren had was this imitation mark.


	4. Chapter 4

"Eren?"  
Letting out a groan, Eren flopped back from the toilet, and laid on the cool floor tiles. He'd gone to bed feeling alright, and woken up feeling gross. His mothers gentle knocking on the bathroom door was doing nothing to make him feel better. He just wanted to go back to sleep  
"I'm fine!"  
"Then get out of there, I need to get ready for work"  
Letting out another groan, Eren forced himself up. His stomach rolling again as he did and his whole body heaved in an attempt to throw up, but there was nothing left to throw up. Coughing and retching, he spat into the toilet as his mother opened the door  
"Eren!"  
Rushing to his side, he tried to tell her he was alright, but he just felt gross  
"Shhh, it's alright. Let's get you back to bed and your father can take a look at you before we go"  
Eren shook his head  
"'m fine..."  
"You're not fine"  
"Mum"  
"Don't mum me. You're my baby and I need to know you're alright"  
His mothers hand moved to his forehead and Eren moaned at how wonderfully cool it felt  
"You feel a little clammy. Can you walk?"  
Eren rolled his eyes as he nodded and his mother helped him to the counter. He washing his hands, while she flushed the toilet, before staggering towards his room  
"Someone's finally out the bathroom!"

Eren ignored his father and kept going down the hall, once in his room he moved to face plant down on his bed. God. He felt so miserable. Curling up, he kept his arms wrapped around his stomach and he nuzzled into his pillow trying to get comfy   
"Eren, I won't have you ignoring me"  
"Grisha, he's been throwing up, that's why he was in the bathroom so long"  
Great. Now both of them were on his case  
"Can you grab me my thermometer? I'll take a look at the patient"  
The patient. Yep. Couldn't his father just talk like a normal person? The bed dipped and his father's firm hands rolled him onto his back   
"You do look a little pale. How many times have you thrown up this morning?"  
"Dunno... if you mean trips to the bathroom than one. If you mean how many times I puked while I was in there... no clue"  
Opening his eyes, he found his father less than amused  
"Any pain or tenderness?"  
"No..."  
He had a headache, but that hardly counted   
"And you didn't shove your fingers down your throat?"  
"Ew..."  
"So that's a no?"  
"That's a no. It's probably just a bug. I told mum I just wanted to sleep"  
"Eren, I'm the doctor in the family. Leave the thinking to me"  
"How is he?"

The bed dipped again and his mothers cool hand came to rest on his forehead again  
"He doesn't seem to he faking"  
"I could have told you that"  
"Pass me the thermometer"  
Eren's head was tilted as the device was placed into his ear, letting out a beep a few seconds later   
"He's got a slight temperature. Congratulations Eren, you're sick. I'll call the school"  
"What's wrong with him?"  
"It's probably just a bug. If he's still sick tomorrow, we'll bring him into the clinic and I'll check him out properly. We need to get ready for work"  
"You go ahead, I want to make sure he'll be alright"  
"Carla, he's nearly 13. He'll be fine"  
"And no matter how old he gets, he'll always be my precious baby boy"  
Eren closed his eyes again and listened to his father leave the room  
"Do you think you can eat?"  
The thought of food had his stomach rolling and he shook his head  
"Alright. I'll get you a bucket and a bottle of water. But let's get you back under the covers"  
This was why his mum was the best. She didn't ask him stupid questions. Not like his dad did and she didn't give him a hiding when she thought he'd done something wrong. He wondered if he'd disappointed his father in some unknown way.

His mother left for a few minutes, returning with the promised bucket and bottle of water, before pressing a kiss to his forehead  
"I'll try and come home for lunch, but I don't know how busy we'll be at the clinic"  
"I'll be fine,'I just wanna sleep"  
"I know, but I love you"  
"I love you too mum. You should go get ready before dad gets mad"  
"You're probably right. If you get any worse, I want you to call me"  
Yeah, that wasn't going to happen. He didn't particularly feel like being poked and prodded, still that wasn't what his mum wanted to hear  
"Ok, have a good day at work"  
His mother pressed another kiss to his forehead, before making sure his shoulders were covered by his blankets. Yeah. His mum was definitely the best.

Sleeping left him feeling better, but by the time it was time for dinner, he felt gross all over again. He tried to pick at his food, but it just left him feeling worse and excused himself early. His plan was to just sleep through and wake up refreshed the next morning. Only when the next morning came, he was once again throwing his guts up and was forced out and into the car without getting a word of protest in. His father had his own small clinic in town, and his mother worked as his receptionist and nurse when needed. Eren hadn't had to go to the clinic in ages, but it was still as falsely cheerful as he remembered. His stupid body needed to get its act together, that was his thoughts as his father pressed a specimen jar into his hands and he was made to go pee. Having a doctor for a parent was a cruel and unusual torture he'd never wish upon anyone. The concept of privacy didn't seem to exist and his father treated him like it was the man's right to know every aspect of his life. Returning with the jar of pee, Eren's face burned at the fact his mother was in the room   
"Where's dad?"  
"He had to go get a cannula out of the store room... Eren, is there anything I need to know before we test your urine?"  
Eren stared at his mother blankly, not completely sure what she was asking  
"I know puberty is a difficult time for a lot of people, and some people start taking things..."  
"Mum, are you seriously asking me if I'm doing drugs?"  
His mother bit her lip and Eren crossed over to where she was standing, before placing he specimen jar on the counter  
"No. I'm not that stupid. I'm not taking anything, or doing anything else like that"  
"Don't take that tone with your mother, she's only doing her job by asking. Carla, are you alright to take his blood samples?"  
Eren sat in the chair his mother pointed to  
"Left arm out"  
Eren watched as she wiped the site down with an alcohol wipe  
"I want even need a tourniquet. You've got such nice veins"  
Eren scrunched his face up, the thought of blood had him vomiting in his mouth. He swallowed desperately  
"Hold on"  
A few seconds later a disposable vomit bag was pushed into his hands and Eren threw up mostly bile into the bag  
"Gross"  
His mother nodded sympathetically   
"Do you feel alright? Or do you want to lay down?"  
"It's fine. I've got this if I need to puke"  
His father let out a sigh, obviously not impressed by his casual language.

Barely 5 minute later his mother had taken 5 vials of his blood. Apparently they always took an extra one from the first person to be be stabbed for the day. He didn't really get it, and he didn't really want to  
"Eren, why don't you go lay down in the back office? I'll come down and check on you after we've checked your urine sample"  
Thanking his mother silently, he rushed from the examination room. The awkward tension in the air was doing nothing to make him feel better, though he had to admit his stomach had settled down. He'd barely settled down on the worn sofa when his father burst through the door. The man was probably the angriest Eren had ever seen him and he tried to curl into a ball out of fear  
"D-dad?"  
"Don't dad me! Who the fuck was it?!"  
"Wha..."  
"Eren, you better tell me or so help me... you won't be able to sit straight for a month"  
Eren's eyes flicked from his father to his mothers pale face  
"Mum?"  
He was terrified. He hadn't done anything!  
"Eren..."  
"Don't baby him Carla!"  
His mother flinched back and Eren threw himself towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist  
"Mum, what's going on?"  
"Grisha, let me talk to him"  
His father let out a long growl  
"You spoil him too fucking much! He needs to own up and confess his actions!"  
"I don't know what you're talking about!"  
Eren's tone was high from the fear, and the fact he was so scared he was nearly melting down   
"Fine! You can stay in here and work it out with your mother. I am so ashamed of you right now"   
His father stormed from room, slamming the door loud enough to make the coffee cups on counter rattle. The moment he was gone Eren broke down into tears  
"I don't know what I did..."

After being gently guided back to the sofa, his mother sat him down and pulled him back up against her  
"Eren, honey... I need to know the truth. Did you have sex with Levi?"  
Given he was already in the dog house, he nodded miserably  
"And was that before or after he saved you"  
"After... we were both really scared... but I wanted it mum... I wanted him to touch me... even before he saved me"  
His mother kissed the top of his head and hushed him  
"It's alright, you're alright"  
Eren shook his head  
"Dad hates me! He's always hated me... everything I do is wrong or stupid... and now he hates me even more"  
"He doesn't hate you, he's worried about you"  
"It doesn't feel like that"  
"I know"  
"Why's he so mad? And why are you asking me about Levi? I've been trying really hard to forget him..."  
"I know you have. Eren, you've probably already realised this, but when Levi grabbed you on the scruff of the neck, he also marked you with his bonding mark... you're father thought it'd fade away, but it hasn't..."  
Eren let out a miserable sob  
"Does that make me an omega? Because he's an alpha?"  
His mother snorted despite the situation  
"No honey, plenty of alpha's mark each other... but we both know you're not an alpha"  
"So I am an omega?"  
"Yeah, Eren, do you know anything else about Levi? Like his last name?"  
"N-no... only that he was in town because his uncle was working... why won't you tell me what's going on"  
His mother pushed him up and Eren stared into her eyes, he hated seeing her cry, yet there she was crying softly  
"What did I do wrong? I'll fix it. Whatever I did, I'll fix it"  
"I know you would, but not everything can be fixed with words"  
"Then tell me what to do!"  
His mother smiled at him sadly  
"That's your decision, no matter what... you're pregnant. Grisha thinks you went into heat when Levi accidentally marked you, and you're pregnant"

Staring up at the woman, Eren wanted to laugh, but the fact his father had been so furious told him that this wasn't some kind of mess up joke  
"Mum... you're not serious right?"  
He had to know  
"I am. That's why your father's so angry. He feels like he failed you..."  
"But..."  
"Eren, you can get pregnant even if it's your first time. I had a feeling you and Levi had fooled around, but told myself you hadn't... I didn't think you would have slept together"  
Eren opened and closed his mouth  
"I know this is a lot, but I'll support you, no matter what you decided"  
Eren's hands came to his stomach, he looked down and then back up at his mother  
"I can't... if it's Levi's... I can't..."  
"You don't have to decided right now..."  
Eren shook his head. He honestly couldn't. It was Levi's. It was the one piece of the alpha he had  
"I can't"  
"Alright. I'll organised an ultrasound appointment in Trost"  
Trost. He shouldn't be surprised. If he showed up at Shinganshima's sad excuse for a "hospital" needing an ultrasound... the whole town would know within half an hour  
"I'll talk to your father. You're not the first young omega to fall to pregnant"  
"Mum... I'm really sorry"  
His mother shook her head  
"You've got nothing to be sorry for, you can't fight your second nature and as it is, your body is going through so many changes you probably didn't even realise. Now, try and get some rest. I'll take care of everything"  
Eren nodded and his mother wrapped her arms around him again. He knew the woman was probably furious, but she also understood how incredibly confused he was over everything. He breathed her comforting smell in and let out a small sigh  
"Thank you... I love you mum"  
"I know, I love you too baby"

 

*  
It was now two weeks later and Eren was trapped in the back of the car, on the way into Trost city. His father wouldn't even look at him, going as far as to leave the room when he walked in. This of course made things unfairly painful for his mother and he felt completely shit that his parents weren't talking because of him. Letting out a soft sigh, Eren shifted in his seat. He really really needed to pee, but not peeing was apparently a thing.

"Don't worry, it's not that much longer"  
Eren nodded as his mother turned back to look at him, she offered him a small smile, dark bags hung her eyes and Eren resisted the urge to reach out and take her hand. His father completely ignored the exchange, although he did huff extra loudly. It was only maybe another 10 minutes before they pulled up outside a sleek modern building. His father knocked the car into park, and his mother climbed out the car, rounding to his side and opening the door for him  
"You ready?"  
"No..."  
His mother let out a small snort  
"You'll be just fine"  
She held her hand out, and Eren grasped it as he climbed from the car. At least his father didn't seem to be coming with them. That was some small mercy, and it felt nice holding his mothers hand as they walked up the stairs and into the silver and white toned entrance. After quickly talking to the receptionist his mother took care of the intake forms, while Eren wriggled uncomfortably the hard plastic chair  
"Eren, sit still"  
The few people in the waiting room looked to him and Eren hung his head, so he wouldn't have to look at them all. They probably thought he was just another shitty kid and his mum has the appointment  
"Are you alright?"  
"I just need to pee"  
His mother snorted loudly, the woman rushing to apologise to the other people in the room, before slinging her arm around his shoulder  
"I know, it's horrible isn't it. But it shouldn't be that much longer"  
It was another 15 minutes before he was lead through, he kept a firm hold on his mothers hand, completely terrified. He wanted this baby because he wanted Levi, maybe... he wasn't sure, but he couldn't just get rid of it, no matter how prettified he was.

The woman obstetrician was nice, and his mother filled her in on everything that had happened. He didn't miss the sad look she gave him, and insisted on explaining all his options. When she was done, Eren just felt sick. Apparently if he was an abortion like his father wanted, he risked permanent psychological damage... so that was out, but the woman strongly advocated pulling the child up for adoption. This lead to his mother proving once again why she was the best mother ever. The woman calmly coldly shot the woman down, before the obstetrician realised what the hell had happened. Eren couldn't help but smirk a little as the woman sat a little straighter, though a sour look remained on her face for the rest of the appointment, even through the ultrasound. Eren had kept his face hidden against his mother until the woman gently pried herself away  
"Eren, take a look at the screen"  
With tears in his eyes, Eren blinked and sniffled, the image on the screen looked like a school of fish and he didn't know what the was looking at, but his mother leant to whisper in his ear  
"Do you see those two black smudges?"  
Eren nodded  
"They're your pups"  
"P-pups?"  
"Yeah, two little pups. It's not uncommon for us Wolfbloods to have twin pups"  
Eren nodded, there was a sadness in his mothers words that cut deep and made him bite his tongue. He moved to bury his face back against his mother and his mother asked for the ultrasound prints. Twin pups... one pup was bad enough... two... he let out a small sob and his mother moved to gently play with his hair   
"It'll be fine, I promise you Eren"  
Eren nodded against her, staying like that until the obstetrician finally said the scan was over and he could clean himself up. 

The best part of his appointment was getting the print outs, but getting to pee was a very close second. His father was still waiting in the car. He'd expected his mother to sit in the front passenger seat again, but she climbed into the back with him and Eren was grateful for it  
"Did she make you see some sense?"  
Eren frowned at his father's words and wasn't sure how to reply  
"He's 8 weeks, two healthy pups"  
Grisha let out a long sigh, before rubbing his face and turning back to look at him. The man looked exhausted and Eren bit his lip before looking down  
"Eren, you know you're not fit to be a parent. You're just a kid yourself. You know that right?"  
"Grisha..."  
"Carla, you baby him too much. You know as well as I do that this isn't right"  
"It's Eren's choice"  
"No. It's our choice as his parents to do what's in his best interest. We don't even know... he doesn't even know the alpha he spread his legs for. .."  
Eren clenched his fists at the thought of Levi. He didn't regret kissing the alpha, nor did he regret their awkward fumbling or sex... it had felt so good... surely something that good couldn't be bad  
"I think that's enough. Also, his next appointment will be with a different obstetrician. That woman was insufferable and I will not have her treating Eren that way"  
"I'm sure you're just blowing this out of proportion"  
"Don't you dare try and make me out to be a bad mother"  
"A good mother would tell her 12 year old son to have an abortion"  
"And risk the mental trauma? Risk Eren killing himself? No. He'll give birth and we'll be there for him. That's all there is to it. He might be young, but we can teach him what he needs to know"  
Grisha turned back around, before starting the car  
"You're both fools"

That was the last thing the man said to either of them for the rest of the day. Given they were in Trost, the man took the opportunity to pick up supplies for the clinic. Both Eren and his mother stayed in the car, he didn't know what to say or do, but his mother slipped the envelope contained the ultrasound prints into his hands  
"He'll come round. We just need to be patient with him"  
"I don't know... I'm sorry... I know I'm ruining everything..."  
"No honey, what's done is done. And no matter what, I still love you"  
"But he's right. I'm still in school... what's going to happen with that? And what do I tell everyone?"  
He sniffled sadly and his mother slid across the seat and pulled him close  
"Well, you'll be able to finish the school year, there's not that much of it left, and then we'll home school you until things settle back down"  
"But what if they don't settle back down?"  
"They will, it just takes time. Look, we'll talk about it when the time comes, so try not to worry"  
Eren let his eyes close as he snuggled against his mother. He was certain that there was no way in hell his father would come round. He'd probably brought the man more shame than the alpha knew what to do with  
"Mum... will I still be able to shift?"  
"Until about 6 months. Why?"  
"I was thinking it might be better if I lived in the forest for a bit..."  
"No. You're not moving out of home. You're far too young for that, and it won't be long before the nights start to get cold and the snow comes"  
"But I don't want you and dad fighting because of me"  
"We'll be fine. You just worry about you and the pups"  
"Why do you call them pups and not babies?"  
"Because we're wolves and when they're born their ears and tails will be showing"  
"For how long?"  
"The first few months, they'll also be a bit of a handful, like real pups would be. They'll be walking and running well before you're ready for them to be"  
"Did I?"  
"You have no idea. You were a regular little escape artist, always off and into the forest at the first chance you got"  
Eren let out a shaky sigh  
"Why don't you try and get some rest?"  
"Ok... hey mum?"  
"Yes?"  
"I love you"  
"I love you too"


	5. Chapter 5

As the weeks went by, Eren found himself adjusting to his changing body. Every morning he checked his stomach out in the bathroom, before rubbing it gently and saying good morning to his two pups. His father still wasn't talking to him, and with his hormones also changing, he found himself growing more and more upset over it. He also found himself growing more feminine and his mother seemed to really enjoy spending time pampering him. She'd never had a daughter, and seemed to be making up for lost time. The woman would spend hours sitting in his room with him, talking about what to expect, and helping him pick out clothes for his changing body shape. The day she came home with a bra for him, Eren didn't know if he should laugh, or burst into tears. His breasts were tiny, though definitely beginning to form, and the idea of a bra was terrifying, he felt like he was losing part of himself by giving into his omega side. 

The first time he wore a bra to school, he'd been sure everyone was staring at him because they knew, though he'd been sure to wear a thick hoodie to make sure there were no outward signs. By this time, he had finally turned 13 and they were in the last term of school. No one knew he was pregnant. Not Mikasa and Armin, and definitely not the teachers. His mother has offered to come to school to explain to the principal what was going on, but Eren was already despised by the man for being a troublemaker. His principal would probably "accidentally" tell everyone, just to see him get upset over it all. As it turned out, he nearly kept his secret until the end of term.

The morning had been shitty, his nerves on edge all damn day, and when he'd seen kids from school picking on Armin... he'd kind of snapped. He didn't remember throwing the first punch, but did remember it took two teachers to pull him off the leader of the gang of bullies. Given they were so used to his antics, he was shoved less than gracefully into the nearest classroom while the bully was fussed over. Armin faithfully slipped into the classroom, coming to check on him and that was when his friend had noticed he was wearing a bra. Eren's shirt had been torn in the struggle and the plain white bra was visible through the tear. Angry and ashamed he'd broken down sobbing, and Armin gathered him up close. It was then that he confessed everything. Meeting Levi, falling for the alpha, falling off the cliff and the accidental bonding and finally that they'd had sex and he was now pregnant"  
His friend sat in shocked silence so long that Eren had convinced himself that Armin must be disgusted. He tried to push his friend away, but Armin just held him closer  
"I wish you'd told me soon"  
"How could I... you're disgusted aren't you?"  
"No. Confused and worried, but not disgusted. How far along are you?"  
"About 16 weeks... apparently my bodies developing fast or something... that's why I've got tiny boobs"  
"And your stomach?"  
"Do... do you want to see?"  
Armin nodded and Eren pulled back, before sliding his ruined shirt up  
"I thought there'd be more of a bump"  
"It's there... if you put your hands on it, you can feel it"  
"Can I?"  
Eren nodded and Armin moved his hands slowly to rest on his stomach. The boys blue eyes widened and a huge smile spread across his lips  
"Wow. That's so cool..."  
"There's two in there... mum calls them pups, apparently their ears and tails show when they're born"  
"Oh my god... that's so adorable... but wait... if you pregnant, what about morning sickness and all that?"  
"Mum got me these really good pills that made it pretty much non-existent. It was really awful the first week and a bit"  
The classroom door opened again, ending their conversation. Both kids rose and Armin moved to stand slightly in front of him as the blonde explained what happened. Although it was the end of the school year, they were both suspended and Eren nearly hit the teacher. Armin didn't do anything wrong. He didn't deserve that on his record, but his friend rushed to assure him it was fine.

At the end of the school day, his mother picked both him and Armin up. As Armin's parents were dead, his friend lived with his grandfather and the man didn't have a driver's licence. It was a nervous wait for both boys outside the principals office, and when his mother finally emerged, Eren wanted to sink into the ground and disappear. She didn't talk to them at all until they reached the car and both boys climbed into the back seat  
"Does someone want to explain what happened?"  
Eren went to open his mouth, but Armin beat him to it, explaining that Eren was just trying to stand up for him against the 4 other kids. It was only then that the disapproving look faded from her face, and she looked to Eren in concern  
"Eren, you didn't get hit did you?"  
The fact that he had a black eye, clear meant she was talking about him getting hit in the stomach  
"No... mum... I told Armin. He knows I'm pregnant"  
His mother let out a small sigh in relief  
"Good... that's good. Armin, can you please keep this to yourself? Eren's going to cop enough over it all as he gets older"  
Armin nodded quickly   
"I didn't even think of telling anyone. But I'm not going to. He's still my best friend"  
"You're such a good kid. And Eren, are you sure you didn't get in the stomach"  
"I'm sure. They just ripped my shirt, but I had a spare in my locker"  
"It's a good thing school ends soon, you're father would flip if we had to buy you new school shirts. Alright, let's head home and Armin, I'll explain everything to your grandfather. It's not fair that you both got suspended over this"  
"Armin doesn't deserve to be suspended, but they wouldn't listen to me"  
"Yes, you're principal seems to think you're some kind of demon child... he's not the nicest of people"  
Eren nodded and moved to put his seatbelt on, while Armin did the same. His friends hand came to hold his and Eren smiled down at his stomach. Having Armin on his side had lifted a weight off his shoulders that he didn't even know had been there.

 

*  
As his body continued to change and his stomach continued to swell, Eren was kind of relieved he didn't have to leave the house. His father had pretty much grounded him for the rest of his life, but that was fine. People would ask too many questions if they saw him. In addition to his swollen stomach and small breasts, he'd also grown his hair out long enough to wear it in a ponytail. His mother loved it and she loved dressing him up as a girl. Eren kind of liked it, he liked seeing his mother so happy over everything, but he was a boy and sometimes the woman got a bit carried away, like one time she'd brought home a pale pink lacy dress and he'd nearly died of embarrassment when his father saw him in it. 

By his eighth month, Eren was bored of being at home. He couldn't shift anymore, and he wasn't allowed to spend all day outside, not when he was supposed to be doing his homeschooling work... but it was just so boring and he was never really comfortable. Both pups were always moving, he swore they never stopped, even when he had ultrasounds the obstetrician couldn't take proper measurements because they wouldn't stop moving. He was also tired all the time, and his out of control hormones left him crazy horny. He needed Levi's knot, his body was going mental for it, and no matter him many times he touched himself... it just wasn't the same. It also didn't help that he was always on edge about being walked in on, his mother had done that once and he hadn't been able to look at her for days following it. Orgasming in front of his mother with fingers up his arse was something neither of them had needed to experience, and being the kind loving woman she was, she'd actually brought him a suction dong. The first time he'd used it he'd been so embarrassed, but when he found it helped to ease the longing he felt, he gave into pleasuring himself with it and more than once fell asleep with the toy still inside of him. 

When he hit the nine month mark, his mother took time off work to stay home with him. It was kind of nice not being alone, and they'd curl up on the sofa while watching bad movies. She was convinced he'd go into labor at anytime, but he didn't until his 37th week. It was the middle of the night when Eren felt something weird. He didn't want to wake up and worry his mother, but when the weird pain didn't settle down, and he felt like he'd pissed himself, he was so scared. Sliding out from his bed, his hands flew to his stomach as the pain seemed to intensify hold, he let out a small sob as he realised what was happening. He needed Levi... he couldn't do this alone...He wasn't ready at all for this, and wanted the weird pain to just go away. He felt like he was suffocating, and stumbled from his room, and then from the house. By this time he was sobbing profusely and he kept trying to shift. He wanted to run, he was just so scared, but instead he stumbled deeper into the forest, calling Levi's name as he went. He knew the boy wasn't there, but he was just so scared. Tripping over his own feet, he fell to his knees with a yelp. He'd managed to stumble all the way out to the rocky clearing where they'd always meet. Letting himself sink down, he curled around his stomach, whimpering and sobbing for the boy. The coldness of the rock left him freezing, but he just couldn't move. This was the place he'd met Levi. This was the place they'd spent so many hours together... this was their place. He sobbed and sobbed, not knowing how long he was out their before warm hands landed on his face  
"Oh my god Eren, I've been so worried, we need to get you back home and let your father know I've found you"  
Eren shook his head  
"It hurts..."  
"What hurts?"  
He felt his mothers hands leave his face and one moved to gently rub his side, before sliding down lower and across the back of his leg. He wasn't exactly sure what she was doing but her fingers found the wetness of his pants and she let out a small gasp   
"Oh, ok, you're going to be ok, but we really need to get you home. Can you walk?"  
He didn't have much choice. He was hit by the new fear that his children would freeze to death if he gave birth here and forced his shaking body to accept his mothers gentle coaxing. The woman wrapped a thick blanket around his shoulders, before moving to wrap her arm around his waist and begin supporting him back towards home. Eren kept his face hidden against his mothers chest the whole time. It hurt to much and it didn't seem to help that it felt like a small eternity before they got home  
"Eren, I'm going to call your father, he's been driving around looking for you. He was the one who heard you leave"  
If he wasn't in so much discomfort, he'd be suspicious of his father's actions, the man hated him after all.

It seemed to be forever before his father came home. His mother had sent him to shower and in his absence, the woman had cleared a spot in the living room. He'd thought he'd be delivering anywhere other than home, and this only served to make him scareder. Laying on the floor in his mothers arms, he cried softly against her. He wanted Levi. But Levi didn't know anything about it and he supposed the boy had probably forgotten about him completely. He was like that when his father came home, and the man let out a low growl   
"I take it it's time"  
"Yes, if we take him leaving as when his water broke, it's been about 4 hours ago, we haven't been timing his contractions"  
"Get him onto his hands and knees, I'll get the towels and water"  
Eren flinched when his father dropped his medical kit near the cleared space. He could smell how angry and annoyed his father was, and he let out a small whimper as his mother tried to move him  
"Eren, it's alright. Your father's done this before, and male omegas have been doing this for hundreds of years. You're Wolfblood remember, you'll be just fine"  
That didn't make him feel any less of a fool with his arse in the air, and his head buried against his mothers lap. His swollen stomach rubbed against the floor, and his breasts hung painfully, but what was more painful was the fact that he was throbbingly hard in front of parents. It was like his body was freaking out and it scared him  
"Eren, your father's going to examine you now, I know it hurts baby, but everything's alright"  
Couldn't they just knock him out and wake him up when it was all over? His face burnt as his father touched his opening   
"He's got a little while to go yet"  
"Good, that means you have time to administer pain medication before active labor begins"  
"He's not getting pain medication. He needs to learn from his actions and I doubt he'll be so anxious to spread his legs after feeling like he's being torn apart"  
Eren whimpered at his father's words and man pulled back  
"Lay him back down, and cover him up"  
Eren was guided onto his side and he curled around his aching stomach. He already felt like he was being pulled into two, and didn't think things could get worse.

But slowly they did. The contractions became more frequent and intense, his whole body shook. He didn't want to do this... insanity would have been the better choice, but his mother helped him position himself, the only thing keeping him up was her. The miracle of birth fucking hurt. He'd always tried not to get into the habit of swearing, but he screamed out a long "fuuuuuck", as he birthed his first pup. He had no words for how it felt to feel himself tearing open, and the smell of blood had him feeling woozy. Still, his mother whispered words of encouragement and he fell limply against her as he felt his child slide form his abused opening  
"It's a boy"  
Eren sniffled against his mother and she pressed a kiss to his sweaty temple  
"You're doing so well"  
A small weak cry had him sobbing, he wanted to see his boy, but his body was still passing something, the contractions continuing and his thighs grew wetter. He barely stayed conscious for the birth of his second boy. It hurt so badly, his whole body wouldn't stop shaking, but his mother held him in position until the after birth had passed, and then let him collapse against her  
"You did so well, I'm so proud of you"  
"I... it hurts"  
He panted the words out, his throat felt like he'd swallowed glass, but his arse felt like he'd shat it out. It hurt so badly, and he flinched as his father poked at the area  
"He's just going to clean you up and then stitch you up"  
Eren struggled his hardest to stay conscious. He just wanted to see his boys, he must have passed out though, as when he came to he'd been moved to the sofa and covered with a thick blanket. Two tiny life's laid against his chest and he blinked back tears to look at them  
"Eren?"  
He gave a slight nod, he couldn't take his eyes off his boys  
"They're both big and healthy. Do you have names in mind?"  
"Eli... and Ren..."  
"They're good names. You'll be bleeding for the next few days, but I'll help you with that. You probably don't feel like sitting up, but now you're awake, do you want me to show you how to feed them?"  
Eren nodded and his mother came to kneel next to him. She lifted the first tiny boy from his chest. The boy had dark fur like Levi, and Eren let out a small sob  
"Shhh, you're ok. Which one am I holding?"  
"Ren..."  
"Hello baby Ren, I'm you're grandma! You're grandpa isn't here right now, but that's alright"  
His mother carefully laid Ren down, and then lifted Eli from his hold, the baby boy had brown fur like him, that's why he'd named him Eli, so they wouldn't be too similar. She waited until he'd slip up slightly, before getting him to pull the blanket down, and showed him how to get Eli to latch. It took his son a few attempts, but Eren couldn't have been prouder when the boys perfect pink lips finally took his nipple   
"You're a natural. I'm going to get you something to drink, and something for the pain"  
Eren nodded, not really caring. Eli was just so perfect. Upon his mothers return, she waited until Eli was done feeding, before burping the tiny boy given he wasn't really on the best angle. The process was repeated with Ren, the boy as equally perfect  
"Mum... thank you..."  
"It's fine baby, you did really well"  
"I'm sorry I couldn't give you a girl"  
His mother shook her head   
"Eren, I don't care at all that they're both boys. They are so perfect, and all three of you are happy and healthy. That's all that matters and look at them... I'd nearly forgotten how tiny you used to be"  
"I bet I looked like Eli"  
"Yeah, he looks just like you. Ren takes after Levi, that goes without saying"  
"I know... I miss him... I wanted him to be here so badly"  
"I know you did... I'm sure he would have wanted to be here too"  
Eren shook his head, tears began to stream down his face  
"He's probably forgotten all about me"  
"Eren, you don't know why he had to leave so suddenly, but I'm sure he's regretted not being able to tell you why, and I'm sure he still thinks about you"  
"Really...?"  
"Yeah... your father's going to be at work all day, so why don't we spend the day in bed with the twins?"  
Eren didn't want to move, but he did want to be held, and he wanted to be able to see both his boys properly  
"I'll go set the guest bed up. Is there anything you want from your room?"  
Hit with the sudden awareness that he was still very much naked under the blanket, Eren nodded quickly  
"Pants"  
His mother laughed lightly, before rising slowly with Ren in her arms  
"Alright, I'll be back soon"

Laying with Eli on his chest, Eren gently rubbed the tiny boys back. Everything was so perfect about him, and he'd never known he could love someone so much. He already knew he'd do anything for his boys, even if they'd only just met. It took his mother next to no time to set up the spare bedroom, and Eli was lifted him from chest, the tiny boy let out a small sob and Eren's heart felt like it was breaking for him  
"I'll dress him and lay him down, like I've done for Ren. Can you manage your pants on your own?"  
Eren nodded, though not entirely sure he could. His stomach and arse were so very sore, but he wanted to be with his boys again, so ignored the pain the best he could. However, he soon found he couldn't walk. He'd tried to stand and that just wasn't happening, so was forced to wait until his mother returned before asking for her help. Naturally she took it in her stride, gently helping him stand and supporting him through to the guest room, before letting him figure out what was the best way for him to climb onto the bed. Only once he was settled did she lay the twins down in front of him, both boys looked adorable in their white onesie. The bed dipped behind him, and his mother slid up to carefully hold him, her chin resting on his shoulder  
"They're perfect"  
"I... k-know, I can't believe they're really real"  
"Trust me, once they start screaming you'll soon snap out of that"  
Eren hummed as he carefully moved to stroke Ren's black tail. The fur was still slightly sticky, and he wondered if the boy minded. He certainly didn't seem to mind, his son's eyes were firmly closed and Eli's eyes were the same. He smiled at the fact that both boys hands were mere millimetres apart and placed Eli's hand into Ren's  
"I feel like I could watch them sleep for hours"  
"I used to watch you sleep. It was the only time you'd be quite"  
Eren let out a small snort  
"Thanks mum... for everything"  
"You don't need to thank me"  
"Mmm, I'm pretty sure I do. You're the best mum anyone could ask for"  
His mother pressed a small kiss to his shoulder  
"You should get some more sleep, we both should. Life just got a whole lot busier around here"  
Shuffling down slightly, Eren forced himself to close his eyes. His babies were safe, his father wasn't here, and his mother was holding him. It was the last moment of true peace he'd know for a long while.


	6. Chapter 6

It was clear from day one that his father didn't care for the twins. The man had no time for them, and the few times he'd had to go into the clinic with them, the his father had said they were his brothers, not his sons. It didn't take long for everyone to believe they were his brothers and people often congratulated his mother on such beautiful boys. Eren tried to ignore the jealousy he felt over it. They were his boys, he was the one who fed them, who bathed them and changed them... once his mother had taught him to do so, he'd declined her help. He wanted to be the best mother to his pups he could.

When the pups turned 3 months old, their tails and ears finally faded alway. His mother assured him they wouldn't be able to shift just yet, but Eren kind of hoped they would, he missed their soft furry tails and silky ears. When their first set of teeth came, his father decided it was time for him to back to school, given he didn't have to feed them. He missed the closeness of breast feeding, but also missed Armin and Mikasa. His friends had only visited a handful of times since the pups birth and given he now knew the theme songs to nearly every kid's show on TV, it was definitely time to get back to reality.

 

*  
The first week of high school sucked. Having Mikasa and Armin helped, but getting up at 6am, to catch a bus to Trost at 7... it wasn't his idea of fun at all. Shinganshima was too small for its own high school, and knowing his twins were an hour away hurt. He spent almost all his class time worrying about the boys, and because of that his teachers thought he wasn't all there. More than once he was singled out of over it... in fact the only teacher who didn't give him shit was his sports teacher. The man was laid backed and more than happy to let him run until he dropped. He hadn't had much of an opportunity to run at home, unless it was after his boys, and that didn't count.

The second week was somewhat better. He'd gotten used to the lay out of the school, and people no longer stared at him for having long hair, or for acting "too feminine". So that was a win. Mikasa had been the first to jump to his defence when the girl's had all sneered, but that had faded, and he was now kind of accepted. He'd even been asked to try out as a cheer leader, as well as asked to join the track team. But given Trost was so far away, he hadn't been able to say yes.

By the third week he'd settled into a comfortable-ish routine. He'd gotten used to saying goodbye to his boys, than napping all the way to Trost and playing the role of teenage boy each different click demanded when he stepped into the school entrance. It wasn't exactly perfect, but it wasn't totally horrible and as the days passed he found himself thinking of Levi less often. He even found himself meeting and flirting with other alpha's, though he had no intention of going there... it was just nice.

And then things weren't.

 

He was 14 and a half when it happened, and the day had been total shit. His school was having a "fancy dress" day as a fundraiser and his friend Sasha has leant him her cheerleader uniform for it. His mum loved dressing him up as a girl again, it'd been a while as his school had a uniform and his father insisted he dressed like a boy. She did his hair and makeup, matching the eyeshadow and lipstick to the colours of the uniform. They were having a great time, until his father got up. The alpha was furious and Eren found himself on the receiving end of a unexpected blow to the face. Both his pups began to cry, and his father had left without a word. Leaving him and his mother to settle the boys down and fix his makeup again. He no longer felt confident or cute or sexy, he just felt ashamed of himself, despite his mothers words. His discomfort lasted all day, even with all the attention he got, he felt so stupid. Given how depressed he was, both his friends decided that he needed cheering up, and both teen got off at his stop, following him home. 

Walking inside, he could tell something was off. Both boys were crying near the front door, and wouldn't settle even when he lifted them up. The cause soon became evident, walking into the kitchen, he found his mother sprawled across the floor. His heart was racing and he rushed to her side, screaming at his friends to call an ambulance... only it was too late. Placing his sons down, his hands shook as he placed them on his mother. The woman's eyes were open, as if surprised, and she was cold and clammy to his touch. Tears rushed to torrent down his face as he threw himself over the woman, sobbing wholeheartedly. His friends tried to pull him back, but he clung desperately to his mother. Even when the ambulance arrived, he physically couldn't let his mother go. He'd been so angry this morning, and she'd copped it. Now she was gone and he didn't know what to do. Mikasa was the one finally got him off his mother, his friend guiding him over to where Armin held his son's. Both boys asking for "lala", his mother had tried to teach them "Carla" instead of "Grandma", but "lala" had stuck and his mum had always smiled so happily when they called for her. He didn't know how he was supposed to look after both of them, and go to school and what would happen with his father. The paramedics had said they'd contact his father, but Eren barely heard them.

His father didn't come that night, or the night after that, or the weekend that followed. Eren found his tears finally ran out, and he was just filled with a numb emptiness. Both Mikasa and Armin had stayed with him that first night, but he'd begged them to go to school the following morning and hadn't spoken to them since. They'd both come to the house, but he'd ignored their knocking, just like he ignored their phone calls. He just wanted to be with his boys... and with Levi.

When his father finally came home, the man was dead drunk, and stank like he'd bathed in booze. Eren gathered both his sons up and carried them into his room. He returned to find his father pulling down family photos, and he rushed to grab his father's arm, the man swung easily, clearly not caring about anything. Eren ignored the pain flaring across the same spot the man had hit him in before  
"Dad! Stop!"  
Grabbing back onto his father's arm, he tried to pull his father back, but the man continued to smash the photo frames like it was nothing   
"Why... why did it have to be her... why couldn't it be you?"  
Eren reeled back, before shoving his father as hard as he could  
"Why wasn't it you! You're the reason she's gone! She loved you! And all you did was treat us both like shit!"  
His father snarled, shoving him hard enough he fell back  
"Get the fuck out of this house! Take those things you call pups with you!"  
Scrambling up, Eren ran to his room and gathered things for himself and the twins. He had no idea where he was going, but he wasn't having his father around his boys.

 

*  
Armin had been shocked when he arrived on his friends doorstep. After carrying his boys and their things from one side of the town to the other, Eren was practically dead on his feet. His friend had rushed to lift the boys from his hold and Eren stumbled into the house  
"I'm sorry... I didn't know where to go"  
"Come in, you look dead on your feet"  
"If it's a problem... we can find somewhere else"  
"Eren, shut up and get in here"  
Trailing after his friend, he couldn't stop stumbling as they moved into the living room  
"Hello Eren, these must be the twins. Armin's told me all about them"  
Eren mumbled a hello, before sinking down on the empty sofa and hiding his face in his hands  
"Armin, why don't you get Eren something to drink, he looks exhausted"  
"Grandpa..."  
"Don't grandpa me. Can't you see he's upset"  
"I'm... fine... sorry"  
Eren looked up towards where Armin was holding his boys. Both boys had wide eyes and Eren could tell that all they wanted to do was explore. He slid from the sofa and held his arms open  
"Here, I'll take them"  
Armin looked down at him and then to his grandfather  
"Eren, you're exhausted. Why don't you take a shower? I'm sure we can manage to watch the boys"  
A shower sounded really good, but he hesitated a moment before nodding. He'd been to Armin's enough to know where everything was, and he once again stumbled his way through the house. It wasn't until he was in the bathroom he realised why they'd sent him to shower. His eyebrow was split, and right eye blackening. His boys shouldn't see him like this... he forced himself to shower and tried to clean his eyebrow, but the more he scrubbed at it, the more it bled. He ended up giving up, and once again in front of the mirror, he noticed he had more bruising coming up, he didn't remember his father doing that much damage, but there were bruises on his chest and arms. It left him anger and confused so he rushed to dry and dress himself, before heading downstairs. Armin was playing horse, and Eren snorted at the sight  
"You make a terrible horse"  
"Eren! Save me!"  
Crossing to his friend, he lifted Ren off Armin's back and Armin collapsed to the floor, where he was promptly pounced on by Eli   
"Where so they store all this energy?"  
"I don't know... thanks for the shower"  
"It's all good. Do you want to talk about it?"  
Eren sighed, he did owe them an explanation, and neither male seemed too happy when he explained his father had only just come back, only to promptly kick him out. Armin's grandfather promptly told him he was staying there until things had settled down, but Eren felt like they never would. How were things supposed to move on and settle down without his mother?

But things did move on. 9 days after coming home to find his mother dead on the kitchen floor, the woman was laid to rest. To Eren it felt like half the town had showed up, and person after person offered him their condolences. His father stood by his side the whole time, tears ran down the man's face, but Eren couldn't cry. He desperately wanted to, but nothing came out. He just held his boys, both of which had peeked up when they'd seen "Lala" and began crying when the woman didn't respond. It fucking hurt. His father seemed as lost as he felt. The alpha stayed close to him for the small service, and once it was over the man took him aside and apologised. Eren was speechless, but having lost one parent, he desperately wanted to try and salvage something with his father.


	7. Chapter 7

When Eren walked into the house the first thing he noticed was his father had cleaned. All the photos were back on display, minus their glass, and the house was strangely organised. They managed to be almost family like for the first few weeks, but it soon became evident to Eren just why his father had wanted him around. His mother had left him everything, and it wasn't to be held in trust either. He was sole beneficiary of her life insurance, he also now owned his mothers bank account and the account she'd set up when he was born. It was close to $90,000, and he was shocked, but more than that, he wished he could trade it all in to have her back. His father acted cool through it all, helping him transfer everything into one account and more importantly into his name legally, but that's when the trouble started. He didn't want to spend the money. He felt like it was disrespectful, and like he had no right to it... especially to the life insurance money... he'd fought with his mother... and then she'd died. He hadn't found out until weeks later that it had been an aneurysm in her brain. There was nothing anyone could have done to save her. His father on the other hand had started drinking more and more, which lead to the alpha becoming quite violent when he ran out. To spare the twins, Eren became the man's punching bag. If he paid his father with drinking money, the man would baby sit the twins while he was at school... he fucking hated doing it, but had no other options. So it became the norm that when he arrived home from school, he'd use the home computer to transfer money into his father's account and the man would drink until it ran out, before coming home and beating the ever living shit out of him.

But soon that wasn't enough.

Given his father spent all his time drinking, complaints were lodged by his patients and his father's practice was forced to close its doors. Eren had hoped that would be a wake up call for the man, but all it did was make his father worse and he found himself genuinely fearing for the safety of his boys. He couldn't live with his father any longer, but he had no where to go. He tried his hardest to organise things on his own, but given he wasn't even 15, no one wanted to treat him seriously and he was forced to turn to Armin and his grandfather for help, once again showing up in the middle of the night with a black eye and two unhappy boys. Armin had already gone to bed, and the man's grandfather sighed deeply as he let him in  
"I heard what happened, it's a shame he's let himself go. You'd better get in here and tell me what happened, before you fall over"  
Eren blushed in embarrassment as he walked into the living room and sat on the same sofa as before. He explained about his mother leaving him everything and Armin's grandfather was thoroughly disgusted by the time he finally shut up  
"What do you want to do?"  
Eren looked at the man in confusion  
"What can I do? I have money, but don't have a job, and no one would be me a room to rent even if I did. If I stay here I risk dad causing troubles, especially now I'm not there to support his habit... that's why... I wanted to ask if you and Armin can take the twins... I don't care what happens to me, but they deserve better"  
The look Armin's grandfather gave him bordered on rage  
"I thought you were better than that Eren. Your boys might be young, but they'll miss you just as much as you miss your mother..."  
"It would only be for a little while..."  
The old man shook his head   
"I mean you need to start caring about you. I'm betting that black eye isn't the only bruising your sporting. No. You and the boys will stay here"  
"I can't... I only brought the boys things, and if dad..."  
"You think I'm scared of your father? Grisha Yeager doesn't scare me, Wolfblood or not. Now, tell me what you'd do if you could?"  
Eren looked down at the boys in his lap, both were too exhausted to even be excited about their visit  
"I want to find somewhere in Trost, close to school and find a daycare... and then finish school and get a job. I want to work and be a good mum to them"  
Armin's grandfather nodded  
"That's a good plan, give me a few days and I might be able to help you out. When you get to my age, all your friends start to die and their families rush to empty and sell their places. I'll give my friend a call"  
"No, you don't have to do that. I'm inconveniencing you more than enough as it is"  
"Look, your mother helped me and Armin out of more scrapes than I can remember, and don't think I don't know about all those times you stood up for Armin. Just let me do his for you"  
Eren was in shock over the old man's kind, yet firm words. He felt Eli tug his shirt and he lifted both boys a little higher, pressing kisses atop their heads   
"Thank you..."  
"You're welcome. Now, I suppose you'll want to get those two settled and take a shower"  
Eren nodded slowly  
"That would be great... do you think you could watch them for an hour or so? Dad's passed out at home, so if u go now I'll be able to grab some clothes and things..."  
Armin's grandfather was clearly not too sure  
"If I go in my wolf form, it won't take me long to get there and back"  
"Will you make it? You look more than a little rough around the edges"  
"Yeah... I'll be fine. It's better I get my stuff before he wakes up"

Armin's grandfather helped him settle the twins into the guest bed, both boys letting out sleepy whines as he kissed their foreheads. He then pulled everything he'd packed in his backpack out, and set in up on the desk. He'd brought his bank card so if his father woke up, the man wouldn't be able to access it. The card was buried under the boys clothes, and Eren triple checked everything was out the bag before zipping it closed again  
"Thank you... I'll try to be fast"  
"You'll call me if anything happens, right?"  
"I don't own a phone. Mum wanted me to have one, but dad said no"  
Armin's grandfather let out an angry grumble, too low for Eren to understand, but he appreciated the man's sentiment   
"I'd better go. I've already fed them, and I changed them before leaving, but they still might wake up..."  
"And when they do, I'll look after them. Hurry up and go before I change my mind and make you stay until morning"  
"Ok. Thanks. I'll lock the door on the way out"  
Armin's grandfather nodded and Eren rushed from the house. Part of him had secretly been hoping the man would tell him to stay, but he had meant what he said. He feared his father causing trouble for his friends family. 

Running home, he pushed his abused body as hard as he could. His father had literally only just passed out when he'd left, and it had taken nearly an hour to walk into town and then across to Armin's. It was the only time he'd hated the forest that surrounded his house. The lights were still on, and Eren hoped that was a good thing as he shifted back with a groan. His ribs were fucking tender, but once he got his shit, he wouldn't have to come back. The house was silent as he slipped inside and he headed straight to his room, before shoving everything he could into his backpack. When that filled, he used his overnight bag, dropping both bags out the window so he could grab them on the way out. He'd just slid the window shut when he heard the floor creak and turned to find his father glaring at him from the doorway  
"Where are the shits?"  
Eren desperately lied. He had to. The man was clearly still drunk and angry  
"We're sleeping out in the woods tonight, I just came back to another blanket"  
Eren rushed to his bed, like he was going to snatch the blanket off the top, but his father reached him before he could. The alpha grabbing him by the throat  
"Don't lie to me Eren"  
Eren shook his head, he couldn't exactly reply  
"Tell me where they are, or I'll shift my self and hunt them down"  
The man's voice was icy and Eren growled  
"You won't fucking touch them"  
"Want to bet?"  
"If you want money, you won't"  
His father released his hold on Eren's neck and Eren dropped awkwardly to the floor  
"Yeah. That's all you're fucking good for"  
"Not for much longer..."  
Eren's words slipped from his mouth before he could stop them and his world exploded in pain as his father booted him savagely in the face  
"What the fuck did you say to me?"  
Eren spat the blood from his mouth, he still hated the smell of it and his world was swimming  
"I said, not for much longer. You've fucking drunk it all"  
His father pulled him up by the hair, and Eren's world was once again filled with pain. It took him a moment to realise his father was standing on his arm, while pulling him up by his hair. He scratched at the man's wrist with his hand, his legs kicking weakly as he tried to awkwardly right, but given he was already exhausted and had the disadvantage, he howled when he felt his arm snap. Letting out a low laugh, his father let him drop and Eren landed face first against the floor  
"Then I've got no fucking use for you"  
A sharp boot found its way to his crotch and he howled again  
"Fucking faggot arse omega. You should have been the still born, not your brother"  
His father finally left after dropping that and Eren glared at the doorway through the pain. Every part of him hurt, but he wasn't letting his father win. He understood now how his mother must have felt, he couldn't imagine what it would have felt like, and it explained to him why she'd loved him and protected him so fiercely. Shifting into his wolf form, the pain was no better and he couldn't put weight on his front right leg, but still, he dragged himself out the house and awkwardly grabbed both bags into his aching mouth. He was never returning home. His father could go rot for all he cared.

Trying to make progress was like running a marathon with no oxygen. He couldn't walk straight, he couldn't breathe properly, and he knew Armin's grandfather was probably freaking out. He'd well and truly been longer than an hour, he just hoped the old man wouldn't do anything rash. As it was, the man did, but not in the way he'd been expecting. It was still dark when the forest began to thin, and he stumbled to start walking along the road, that's when he was blinded by a set of headlights and pain exploded in his head. Dropping the bags, he staggered sides with along whine, the stupid lights didn't dim and he realised they'd pulled over. He fell onto his side and gasped for breath   
"Eren!"  
He knew that voice, that was Armin's grandfather, but the man didn't drive... shifting back hurt, the pain seemed way worse in human form  
"Hold on Eren, I've got a taxi. We need to get you up and in"  
He had no idea what was going on, the old man pulled him up and there was something exchanged between Armin's grandfather and the driver, probably "I don't want a dirty and dead kid in the back of my taxi". He didn't care. Armin's grandfather reappeared a few moments later  
"I grabbed your bags. Was it your father?"  
Eren nodded, but he had to make sure that Armin's grandfather knew  
"Make sure they don't know it was dad. I don't want them to know... I don't want to press charges, I just want to get away from him"  
"Shhh, just rest. We'll talk about his after you've gotten some help"

 

*  
The cast was annoying. He was supposed to have the shitty thing on for 6 weeks and it had only took 2 days to give him the shits. Given his father was his next of kin, the man had been contacted and Grisha had played the concerned father long enough to be left alone with him  
"You brought this on yourself. I hope you know that"  
Yep. He knew. He was acutely aware that he was laying here because he'd grown a backbone and done what had to be done. Armin had come to see him, so that was nice, what had been nicer was the fact he brought the twins. Eren had lied to the intake nurse, telling her he'd been hit by a car while walking to his friends. Armin's grandfather hadn't been impressed, but had let him say what he wanted. The old man wanted Grisha rotting away, but Eren didn't want to subject the poor prison population to the man. Besides, he'd already lied, that alone cast doubt on anything else he said. Despite how banged up he'd been, they let him go after just three days, so Eren was more than happy to climb into the guest bed at Armin's and have his boys fuss over him. Everything that had happened had only strengthened his desire to move to Trost.

Given it was awkward to feed and chase after the twins, Eren wound up spending the 6 weeks living with the Arlert's. His friend loved it, the small blonde was more than happy to play with the boys... as long as he didn't have to be the horse again. During this time, Armin's grandfather helped him get a phone and then apply for units. Technically they were all under the old man's name, but Eren and the boys were listed on the application. As promised Armin's grandfather had done the phone around, but apparently people were inconsiderately healthy. 

A week before he was due to get his cast off, they had a call from a realtor. It was a tiny one bedroom unit, on the 5th floor of an alright block, but Eren jumped at it. He didn't want to keep inconveniencing his friends family any longer. They drove up to Trost the next day, and Eren was quietly simmering with excitement... while telling himself deep down to be realistic.

The unit living room area was small, but the connecting connecting bedroom was the same size, so he figured he could just use the living room for his room and the bedroom for the boys. The realtors idea of semi furnished meant there was a fridge and shower curtain. That was it. But he like the idea of the shower being over the bath, it'd certainly help with bathing the boys. With the money his mother had left, he was able to pay the first months rent plus another 6 months and bond upright. His father had drunk through only about $1500 of his money, but the alpha didn't need to know about that. To pay the bond and 7 months rent in total, get the boys toddler beds and bedding, as well as clothes, nappies, potties and toys, himself a bed and nice bedding, a cheap laptop for school and stock his tiny kitchen, it cost him nearly 10 grand. But it was soooo worth it. The unit would be his, even it came with a few conditions. He had to keep going to school, and call Armin's grandfather on the days he couldn't. He also had to come back to shinganshima every third weekend and the place had to be kept neat. Eren wasn't sure how well he'd go with the last one with the boys, but he still promised, it wasn't like he intended to have any wild parties. The other condition was both boys go to daycare, which he'd kind of planned anyway. Armin's grandfather helped him enrol both boys, they'd had to go through all sorts of hoops to get both his and the boys birth certificates, for ID. He hadn't ever seen the originals, so having a copy left him stupidly happy, doubly so because it had him listed as the mother. Something his father couldn't take away from him.

And so, his adventure of living alone began.

He'd thought he wouldn't be lonely given how active his boys were, and because he'd see his friends at school, but it didn't stop him from feeling it late at night and early in the morning hours. He'd tried to be strict about not letting the boys sleep in his bed, but when they didn't, his queen sized bed just felt too big and empty. Most nights Mikasa and Armin would text, and given he was now living in Trost, both teens were able to take on after school activities and then just stay at his place. He'd taken up cheerleading, pretty much because his friends had begged him too. He had the strength for it and it was kind of fun, but mostly he took it up because now that he was living in the city, he couldn't just go out running in the woods and P.E wasn't enough. On the days that he had practice, the twins would stay late at day care. All his friends thought they were his brothers and thought he was joking when he said they were his kids. It didn't matter how many times he told them otherwise. But when he thought about it, it was probably better for the boys if everyone thought he was their big brother, even if he really hated it, they wouldn't have to put up with people thinking their mother was a slut...


	8. Chapter 8

Just after Eren turned 16, he became acutely aware of how lonely his nights were. Even between his heats, he still had needs and given he'd come to accept he'd never see Levi again, he finally let himself date.

Reiner Braun was captain of the soccer team and Eren knew the alpha was interested in him, but it took life kicking him in the guts again for him to finally make a move on the older teen.

Running from the field, Eren was rushing to get back home to where Armin was babysitting the twins for him. They'd just won a home game, and everyone was in a great mood. Not looking where he was going, he smacked head first into two huge alpha's who clearly barracked for the losing team. Immediately he tried to apologise, but given they were practically titans in size, when the first one grabbed him he couldn't break free  
"Look, its that omega. Don't you think you owe us after your team just humiliated us"  
Eren's heart was pounding and he kicked out hard, the teen was practically gagging on the arousal of the two alpha's and the crowds were still celebrating, so no one was around to help. The second alpha came up behind him, lifting him easily and Eren continued to fight. He would have just turned into a wolf if it wasn't for the fact they were just stupid human alpha's. Completely deaf to his protests, the two alpha's carried him a little further away from the stands and over to the fence. The area wasn't in the range of the floodlights, and no one was there to see them pining him down while they set about stripping him. He kicked and screamed until he was blue in the face, but just as the alpha was undoing his pants, there was a flash of blonde hair and Eren was freed. He rushed to pull his skirt and shorts back up, whining in fear as the bulky figure made quick work of the two alpha's. Given how shaken up he was, he didn't even realise it was Reiner, not until the teen had lifted him up and carried him back over to the stands. 

Reiner's hands were warm and soft, the alpha gently soothing him until he'd called enough to tell Reiner he was alright. He kind of wondered if he should be crying, he wanted to cry, but he hadn't been able to since he'd lost his mother. When Bertholdt, the teams vice-captain, came over to tell Reiner to hurry up or he'd miss a ride to the after party, the alpha sent Bertholdt away, his eyes staring into Eren's so intensely that the omega couldn't look away. Reiner waited him until Eren had truly calmed down, the alpha then giving him a ride home, and they ended up exchanging numbers. Eren had wanted to invite h in that night, but it would be too hard to explain who the boys were or why Armin was there, so watched Reiner drive away with a heavy heart. That didn't stop him from texting the alpha immediately to thank him.

After chatting off an on for a few weeks, it was clear that Reiner was very much in love with Bertholdt, but his vice-captain was completely oblivious. Eren admitted to the alpha that there was some one he loved, and they came to the mutual decision not to define what they'd be, to just kind of go with the flow. Given they'd admitted to loving other people, Eren had let expected Reiner to be so open with his affection. The tall alpha would sit with him and his friends for lunch, always pulling Eren into his lap and holding him close. It wasn't as good as Levi's touch, but he couldn't even remember it that well... it'd been 4 years after all.

The first time they'd had sex, Eren was so nervous and it had been terribly cliche. The pair of them were the last two in the locker room after their respective practices, and Reiner had been teasing him about joining him in the shower. Eren being Eren, couldn't help but flirt back and when the alpha did join him, Eren couldn't help but dissolve in into the alpha's embrace. It'd been hard and fast, his legs wrapped around Reiner's waist and his back against the tiled wall, as the alpha pounded into him mercilessly. Given they weren't using a condom, Reiner pulled out just before he came, causing Eren to a whine in disappointment about not being knotted. Reiner had softly nuzzled his neck, before pressing kisses along the curve and moving to gently clean Eren up. They finally finished shower, and then Reiner gave him a lift over to the daycare. Reiner was another one who thought the twins were his brothers, and Eren didn't correct him. As far as he was telling himself, Reiner was just a way to relieve his loneliness and frustrations.

After that afternoon, Eren booked himself a doctors appointed and got himself put onto contraceptives. Even with a condom, there was no guarantee he wouldn't fall pregnant and even the condoms designed for an alpha's knot didn't always survive it happening. He had two beautiful boys and was in no hurry to add to that number any time soon.

 

*  
The morning had been going terribly, Ren had decided he didn't want to wear clothes and Eli had decided he'd rather wear his breakfast, and naturally both boys had decided this on the first day of third term. After finally rounding up both kids and dumping them in the bath, the hot water had decided it was also going to add to his shitty day. He didn't get out the from door until half past 8, which means the twins didn't make it to daycare until 8:45 and he didn't make it to school until 9. Jogging through the hall, Eren was relieved he wasn't the only one late. A short teen and a what seemed to be a pretty strawberry blonde were busy making out up against the lockers and Eren felt his cheeks redden at the sight. And then his stomach dropped. 

The pretty strawberry blonde pulled back and Eren was given his first look at the teen the girl had been all over. He knew that boy and those liquid mercury eyes that haunted his dreams. Swallowing hard, he staggered sideways, crashing into the lockers there before sliding to the floor. Levi. It's been four years, but it poured back like it was just yesterday and he felt himself slick like crazy. Hearing a high pitched laugh, Eren looked towards the cause of his current freak out. The girl was laughing and the boy was staring across at him with a cruel smile on his face. It was evident Levi found this hilarious, and it felt like a dagger to his heart. Pulling out his phone, he messaged Reiner. Reiner was big, and strong, and safe. The alpha took a small lifetime to arrive, and the whole time Eren was curled on the floor, Levi was all over that girl. He felt sick.

"Eren!"  
Eren looked towards Reiner, but cast a look to Levi. There was zero recognition on the teens face. The alpha really had forgotten him  
"Eren?"  
Reiner's voice was soft, and Eren reached for him   
"I don't want to be here"  
"Ok, let's get you up"  
Reiner's idea of getting him up, was lifting him up off the floor and Eren wrapped his arms around the alpha's neck   
"Where do you want to go?"  
"Anywhere but here"  
Reiner carried him to the nearest bathroom, before sitting him down on the counter  
"Do you want to tell me what happened?"  
Eren shook his head, grabbing Reiner's shirt and pulling him in for a desperate kiss. He wanted to forget what he'd seen. His alpha... all over someone that wasn't him... Reiner resisted the kiss initially, but slowly began to explore Eren's mouth and Eren moaned in want  
"Eren, we can't..."  
Reiner stared into his eyes and Eren felt the tears he'd hidden for so long rushing to fill his eyes   
"Please..."  
Reiner seemed to struggle with the decision, before pulling Eren down off the counter and spinning him around. The alpha's hands fumbled as he rushed to get Eren's pants down and Eren mewed lewdly when they dropped to his feet  
"Fuck, you're so wet"  
Reiner's fingers slipped into his slick opening, and the alpha fucked him gently with them, while using his other hand to get his own pants undone. The moment they were, Reiner was all over him, the bathroom soon filled with the sound of wet skin hitting wet skin and the two teens panting in pleasure. Reiner was a beast in bed, his sexual appetite never left Eren wanting and when the alpha finally knotted him Eren felt like something inside him had broken. He slumped over the counter and began to cry. Reiner rushed to pull him up against him, nuzzling his neck as he did  
"Eren, will you tell me what's wrong"  
"I... I can't.... not here"  
"Did those in the hallway say something to you?"  
"N-no... can you take me home?"  
"Alright"  
Reiner held him close until the alpha's knot finally went down, and then cleaned him up before lifting him up again. This time Eren wrapped his legs around Reiner and buried his face against the older teens neck. He didn't want to chance seeing Levi again.

Arriving back at the unit, Eren was all over Reiner the moment they fell through the door. The alpha dropped him on the bed, before stripping him with a scary efficiency. With his legs on Reiner's shoulders, he was bent in two as the alpha slammed into him. Not having sex in his unit had been a golden rule, but he was so desperate for a human connection that he couldn't even think straight. The bear of a man was curled around him, protecting him from the outside of the wall, while drilling him on the perfect angle to drive him crazy. Eren fell apart completely in his hold. He came until he couldn't cum again, and Reiner was finally sated. 

Laying in bed next to Reiner, Eren started up the yellow stained ceiling. Tears began to roll down his face and Reiner snaked his arm around his waist  
"Talk to me?"  
Eren sniffled, but still took a shaky breath  
"Can I show you something?"  
"Anything"  
Rolling his back towards the alpha, Eren pulled his hair up  
"Rub the back of my neck"  
He'd used concealer on his bonding mark since his mother had taught him how, and he shook as Reiner rubbed the spot firmly  
"Eren, is that?"  
"It's a bonding mark. We were just kids when it happened. He was a wolf blood and he grabbed me by the scruff to save me"  
Reiner's fingers withdrew and Eren rolled to face the man  
"So he's the one you love?"  
Eren nodded, sniffling again  
"Le... He disappeared one day, and I hadn't seen him since... until I saw him making out in the hallway with someone else... I knew it was him the moment I saw him... but he doesn't even remember me"  
Reiner gathered him up against his chest   
"That's short teen in the hall? The one with Petra all over him?"  
"If that was the strawberry blonde laughing at me, then yes"  
"Shit. I don't know what to say"  
"I'm sorry for dropping this all on you. I don't know who else to turn to"  
"It's fine, well it's not really, but now I understand"  
"I'm sorry Reiner. I know we said no feelings... but I really do like you... it's just... I love him. I have pretty much from the moment I met him"  
Reiner nodded slowly  
"Eren, I think this should be the last time we do this. You need to talk to your alpha, and figure out what to do..."  
"I'm sorry"  
"It's fine. Do you want me to stay?"  
He really didn't want to be alone, but he didn't want Reiner to stay if he didn't   
"You should go... I have to clean up before I pick the twins up... thank you Reiner"  
Reiner a pressed a kiss to the top of his head  
"You know, you're a pretty special omega. Don't let anyone treat you like you're not"  
As Reiner uncurled from him, Eren wanted to beg the teen to stay. But he laid on his bed, and Reiner dressed before letting himself out. Eren laid shaking and sobbing, until his phone rang and he was forced to find it. It was Armin's grandfather, the school must have called him. He answered with a shaky breath  
"Hi..."  
The old man knew something was wrong immediately. Eren sobbed into the phone, and the old man demanded he come back home with Armin in the afternoon. Given he didn't know what to do with himself, he agreed and thanked the man. After hanging up, he stumbled into the bathroom and showered under the still cold water. He then packed his overnight bag for him and the twins, before making sure he had everything. It was a little past one by the time he was done, and Eren headed off to pick the twins up early from daycare. Both boys had been practicing painting their names and Eren showered them with praise. Ren and Eli positively beamed up at him, and Eren felt his heart ache. Levi had a right to know that he had two amazing boys, but Eren didn't want to share them. Not when Levi didn't even remember him.

Waiting for Armin out the front of the school, everyone seemed to want cuddles with the boys. He'd stopped by the park on the way back to school, letting the boys run around until they wore each other out, the both now clung to his chest sleepily and Eren got all sorts of compliments over his cute brothers. Eren bit his tongue, thanking his fellow students, until Armin finally appeared. He let out a sigh of relief and then a groan of annoyance. Levi and the strawberry blonde, he now knew to be Petra, were following a few metres behind Armin. He was still frowning when his friend finally reached him  
"Eren! Where were you? And why do you look so annoyed? Oooh, did someone do something?"  
Armin span round to check the other students out, his eyes landing on Levi   
"Oh, I don't know if you know, but we got a new student today. Pretty weird transferring in in the second half the school year, but all the girls are going crazy for him"  
That didn't make him feel any better, but he really couldn't feel any worse  
"Yeah. Sure. Whatever, can we go?"  
"You do realise Mikasa is missing? You know, our other friend"  
Eren sighed and shifted his hold on his son's, before looking back up towards the school entrance. His eyes accidentally met Levi's and the alpha frowned, his stomach rolled and he hastened to look down to his boys. Both his sons let out small squeaking growls and Eren smiled at them. God they were perfect.

 

*  
Levi's day was shitty, but then again almost every day was. Pushing the random chick in his bed off his chest, he looked down at the stranger he'd hooked up with the previous night. What the fuck was he thinking? The girls make up was smudged across her face, making it look like she'd been attacked by a clown. He growled in disgust and shook her shoulder. Sleepy blue eyes blinked up at him  
"Get out"  
The random girl frowned, but Levi slipped from the bed, not caring he was naked. He snagged a cigarette from the crumpled packed on the nightstand and then found up his lighter. The acrid taste was a welcome friend, and he stumbled through the house with the cigarette hanging loosely from his lips. Goddamit. The place was fucking trashed. Farlan had got his hands on pills last night and Levi honestly couldn't remember much of what happened yet. At least they'd used a condom. He found that out after returning from peeing and finding the girl still in his bed and the spent condom on the floor. Gross on both accounts  
"I'm not fucking kidding, get the fuck out and don't come back"  
His words had the desired affect, the girl finally climbing from his bed and dressing, his words, however, also earned him a hard slap across the face as she finally left. Yeah. He probably deserved that. Stubbing out his cigarette, he yawned, before stumbling back to his bed. The sun was barely up, which meant a few more hours sleep. He grabbed his blanket and pulled it over his still naked form, wincing in disgust when another spent condom was revealed on the girl's side. He plucked the offensive item up and dropped it off the side of the bed, before burying his face in his pillow. He totally didn't want to go to school.

Having finally fallen back to sleep, he was woken by a hard slap to arse and let out a snarl  
"Big brother! It's time for school"  
"Fuck school"  
"Levi... come on... you said you'd actually give it a shot this time. That's the whole reason you moved in with us!"  
Levi rolled his eyes, he was well aware of his stupid drunken ramblings. He knew he'd let himself go, especially since his uncle had just up and suddenly taken off, but fuck... why did school have to start so early?

Dragging himself out of bed, Isabel shrieked  
"Levi! I don't need to see that"  
"Probably not, but you're the one who barged into my room and woke me up, Iz"  
"That's because you can't be late on you're first day. Please Levi..."  
He never could say no to Izzy, letting out sigh, he headed towards the bathroom. The whole place was just gross... he was all for having a good time, but he couldn't remembering making that much mess  
"Clean this fucking pigsty up"  
"Fine! But get in the shower, already"

Izzy had straightened up most of the living room by the time emerged from the bathroom. The girl gave him a wide grin, and Levi shook his head as he retreated to his room. The first thing he did was throw open the window, before picking up both used condoms and dropping them into the bin. He didn't even know when he'd become the sort to fuck random strangers, but he always had a type. Brunettes with clear eyes. It didn't matter if they were a guy or girl, as long as they looked like that. But if someone asked him why that type, he had to admit that he had no clue.

Despite Izzy and Farlan practically marching him out the front door. They still managed be late, arriving as the bell rang. Unlike his two friends, he had to go to the office to get his new timetable, and he felt eyes on him the moment he entered. Ignoring the staring girl, Levi walked over to the desk and waited for the woman to finally pay attention to him. He explained who he was, and the one took her sweet time printing out his time table. This gave the staring girl a chance to sidle up besides him. From the corner of his eye, he examine her. She wasn't bad, her tits were nice enough, but that was where it ended. Still, he was new and she was obviously keen  
"Hi, I'm Petra"  
The girls voice was more timid than he expected and he sighed internally, holding his right hand out for her to take  
"Levi"  
"Are you knew here?"  
"Yep, first day. I don't suppose you know where year 11 English is?"  
"Sure, let me show you"

Petra gushed and bubbled, as he flirted in the way the girl practically begged for. As it was, they didn't even make it down the hall before she pushed him up against the lockers and stuck her tongue in his mouth. Yep. Definitely a skank. He'd play nice until he got the lay of the school down, and then ditch her. Spinning her around, she pushed the girl up against the locker and slipped his knee between her legs. And then some weird teen had to show up.

Levi had felt the kid come around the corner, and he pulled back in confusion, before looking towards the boy. The kid was obviously a weirdo, all it took was one look at them, and then boy was sinking to the floor. Petra's high pitched laugh, led him to believe that maybe they'd been a thing and now we're dealing with the after breakup awkwardness. It would definitely make sense, but he wasn't completely sure. Something about the teen seemed familiar, but he had no idea, and Petra started giggling and whispering in his ear. Levi couldn't do anything but give her a stupid smile. The more he stared at the teen, the more confused he felt, which caused him to grow more and more agitated. The final straw was when a massive alpha showed up to help the teen. Seriously. How fucking big did this blonde kid want to be? Shaking his head, he clenched his fists as the boy was lifted easily by the alpha. He wanted to follow the pair, to find out why he was so agitated, but Petra took his arm and let himself be lead away  
"That kids always been a total freak. Can you believe he's a cheer leader? And that the school actually let him?"  
Yeah. He could. Not that he could tell Petra that   
"What's his name?"  
"Eren... Yagger? Or something like that. I don't know, I mean, he's like pretty popular, but that's only because he's dating Reiner"  
Eren... why the fuck was that name familiar? He didn't know anyone named Eren... he felt like he was forgetting something really important and was even more curious about the teen  
"Hey, you go ahead, I need to use the bathroom"  
Petra opened closed her mouth, so Levi pressed a kiss to her lips  
"I'll be back soon... maybe... if I don't get lost"  
The girl giggled at him and walked away, swinging her hips provocatively as she did.

Doubling back, he walked the halls, catching a whiff of something sweet. He followed the scent all the way to a bathroom, and cracked the door open. The sight in front of him left him as aroused as it did angry. The same kid from before smelt so fucking good, but he was being railed by that bear of an alpha and even from the doorway Levi could see how thick the blonde penis was. Carefully closing the door, he glared at his aching penis. Something was definitely wrong with this school.

Having been plunged into a bad mood, it stayed with him all day, and Petra seemed to make it her mission to cheer him up. She clung to him at every chance she got, even at lunch time. His eyes had sought the blonde and Eren when they entered the cafeteria for lunch, but he was only agitated further to find them not there. Oh well, he could just take Petra home for a quick fuck if his frustration didn't fade. 

By the end of the day, Petra had decided they were dating and Levi kept his mouth shut. Girls were fucking crazy. The girl took his hand just as Farlan and Izzy showed up. Farlan shot him look, it was clear his friend found it hilarious, while Izzy just looked concerned. All Levi wanted to do was go home and sleep. Now that Petra had booked a one way ticket on the crazy train, he had to try and find a tactful way out of this. The girl could make his school life hell. Walking from the school, Levi felt the same sensation he had as earlier and looked to find the source. His eyes found the same kid as before, but the boy wasn't in his school uniform anymore and with his head raised Levi felt like his soul was being sucked into the kid's eyes. They were so fucking green. He knew those eyes, but again, he couldn't place it and he frowned in annoyance. His annoyance continued to the two little kids in the boys hold. Who the fuck were there? And who the fuck was the short blonde the boy was with now? He watched the kid look away, and forced himself back to reality, finding himself taking a deep sniff at the sweet smell emanating form the kid as he passed. His penis throbbed again and he scolded himself... he didn't sign up for this shit.

When he finally made it home alone, he locked himself in his room and pulled his phone out. Petra had said the kid's name was Eren something, he found the boys Facebook, but given it was set to private, all he could see was the boys cover and profile picture. Both were of the teen, and Levi pulled the profile picture. It was Eren dressed as a cheerleader and Levi let out a low whistle. The kid was definitely his type. The cheer uniform definitely made the teen look like sex on legs. Eren's thighs and round arse were criminal and he growled at his own growing arousal. It only took him a few seconds to decided how to proceed. He stripped his stupid school pants and took his aching erection into his hand. Closing his eyes, he tried to imagine the teen touching him, the way the kid would move under him and the pants and moans from earlier. He jerked himself harder and more desperately until he came with a feral snarl. He had to seek this shitty kid out and find out what the fuck was going on.


	9. Chapter 9

Eren wasn't at school the next day and Levi was beyond agitated. The blonde kid that had been with him, had taken every opportunity he could to shoot him filthy looks and the alpha was beyond confused. He hadn't done anything to the kid, or anything to Eren... yet. The huge bear of an alpha was another issues. The teens neck littered with small hickies and Levi felt like his blood was boiling. For the first time in a long time he felt like shifting and running until he dropped, but Trost wasn't exactly a wolf friendly place. It was a houses and roads for as far as the eye could see. Before his piece of shit uncle had bounced, he'd always got to travel to towns that had plenty of space to wander. But then he'd woken up to find the man gone one day, and his life as street kid had started all over again. He'd been on the streets for a few years after his mother died, that was until Kenny finally took him in, but then just as suddenly he was alone again. Letting out a low growl, he glared at the few classmates that looked his way. Fuck school.

Eren wasn't back at school for the rest of the week and Levi felt a his agitation grow. How the fuck was he supposed to ask the teen who he was, if the boy wasn't there to ask? Monday eventually rolled around again, and Levi finally caught sight of Eren. They teen looked exhausted and feverish. All it took was one sniff to figure out what had happened, the teen had gone into heat... but if Eren was in heat, then why hadn't that alpha been with him? He was still mulling all this over when Petra ambushed him at his locker. He was in no mood for her, but she still wrapped her arms around him possessively and Levi ignored the way she wriggled her hips suggestively  
"Levi... my parents aren't going to be home tonight, do you want to come over?"  
"No"  
The answer was out his mouth before he had time to think, but Petra giggled and rocked her hips harder  
"You've been so serious lately, but I know a way that can help us both relax"  
Ignoring the girls words, he stared into his locker, only to catch a sniff of Eren's sweet scent. Turning around, he found the boy was walking down the hall towards him, and Levi tried to push Petra off, but she held on tighter  
"What... oh, it's him. I heard he and Reiner broke up, its about time. I don't know why Reiner went their in the first place"  
Levi watched as Eren came to stop, the teens blonde friend had hold of his arm, and was standing on tiptoes to whisper something in his ear. Eren shook his head, before shaking himself free of the kid's hold and coming towards him. Levi's heart began to race and the teen stopped just short of him  
"You're Levi right?"  
Levi nodded slowly. Eren knew his name...  
"I thought so. We met a few years ago, when you came to stay in Shinganshima for the holidays"  
It was like a light clicked. This was that Eren. No wonder he knew those eyes. They hadn't changed at all. Eren shifted uncomfortably and Levi found his voice  
"It's been a while... sorry I didn't remember you"  
"No. It's fine. It was years ago... I was just wondering how you've been?"  
"He's fine"  
Levi wanted to slap Petra stupid. He was still trying to de-cling from her  
"Good... um... that's good..."  
Eren was clearly trying to ask him something, but the kid was stumbling badly  
"So how's Shinganshima these days?"  
"I don't really know, I live in Trost now"  
Trost. Well that was something  
"Ah cool, did your family move or something?"  
The look of hurt in the kid's eyes fucking hurt, Eren's words were mumbled as he replied  
"Or something. I'll let you get back to Petra..."  
Eren span to walk away, but Levi couldn't let him just go   
"Eren, I'll send you a friend request on Facebook. We should catch up or something?"  
The smile on Eren's face was clearly false as he turned and nodded  
"Yeah. Sure... see ya Levi"

"Ok. What the fuck was that? Since when do you know that freak?"  
Levi glared at Petra   
"He's not a freak"  
"Why? 'Cause you met him like years ago? People change Levi"  
Petra pulled him away from his locker and Levi barely got to close it in tone before being dragged off by the girl. Eren. His first crush... his first kiss and his first fuck... no, Eren hadn't been just a fuck... shit. How the fuck had not put two and two together? God. He remembered the bruised up kid, that lived to make trouble... but here Eren was, looking smoking hot... Fuck. He was fucking doomed.

 

*  
Eren's heart was in his stomach as he returned to his friends, Armin immediately took his arm again  
"How was it?"  
"Fucking awkward. I was right, he didn't remember me"  
"Oh Eren, I'm so sorry. But I heard he was going to send you a friend request, that's something right?"  
"Yes, because I can just go "Hey Levi, remember how we fooled around as kids, well you've got two sons...", he probably already thinks I'm a freak for remembering him"  
"Eren..."  
Shaking his head, Eren let out a sigh  
"Lets just go to class"  
Given he'd missed the first week of school, he was anxious to catch up. It didn't matter that he was on the tail end of his heat, he didn't want to fail the year just because he was an omega. Though, his heat had been completely unexpected and given Armin was just starting to show alpha tendencies, he'd spent the time out in the woods. His body wasn't satisfied though, and he wished things with Reiner hadn't ended so abruptly. He needed a good hard fucking, following by the pleasure of a knot... but that wasn't going to happen now that Levi was back in his life. His body wouldn't be satisfied with anything else.

By the end of the school day, he felt miserable. His head was throbbing and his whole body ached, but he still had to pick the twins up from daycare and head home. Standing out the front, he was saying goodbye to Armin, when he was hit with a wave of dizziness that dropped him like a sack of potatoes. He'd flinched in anticipation of hitting the ground, but strong hands caught him before he could, and he was lifted easily  
"Whoa, you right there Eren?"  
Closing his eyes, he counted to 5 before opening them. The world was still swaying slightly, but he nodded anyway  
"Yeah. Thanks for that Reiner"  
Reiner carefully stood him back up, and Eren swayed again  
"Eren?"  
"I'm alright Armin. You should go, you need to catch the bus home"  
"But I can't leave you like this"  
"I'll be fine"  
"I can take him home"  
Reiner's voice was soft and the alpha's hand came to his forehead  
"You feel a little warm. We can't have our favourite cheerleader getting sick"  
Eren shook his head, but would have fallen again if not for Reiner   
"Alright, I've got him Armin. I'll make sure he gets home alright"  
"But I need to pick the twins up"  
"Then we'll pick them up on the way"  
Armin gave him a quick hug goodbye, just as Mikasa came over  
"I thought you and Reiner broke up? Wasn't that why you were talking to Levi?"  
Eren wanted to kick the girl in the shins, but Reiner saved him  
"I already know about Eren's bonding mark, I told him he should talk to Levi about it"  
Mikasa let out a small "oh", and Eren's knees began to give out. Reiner lifted him up against his chest   
"I told you, you should have waited until your heat had passed"  
Once again he wanted to kick Mikasa   
"I'm fine. I just need some sleep, which I'm intending to do once I've picked the twins up"  
Mikasa scowled, but still nodded  
"Well, at least text me after you've napped, that way I won't have to stay up all night worrying about you"  
"Thanks, but I'll be fine. See you guys tomorrow"  
Reiner turned and carried him down the footpath towards his car  
"Sorry..."  
Reiner sat him in the passenger seat and Eren let out a small involuntary whine. Being in Reiner's car, which was filled with the alpha's scent, made his body going crazy. When Reiner climbed into the car, Eren was actually shaking with the need to be touched  
"Eren?"  
"Sorry... it's my heat"  
Reiner nodded sympathetically   
"You shouldn't have come back until it was over"  
"I thought it was... fuck this sucks"  
He clutched at his stomach, as a wave of need caused it to cramp badly   
"Eren..."  
"Can... you please just take me home... this is humiliating enough"  
"Why?"  
"Because my body is going crazy, demanding I be knotted and it hurts so fucking much that I feel like shit"  
He hadn't meant to snap, but he needed to get home and wash the alpha smell off. Reiner started the car, and the alpha began to drive. It didn't take long before the alpha pulled up in an empty car park   
"Reiner..."  
"Look, you're in pain, and I can't stand seeing you like that. Let me take the edge off"  
Reiner leant over and claimed his mouth, causing Eren to whine in need, his arse grew even wetter and his erection was already leaking, he desperately rubbed his thighs together, trying to get some sort of friction happening. Pulling back from the kiss, Reiner undid their belts and the alpha undid his pants, while Eren did the same. He waited until the alpha had dropped his seat, before climbing into Reiner's lap and sinking straight down onto the alpha's erection. Just that action alone had him cuming, god. He fucking needed this. When Reiner's hands came to his hips, the alpha took control, lifting and dropping Eren down over and over, until Eren smacked his hands away and took charge of fucking himself. He rode the alpha as hard and fast as he could, until Reiner finally knotted him and Eren collapsed against the teen, as his own semen splattered between them in short hot bursts. He nuzzled into Reiner's chest, and Reiner rubbed his back gently  
"Better?"  
Eren nodded, panting out the words  
"Yes... thank you... I'm sorry..."  
"It's alright. I do care about you, you know"  
"I know..."  
Eren took a few deep breaths before sitting up and shuddering as Reiner sank further inside. The feel of the man's knot was good... really good... but it wasn't Levi's knot. He must have frowned, because Reiner reached up to brush the hair back from his face  
"So, you got to talk to Levi?"  
Eren bit his lip, he didn't know if he should talk about this with Reiner, but the teen had just helped him out of a painful situation. He didn't even feel weak or lightheaded anymore  
"He didn't remember me, not at first. Not until I asked him if he'd ever been to Shinganshima"  
"Shit. I'm sorry to hear that"  
Eren shook his head  
"I know it's stupid... but I never forgot him... I suppose I really couldn't"  
"Because of the bond?"  
"Yeah... that's part of it. He was my first crush... also the first person I ever slept with. You're the second"  
Reiner's eyes widened in clear surprise  
"I know. Everyone thinks I'm a slut, but I just couldn't..."  
"I never thought you were a slut. Sexy and funny, yes, but not a slut"  
Eren offered Reiner a small smile  
"You're a really good guy. You should tell Bertholdt already"  
Reiner snorted  
"Look at us. My dick's up your arse and were both talking about other people"  
Eren let out a small laugh   
"I suppose we're pretty weird. But really, thank you. I was kind freaking out about how I was going to take care of myself... you know, having the boys in the unit and all"  
Reiner nodded, the alpha's hands moving to gently massage Eren's arse, and Eren rolled his hips. Reiner's knot was slowly starting to deflate and the feeling of emptiness was rushing to set it  
"You really are beautiful Eren. Levi's a lucky alpha"  
"I don't know about that... he's probably going to hate me"  
Their conversation dissolved back into pants and moans as Eren started to ride Reiner again. He brought himself to orgasm, before falling backwards and letting Reiner continue to thrust into him until the alpha knotted. The both laughed tiredly   
"We really need to stop doing this"  
"Yeah... probably... you said Levi was going to hate you?"  
Eren couldn't help but laugh again  
"Yeah... don't go planning our wedding just yet. He's got two very big surprises coming his way"  
Reiner frowned, the alpha's hands sliding over Eren's stomach and up his side  
"You look really hot like this. What's the surprise?"  
"The twins"  
"What? Them living with you?"  
"If I tell you, pinky promise you won't tell?"  
Reiner's left hand left his side and the alpha looked up at him solemnly   
"You never, ever break a pinky promise"  
Eren snorted and hooked his pinky with the alpha's, giving it a quick shake before leaning down to whisper in Reiner's ear  
"The twins are his. He's the father and I'm the mother"

Pulling back, Eren stared down at Reiner   
"But..."  
"I was thirteen and 3 months when they were born... when Levi bit my neck, he sent me into heat and well..."  
Reiner took a deep breath and Eren nodded   
"Didn't I always say the boys were mine..."  
"You did... fuck... how the hell... where's your family in all of this? You're what, going to to school and raising your sons? On your own?"  
"I'm not really on my own, Armin and his grandfather help me out a lot. Also, when my mother died, she left me everything so that paid for me to move here. My father kind of went crazy, and I haven't talked to him since the boys were one and a half"  
Eren was crushed as Reiner's arms wrapped around him, it would have been sweet if cum wasn't being squished everywhere  
"I wish you'd told me sooner... I could have found some way to help"  
"It's fine... really. But once your knot goes down, I really do need to pick the boys up".

After helping Eren to clean up, and then cleaning himself up, Reiner drove Eren over to the daycare to pick the twins up. The alpha kept staring at the boys, and both boys were clearly impressed by Reiner's build. When they arrived at Eren's building, Reiner had offered to help him upstairs, but Eren declined his help. He didn't want to fall back into bed with Reiner... he shouldn't have fucked him that afternoon as it was. Given how tired he was, he showered while the kids played, and then bathed the boys and dressed them for bed. They had sandwiches for dinner, which was Eli's idea, before Eren snuggled up with the pair of them and fell asleep.

 

*  
Levi was bordering on rage. He'd seen Eren collapse, and then he'd seen that huge bear alpha pick the teen up like it was nothing. So much for fucking breaking up. Eren was in heat, and that alpha was obviously going to take advantage of him. As far as Levi was concerned, Reiner needed to learn how to keep his hands off other people's omegas... not that Eren was his... yet. His anger had grown when Eren had let the alpha carry him down to where a nice black SUV was parked. This Reiner kid obviously had money... The final straw was sending Eren a friend request on Facebook, only for the green eyed omega not to accept immediately. Even with Farlan came home with party favours, he'd been too fucking pissy to want to take part. Instead he'd chain smoked his anger away before falling asleep in the early hours of the morning.

Waking up wasn't pleasant. His mouth was furry as fuck, and Eren hadn't accepted his request. He was tired, and moody, snapping at both Farlan and Izzy when he found there wasn't any milk. The pair was fucking lucky there were teabags, or someone would have died. Even on the walk to school, his mood didn't improve. He couldn't stop thinking of Reiner fucking Eren. He worked himself up so much, he actually decided to try and give things a go with Petra. That was sure to make the green eyed omega jealous... and Petra deserved to be taken down a peg or two

Skipping first period, he pulled Petra aside, taking her into the nearest bathroom, before sitting her up on the bench and pulling out the condom he kept in his wallet. The girl rushed to rid herself of her underwear, and then moved her hands to take care of his belt and pants for him. It was slightly mortifying that he couldn't get above half hard, not with Petra in front of him anyway. He'd fucked dozens of strangers... well, maybe not dozens, but enough. It took thinking of Eren to get him hard, how warm and wet their first time had been... he rolled the condom on, and slid Petra forward enough, that he could slowly line up and sink into the girls heat. He rolled his hips halfheartedly, Petra was obnoxiously loud, and he wanted it to be over the moment he'd fully sunk into her. Still, he fucked her hard and fast, wanting to get it over and he was grateful she came before him. He slid out, and tied the condom like he'd cum, but he'd pretty much stared going limp half way through. He grabbed some hand towels and passed them to Petra so she could clean up, and then wiped himself over, before wrapping the condom in the paper and dropping it into the bin. He left Petra to put her underwear back on, and straighten herself out, while he pulled his pants up, and then washed his hands. Petra wanted to cling, and he forced himself to let her. God. He just felt sick to the pit of his stomach. He wanted Eren...

When Wednesday came, Levi thanked his lucky stars. Because Eren had missed the first week of school, Levi didn't know if they had any of the same class together, but it turned out they did. PE. He'd honestly thought about ditching, but that changed the moment Eren walked into the locker room. The teen didn't even give him a second glance, before moving down the rows of lockers and beginning to organise himself for class. It seemed Eren wasn't embarrassed about his body, he'd expected the teen to go change in one of the toilet cubicles, but Eren stripped his uniform off right there and Levi couldn't help but stare. The boy was gorgeous. Sun kissed skin, smooth thick thighs, an arse most models would pay to have and... damn... feeling his face redden and himself becoming erect, Levi slammed his locker shut, and rushed to change in one of the toilet cubicles. How the fuck could he possibly be so infatuated with a kid he'd barely known years ago?

Having finally made it into the gymnasium, Levi hung behind all the other students. Eren was laugh with his friends and the alpha couldn't help but feel jealous, especially over the loud brunette who was teasing Eren over cheer routines. The girl kept touching Eren, and Eren seemed fine with it. His scolding of the girl was playful and that was how Levi learnt the girl's name was Sasha. Making a mental note to Facebook stalk the girl later, he tore his gaze from the pair and back to the teacher. It was kind of comical the way the whole class groaned as the man informed them they were doing a beep test to get a baseline for individual fitness. Having never done a beep test, Levi was left to figure it out as he went. 

Having no idea what level they were up to, Levi cursed the stupid test. He wished he'd done what a few students had on the first level, and just thrown himself down to wait for the disqualifying beep. Instead, his stupid alpha pride meant the was still running with about 8 others, Eren being one of them. The 8 dropped to 5 with the next beep and then he failed to make the next one. In the end it was down to Eren, and another guy. Levi didn't particularly care who the kid was, he was too focused on watching the sweat running down Eren's body. The teens face was red, pants and groans fell from his perfect pink lips, and Levi thanked god yet again for the sight. In the end, the unknown kid tripped, and Eren rushed to help him up, meaning they both were disqualified. Eren pulled the boy up, before giving him a quick one arm hug  
"That was awesome Bertholdt"  
The Bertholdt kid shot Eren a smile, and the omega finally released the boys hands. Some of the other students were clapping, and Levi didn't know what was expected of him, especially when Eren looked him straight in the eyes. He pulled his phone out, and began tapping away, trying to look busy... but failed, he was saved at by the teacher sending them to go shower and followed the pack back into the locker room. Eren and Bertholdt were joking about something, and Levi forced himself to ignore them, instead grabbing his own things out and heading to shower. The shower stalls were stupid. The walls were to shoulder height, and a panel on the front served as door, basically it was only there to hide your junk. Forcing these annoyances from his head, Levi concentrated on washing himself down. The water pressure was awful and the smell of pee told him someone obviously thought it was alright to piss while they showered. Fucking gross. He rushed to wash himself over again, before roughly drying off and pulling his underwear on. Given most people were still showering, he'd just dress back at his locker.

He'd just finished pulling on his clothes, when Eren walked in. The teen had pulled his long hair into a bun, which looked stupidly good on him, but that wasn't what caught Levi's eyes. Eren didn't even seem to care as he pulled out a small tube of something, before smearing it on the back of his neck and rubbing it in, the bonding mark that had sent Levi into a jealous rage was gone in seconds, and he stormed over to the teen. Eren jumped, rushing to stuff the tube of concealer back into his locker  
"L-Levi?"  
The teens voice squeaked as Eren said his name  
"Why haven't you accepted my friend request?"  
Eren seemed to relax... just a little  
"Sorry, the boys got at my phone, and my setting are all messed up"  
"The two I saw you out the front with"  
Eren's walls flew back up, and it was clear the teen was struggling with something   
"Y-yeah..."  
"So your mother had more kids, that must be nice. How is she? I think she was really nice...?"  
He was hoping to sound like he remembered more than he did, but he couldn't even remember the woman's face  
"The twins were born just over 9 months after you left... and mum died... it's been a couple of years now"  
Levi frowned at the news, Eren adored his mother, he remember the boy crying for her after they fell into the pond   
"I'm sorry to hear that... look, I didn't mean to pressure you with the whole request thing, I just thought maybe you'd like to catch up or something?"  
Before Eren could reply, another teen appeared near them, and Eren's towel was yanked from around his waist. Levi was disappointed to find Eren had underwear on  
"Jean. Give me my towel back"  
The teen laughed, before spinning the towel around and flicking Eren with the end of it. He'd expected Eren to be angry, but instead the boy just let out a tired sigh  
"Must we do this every time?"  
"Yep. Oi, a group of us are going to the movies tonight, you in?"  
Eren shook his head  
"I have to look after the twins, remember?  
"Can't you find a babysitter?"  
"It doesn't work that way. What movie are you guys going to see?"  
"Don't know yet... Sasha only had the idea in PE, and you know Connie, he needs his wingman"  
Eren sighed as he rolled his eyes   
"Jean, they've been dating for months. I think your days as a wingman are over"  
Snatching the towel out of Jean's hands, Levi watched Eren stuff it in the locker and the obnoxious teen finally left. Staring at the back of Eren's neck, Levi couldn't even see the bite mark anymore  
"Levi?"  
He looked to Eren and shook his head  
"Sorry, it's fine. Just add me?"  
"Sure"  
Levi forced himself away from Eren, leaving the teen to dress himself.

 

*  
Eren's heart had been pounding from the moment he'd entered the locker room. He'd tried his best to push Levi from his thoughts, but even through the beep test, they came back to the alpha. Running had eased some of his frustrations, but then he'd had the awkward mispleasure of having Levi come over and spark up a conversation. He knew he was babbling, he didn't even know what was coming out his mouth, so when Jean stole his towel it'd been a chance to escape the conversation. Ever since he'd gotten Levi's friend request, he'd been nervous about adding the alpha, his Facebook was filled of photos of him with his boys, and Ren looked a hell of a lot like Levi...

The school day unfortunately continued, and both his friends had agreed to stay in town to go out to the movies with the others. Eren had never been to a cinema before and wondered if the twins would like to go... knowing them, they'd love the attention from his friends... maybe he could just add Levi, and then ignore him...Levi's profile had been set to private, like his was, so he hadn't been able to find much out about what Levi had done in their years of separation. He was still brooding over it all as he, Mikasa and Armin, headed to the daycare to collect Ren and Eli. His sons immediately dumped him in favour of having his friends carry them home, and the two boys happily told the pair all about their day. Apparently Ren got across three bars on the monkey bars, while Eli only managed 2. Armin naturally rushed to praise the boy in his arms, while Eren pulled out his phone. The teen opened Facebook and clicked on the the little red one that indicated Levi's pending request. Taking a deep breath, he hit accept, before promptly shoving his phone back in his pocket and stealing Ren out of Armin's hold   
"Did you guys decided what movie yet?"  
Armin shook his head and looked to Mikasa   
"I don't know either, Sasha said we'd decided when we get there. I thought you couldn't come?"  
"I was thinking it might be nice to take the boys to see something..."  
"I don't mind, but won't they be cranky tomorrow?"  
"Nah, they'll probably fall asleep half way through, or they can nap while we get ready"  
Brushing back Ren's hair, Eren pressed a kiss to the boys forehead and his son wrinkled his face in annoyance, causing the three of them to laugh  
"Look at that, I think they've forgotten they're supposed to love me the most"  
"I don't know about that"  
Eren faked a sniffle and looked down at Ren  
"Baby, do you love your mumma?"  
Ren blew a raspberry and Eren looked to Mikasa   
"See, I told you"  
The girl merely shook her head, and they rest of the walk was filled with comfortable banter.

Arriving home, Ren and Eli immediately climbed onto Eren's bed and flopped down dramatically next to them. His sons taking the opportunity to crawl on top of him and he groaned as Eli pounded down on his stomach  
"God... first they reject me, now they're trying to kill me. Who wants first shower?"  
Mikasa looked to Armin and Armin shrugged  
"I'll go... Eren, you still have my spare clothes don't you?"  
"Yeah, they're in that bedside table near the bathroom door, yours are in the top draw and Armin's are in the bottom"  
Mikasa dropped her bag, before grabbing her things and heading off to shower, while Armin came to sit on the edge of Eren's bed   
"Jean said he saw you talking to the new kid today"  
"Yep. Levi's in my sports class. We have a few seniors too"  
"Yeah, they split their schedules or something... Bertholdt was telling me about it"  
"Probably because he ended up in my class. I'm wondering if should tell him Reiner's in love with him before the both graduate"  
Armin frowned down at him  
"I thought you and Reiner were together"  
"We might have been together, but it was little more than licking each other's wounds. Reiner's been in love with Bertholdt for years"  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yep. And Bertholdt likes Reiner back, but they haven't told each other"  
"Eeesh, this is why I don't date"  
"If it makes you feel better, Reiner didn't even know about the bonding mark until Levi showed back up... you would think, given all the times we ended up in bed together, he might have noticed something"  
Armin pretended to gag, and shifted to pull Eli off Eren's stomach  
"I don't need to think about that"  
Given how in uncomfortable his friend looked, Eren couldn't resist getting a final blow in  
"Let's just say, he's built like a bear and hung like a..."  
"Lalalalalalala... not listening"

When Mikasa finally came out the bathroom, Armin headed in. The girl moved to sit up against the bedhead and Eren was ditched once again  
"Mmmm... I could totally nap"  
Mikasa let out a small snort  
"I thought you wanted the boys to take a nap"  
"I'm a boy too, just slightly bigger..."  
Rolling over, Eren gave the girl the best puppy dog eyes he could. His friend sighed deeply, while shaking her head  
"Fine. But that only because you haven't been out in ages, and need to have some fun with us"  
Toeing his shoes off, Eren let them fall to floor, before shifting to his wolf form. Mikasa rolled her eyes at him, and his sons moved to stroke his pelt   
"And you said you weren't loved"  
Letting out a low whine, Eren stretched right out, and laid his head on Mikasa's leg  
"If you drool on me, I'll kill you"  
Looking up at Mikasa, he stared at the girl until she sighed again  
"Fine. I won't kill you. Now go to sleep, or get off"  
Closing his eyes, Eren let himself fall asleep. Though it took a while because both his boys had decided to curl up practically on top of him.

Waking up, Eren found both boys were sleeping against his fur. Shifting back, he yawned loudly as he forced himself up   
"Dude, I don't think I'm ever going to get used to the that"  
Eren snorted lightly  
"It's just feels really nice sleeping as a wolf"  
"It's still weird. Anyway, you neeeeeed to get ready. We decided to get dinner before the movies"

An half hour later, Eren was ushering his friends and kids out his unit. He'd only taken a few minutes to get ready, wearing black skinny legged jeans, and tight green shirt. The twins were both confused and excited, Eren rarely took them out at night, and when he did, it was because he needed something for the following morning and he completely forgotten about it. They headed down to the bus stop near his building, before catching the bus over to the shopping centre where they were all meeting up in the food court. Despite the variety and bright colours, his boys wanted fries... he ordered the boys fries first, then Mikasa watched them as he went and ordered his own dinner. Opting for Chinese, he wondered what the boys would think of prawn crackers, making sure to place 2 large ones on his plate. Once he'd laid, he headed back to where the trio was waiting. His sons immediately abandoned their fries, and most of his dinner wound up being consumed by the two boys. Sasha and Connie showed up first, followed by Jean and then finally Ymir and Krista. The twins did the rounds, both boys lapped up the attention, though Eli didn't look terribly happy when he was placed into Jean's hold, his friend shot him a filthy look, or perhaps it was a desperate plea that Eren take the boy back  
"I didn't know you were coming"  
"And I didn't know horses were allowed in the shopping centre"  
Connie let out a long "ooooh" and Sasha elbowed Jean   
"Can't you two play nice?"  
"What are you talking about? This is them being nice"  
Jean was less than gentle as he placed Eli down, and the boy rushed to Armin, who lifted him easily and sat him on his hip  
"Don't worry about Jean, he's just jealous"  
Eli nodded, causing the group to laugh, and Sasha took Ren back into her hold   
"To the movies!"

Jean, Connie and Ymir wanted to watch horror, but Sasha designated herself as group leader and chose some kid's movie that Eren hadn't even heard of. The three horror fans had tried to protest, but Krista wanted to watch the kid's movie and Ymir, her girlfriend, hastened to jump ship, leaving Connie and Jean alone with their choice. The two declared it a bro-date and promptly linked their arms, before leaving. Armin helped Eren at the concession counter, the boys wanted everything, but Eren bright them a small popcorn and a medium juice to share. He was going to order the same from himself, but Armin hijacked his order. His friend stating "if he ordered a small, he'd finish the popcorn before opening adverts even finished", so Eren just went along with it. Eli then decided he needed to pee, and Ren didn't want to be left with Sasha, it was a small production to get the everyone seated and finally settled. It turned out the movie was an adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood, and both his sons loved the bright colours, but promptly began to wail when the wolf died. Eren found it completely adorable, even if the people in front didn't. Both he and Armin hushed the boys, but the two idiots in front of them told them to shut up, so Ymir promptly emptied her left over popcorn, over their heads. Eren couldn't help but laugh as both boys promptly shut up, and the two people rushed to storm from the cinema. Barely 10 minutes later, the pair was back with an usher, and tried to have them all removed. Ymir took one for the team, claiming she didn't know any of them, and left... only to sneak back in, and the movie finally came to an end. Both boys were beyond exhausted. Eren carried Ren, the boys arms up around his neck, as they left the cinema and headed out the shopping complex. Jean and Connie were already waiting out the front, and by the time they reached the pair Ren was fast asleep. By the time they climbed on the bus, Eli was asleep in Armin's hold, both boys slept all the way home, not waking until Eren was changing them for bed. Given Armin and Mikasa were both sleeping over, Eren opted to sleep in the twins room.


	10. Chapter 10

Levi stared down at his phone, unsure what his next move should be. Eren had accepted his friend request, and now he was staring at fellow teens posts. He wondered if it would be stalkerish to message Eren so soon, but he wanted to say something... but he was also well aware he'd probably sounded like an idiot in the locker room earlier. Scrolling to the top of Eren's page, Levi chew on his lip, while his free hand reaching for his pack of smokes. He needed to play it cool, but not too cool. The objective was the get Eren to talk to him. Clicking on the "message icon", messenger opened and he stared he started to type, before quickly erasing what he'd sent. By the time he'd finished his cigarette, he'd worked himself up, and ended sending a simple "Hi". He was such a fucking moron. Closing his eyes, he rolled over and groaned, holding his phone an arms length away from his face while glaring at it. He wanted Eren to hurry up and reply, but after a few minutes it seemed the teen wasn't going to and he dropped the phone onto his bed with a sigh   
"Big brother?"  
Looking to the doorway, Levi stared at his friend, Izzy had a look of trouble on her face and Levi wasn't sure he was going to like this  
"I know you said you didn't want a job... but I kind of put a good word in with my boss, and she says she'll give you an interview"  
Izzy worked at an Italian restaurant down the road, the three house mates pretty much lived on the leftovers she brought home   
"Iz, we both know I'm not a team player"  
"But it's just as waiter, it's easy work. You take people their food, and then bring the dishes back... please Levi, you've got to do something"  
"Izzy..."  
"I've got a shift in an hour, so won't you please come with me? You can take a look at the place and if the interview doesn't work out, I won't ask again"  
Izzy gave him a pleading looked and Levi forced himself up  
"Do you promise?"  
Isabel nodded quickly, and alpha let out a low growl  
"Fine. But don't blame me when this all goes to shit"  
The girl positively beamed as she ran across the room and jumped on him  
"Thank you! I hope we can get the same shifts, it's scary walking home at night"  
Levi frowned at his friend, she'd never mentioned being scared before   
"Iz, you know I'd come get you if you messaged me"  
"What? Risk interrupting you and whoever you've dragged home? No thank you. I don't need an angry alpha"  
"Well, I have no intention of dragging anyone home. Not anytime soon"  
"Oh, is this 'cause you fucked Petra?"  
"And how do you know that?"  
"Because she's been bragging about it. I don't know what you see in her"  
"Honestly, I don't know either"  
Izzy giggled and detangled herself, before jogging to the doorway  
"Make sure you shower, and wear something nice..."  
Grabbing his pillow, Levi raised it threateningly, causing Izzy to run off down the hall. She was probably right. He'd been living off them for way too long, and the only income he had was from doing odd jobs in the building. Basic home improvement was the one thing his piece of shit uncle had taught him.

Half an hour later, he was walking towards the restaurant with Izzy hanging off his arm. The girl's imagination was running wild, and Levi blocked most of it out. The only thing he cared about was that Izzy was happy. They continued their unrushed pace, all the way up to the glass doors, large white letters read "Ravioli". A stupid name for a stupid looking restaurant, but Izzy dragged him inside before he could complain. The inside of the restaurant was nicer than he'd expected, but he couldn't help but notice the thick layer of dust atop the picture frames on the walls. Gross. He itched to clean it down, he wasn't always anal about cleaning, but he'd noticed he was becoming more and more picky about it. It wasn't exactly hard to wipe down the frames, he reckoned it wouldn't even take an hour to do all of them. Izzy took his hand in hers, and lead him through the door behind the front counter. He eyed the kitchen in half interest, his gaze finally resting on a girl doing prep work  
"Hanji, is boss lady in?"  
"Yep, head on through. You must be Levi, Izzy has told us all about you"  
Shooting a glare at Izzy, his friend just shrugged while trying to look innocent  
"Sorry, she doesn't know when to shut up"  
"Levi! Don't be so mean. Thanks Hanji"  
Continuing through the kitchen, they emerged in a medium sized office, a short woman was sitting behind the desk and Levi eyed her carefully. He looked slightly pissed, and dropped her pen with an agitated sigh  
"Name?"  
"Levi Ackerman"  
"Age?"  
"16"  
"Can you follow basic instructions?"  
"As far as I know"  
Izzy elbowed his side, and Levi swatted her away  
"My names Rico Brzenska, in the owner and manager here. Why should I give you a job?"  
Levi had no fucking clue, so played the slightly desperate card  
"Because Isabel is scared to walk home at night by herself"  
"Big brother!"  
Rico's lips finally turned into something that was like a constipated smile   
"One more question, can you handle carrying a plate to a table, without tripping over your own feet?"  
"I don't know, won't know until I try"  
"Good enough. You'll be on a two week trial. Anything you don't know, ask. I won't tolerate mistakes and I don't like wasting my time"  
Levi gave a nod  
"Good. I expect you to bring in your bank details tomorrow. Izzy, see if you can find a work uniform that fits him. He's a bit on the small side, so might need one of the female ones"  
Levi immediately shot the girl a look that said "don't even think about it", but Izzy clearly was  
"Thank you Rico, I'll take care of showing him around"

That wasn't what he expected all. Rico was kind of scary, though the woman was probably only about as tall as he was. He knew he was a fucking midget, but fellow short people grated on his nerves. He cursed his stupid genetics daily that he couldn't be taller. Or at least tall enough to reach the top shelf at the local supermarket. Izzy lead him back out and through the kitchen, then into a room marked "Staff". The staff room stank like wet musky socks, and he scrunched nose up  
"I know... it's pretty bad, but that's because of Erwin"  
"Who, or what is an Erwin?"  
"He's another waiter. You should see him, he's built like a bear... and he has the biggest eyebrows!"  
At the word bear, Levi's mind went to Reiner, the stupid shitty bear that had laid hands on his Eren... he quickly scolded himself. Eren wasn't his. Not yet... he didn't care if the teen had a bonding mark, he would make Eren his. While he'd been brooding, Isabel had left his side, the girl rummaging through what looked like a broom cupboard   
"Yep, you're gonna need a girls uniform, anything else will look like you're playing dress up"

Levi was less than amused as he looked at himself. The uniforms were simple. Black pants and a white formal shirt with Ravioli printed in black over the pocket. He felt like a fucking penguin, but Izzy gushed  
"You look so good! You're going to be making a bucket in tips, the ladies are going to love you"  
Levi rolled his eyes, and Izzy pressed a kiss to his cheek  
"Come on, service starts soon. Oh and Levi, please don't fuck the customers"  
Levi let out a low growl, before once again being tugged along by Izzy. His first night as a waiter was a sharp learning curve. He was really more the tray carrier, while Izzy distributed the plates. The girl explained how to take orders, table numbers and to always serve the ladies first. He had the basic layout down by the end of the night, but after an unexpected 6 hour shift, he was fucking dead on his feet. This work business was shit, and apparently he had to come back and do it all over again tomorrow. 

 

*  
By the end of service Friday night, Levi was dead. Isabel had neglected to inform him she was working every day this week, and Levi felt like a living corpse as he placed the last plates on the pass. He stifled his yawn, and stumbled towards the staffroom, before collapsing on the bench in the middle of the room   
"Good work out there Levi"  
Looking to his left, Levi realise he hadn't even notice the blonde giant called Erwin. Apparently Erwin only worked Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so tonight was the first time he'd met him  
"Please tell me you're not about to take your shoes off"  
Erwin gave him a confused look and Levi pushed himself off the bench. He was too tried to use the cubicle to change, and stripped right there  
"Big Brother! You can't just change here!"  
"It's fine Iz, everything important's covered"  
He swore he heard Erwin snicker, and ignored the alpha  
"Sorry Erwin, he's usually more domesticated than this"'  
"Oh, so you know him?"  
"Yep, Levi's my big brother"  
Levi cast a glance towards Erwin, the man looked confused  
"Not by blood. But blood don't mean shit anyway. Iz, go get changed. I want to go home and shower"  
Izzy giggled   
"You mean you want to go home and call Petra"  
Levi rolled his eyes. The girl had called him at least 20 times yesterday, and he'd been invaded with a flood of messages on top of that  
"No. I want a cigarette and I want to take a shower and then sleep"  
"Don't forget, our shift starts at 6 instead of 5 tomorrow"  
Yay for a whole extra hour. He intended to spend it sleeping.

Arriving home, he fell into his bed and fell asleep straight away. Despite his desperate need for sleep, his internal body clock still woke him at 6, and he scrunched his nose up in disgust. Shower. He needed a shower. Stumbling through the house, he glared at Farlan and Izzy passed out in living room, Farlan's crack pipe the only indication that they'd had a good night night without him. He was still half asleep when he finally finished in the bathroom, and stumbled back got his room, forcing himself to strip and remake his bed before climbing into it. Closing his eyes, he let out a growl when he realised he couldn't get back to sleep, so snatching his phone up he tried to turn the thing on but soon found it was dead. Hopefully Petra had dumped him. He didn't think he'd be that lucky, but he put the device on charge, just in case the magical message came through. With out his phone to distract him, he gathered all their washing and carried it down to the basement. The alpha would have rathered not have to share a washing machine, he'd seen some crazy shit in them when living with Kenny's and was always paranoid he was going to pull his washing out to find a dirty needle in it. After all, it wouldn't be the first time in his life.

Returning to the apartment, he started cleaning the kitchen. None of their kitchenware matched. Not the plates, cups or cutlery and he'd come to realise that some of it was actually from Ravioli. Shrugging it off, he cleaned the kitchen till it was acceptable, than made himself a cup of tea, and migrated back to bed. In his absence his phone had charged enough to turn itself on and he eyed the 34 new messages with annoyance. Fuck Petra. Actually. No. He had and it really hadn't been that great. Ignoring the girl, he opened his Facebook messages and spat his mouthful of tea back into the cup. Eren had actually replied. Opening the message, he eyed that small one word reply with a racing heart. "Hi". So what if it wasn't what he'd expected? Eren had actually replied. He reminded himself to remain cool. First thing first, he had to apologise  
Levi: Hi. Sorry. I've been working like crazy so I just got your message. What's up?  
What's up? Did he really just send that? Did people even say that anymore? Disgusted at himself, he dropped his phone back onto the bedside table. But the sound of rippling soon had him picking it back up. Eren was typing  
Eren: All good. I didn't think you'd be awake this early.  
It was just before 7, so it wasn't that early, but what was Eren doing up?  
Levi: Internal alarms suck. You?  
This time Eren didn't reply immediately, and Levi had long since finished his tea before his phone pinged with a new message  
Eren: Sorry, dealing with the twins.  
Levi frowned, he still didn't really get why Eren was so obsessed with them. But then again, he knew very well what dead beat parents could be like and Eren said his mum had died... he still swallowed back his excitement, play it cool  
Levi: That's cool. Got anything planned today?  
Yep. Cool. He could totally do this  
Eren: Probably just take the boys to the park. Nothing major.  
Levi: That's cool.  
Levi waited for a reply, but when half an hour passed, he put his phone back down and tried to go back to sleep. Ravioli stayed open late on Saturday nights, and he wouldn't be getting out of there until 2... well that was what Izzy said, but it was completely possible she was just messing with him.

Much to his disgust, she wasn't and it wasn't until 3 am that they both got out of the building. Service had been insane and he felt bad for the kitchen staff. In the end, he had no idea how many plates they did for the night, but finding a $50 note slipped into his back pocket had been muchly appreciated. It paid for a packet of smokes for both him and Izzy, as well as some milk and bread. By the time they finally made it home, he couldn't feel his feet anymore, but he forced himself to shower before climbing into bed... and finding a warm body. Flicking on the lamp, he was confused as fuck. Petra was in his fucking bed. He had no idea why the girl was there, or more importantly how she'd even found out where he'd lived. Quickly slipping back out his bed, he headed into Farlan's room, ignoring the fact that Izzy was in his friends lap  
"Why the fuck is Petra in my bed?"  
"She said you'd arranged for her to come over and wait until you finished work..."  
"And you believed her?"  
"No, but you've had this real savage look on your face, you need to get laid, or at least blown"  
"Farlan. Next time she shows up, kick her to the fucking curb"  
Spinning around, Levi stalked back to his room. Petra was still asleep and Levi grabbed his smokes before heading into Izzy's room. Fucking stupid Petra.

Levi was awoke the following morning to Petra climbing on top of him. The girl was still in her pyjamas and Levi did the most unmanly thing he could. He screamed. Petra looked at him like he'd lost his mind, but Izzy came running. Petra was clearly not impressed, but climbed from his lap anyway  
"What the hell Levi? Aren't you happy to see me?"  
"No. Now let me go back to sleep"  
Petra moved to spoon up against him and Levi ground his teeth together   
"No fucking in my bed"  
Thanks Izzy. Because that would stop the she devil at his side  
"Petra, what are you doing here?"  
"Well you're always so busy... I didn't want you to forget me"  
"I couldn't, even if I wanted to"  
Petra was either completely stupid, or just so up herself that she giggled and snuggled against him, one hand slid to his crotch and Levi yanked it back   
"I'm exhausted. If that's all you're here for, fuck off home"  
And then it happened. Petra burst into tears and Levi slid from the bed  
"Look. Take a fucking hint. This isn't working, you're way too fucking clingy"  
"Y-you're dumping me?"  
"Yeah. Sure. Whatever. Now get out"  
Petra slid from the bed, but cross to stand in front of him. Levi braced himself to be slapped, but it didn't come. Instead the girl threw her arms around him  
"But I love you"  
"You don't even know me, so don't throw selfish words like that around. It won't work. Now pack your shit and scram"  
When Petra didn't detach, Levi called for Izzy  
"Iz, help. I dumped her and she won't go"  
Izzy snorted, but still came to his aid, wrangling Petra off of Levi and finally getting the girl to get her shit and leave. During this time Levi had migrated back out to the living room, and was now sprawled out on the sofa. The smoke between his lips did nothing to make his morning better  
"Levi. Spill. What was that?"  
"I tried to dump her, so she tried to pull the "I love you" card"  
Izzy scrunched her face up  
"She doesn't even know you"  
"Yeah. You stick your dick in a girl once and she thinks you love her. What a fucking joke"  
"Well, I hope you're prepared. She's probably going to slag the shit out of you"  
"That's fine"  
"Even if she tells Eren"  
Levi shot up and gaped at Izzy  
"What... how do you know Eren?"  
Izzy grinned mischievously  
"I've seen the way you look at him... you want to love him, you want to hug him, you want to kiss him, you want to fuck him"  
The girls sing song voice made him growl and Isabel fell quiet, but the smile on her face remained   
"Am... am I that fucking obvious?"  
"Only to me and Farlan... but I'd say he's a pretty good choice. He gets on with like everyone, and they reckon he'll be cheer captain next year"  
"What's that got to do with anything?"  
"Just helping with the visual. Him in his tight little cheer uniform. Pom-poms in hands..."  
Levi let out a groan and let himself fall back, not caring when his head smacked the arm of the chair  
"It's not like that. I met him years ago. We were both brats and Kenny was pulling some dodgy job in Shinganshima"  
Crossing the room, Izzy sat on the edge of the chair he was occupying   
"And?"  
"And he was my first crush. Alright?"  
Izzy let out a huge "Oh!", and Levi nodded, before taking another drag  
"Yep. First kiss and my first time was with him..."  
"And now you're both going to the same school, reunited like star crossed lovers"  
Levi snorted bitterly  
"Yeah. I'm a short grumpy fuck up, and he's got a bonding mark"  
"No way!"  
"Yep. He's also taking care of two brats..."  
"But you like him?"  
"I don't know how I feel. Shit Iz, it's too early for this"  
Rolling over, he stubbed his cigarette out and sighed   
"I need to strip my bed, it probably stinks like her"  
"Ew, I'm going to have to strip my bed too. Don't worry, I'll fill Farlan in"

Leaving the living room, Levi headed to his room and tore his blankets off his bed, before stripping the sheet and throwing it angrily at the wall. Fuck Petra. Still agitated, he remade the bed and slid into the middle, before shifting into his wolf form. He didn't want to be Levi. He just wanted to sleep and it was so much nicer sleeping in his wolf form.

 

Monday was fucking shit. Petra had basically made it sound like he'd attacked her, forced her into sleeping with him and then thrown her aside. Even people he didn't know were giving him filthy looks, and Eren... Eren wasn't giving him filthy looks, but that was because the gorgeous omega was too busy ignoring him. Levi read and reread their time by conversation, but couldn't see how he'd gone wrong. He knew Eren had to know Petra had been bad mouthing him, but did the teens silence mean that he believed her? Whatever it was, it was fucking shit. He ended up leaving early, and didn't venture back to school until Wednesday morning.

 

*  
While Levi was melting down, Eren was only somewhat aware. He'd heard Petra's carrying ons, her lies coming out so thickly that he was surprised she didn't choke on it... but hearing all this about Levi, only served to bring back his fears. What if Levi had changed? What if he was like that? Did he really want their sons around him if he was? But didn't Levi deserve to know. It was driving him mental, and he found himself ignoring Levi, even when it almost seemed like Levi was seeking him out. Today's PE class they were together. Through the rumour mill, he knew Levi had been absent from school since Monday afternoon, but then he'd shown up today. He wondered if he was being too self centred thinking the alpha was only there because of him. But twice this morning Levi had looked like he was going to initiate conversation...

In the end, fate decided, or rather the teacher decided to pair them up for the less than exciting challenge of indoor tennis. It wasn't really fair, two Wolfbloods against two humans, but Eren couldn't exactly protest. The school wasn't anti-Wolfbloods, but that didn't mean every student knew or believed they existed... and even if they did, kids could be cruel. Eren took his spot, and tried to ignore Levi's presence so close to him. The alpha still smelt like the forest, and he longed to shift and run. Instead, he gave himself a handicap, and the set began. Levi was super competitive, not giving their opponents any leeway. It would have continued on like that, but the two teens on the other side of the net quit. Spinning to glare at Levi, Eren marched over to the alpha and stared him down  
"They're humans. You didn't have to be such an arsehole"  
He shoved Levi, which didn't go unnoticed by their teacher. The man jogged over to the pair and Eren stepped back from Levi   
"Is there a problem gentlemen?"  
"'No. I was just reminding Levi that while it's alright to want to win, it's alright to have fun to"  
He gave the man a bright smile, and Levi nodded  
"Well, we still have half an hour left, can I trust you boys to settle this on the court?"  
Eren nodded again, jogging off to retrieve a ball, and then taking his position on the other side of the net. He knew he'd pushed Levi's buttons, but he didn't care. Levi had been unnecessarily cruel, and the teen already had a bad name. Taking a deep breath, he gave a nod, before serving.

Not holding back was fun, Eren couldn't deny he enjoyed it. Thanks to being both a cheerleader and a wolf, his hand eye coordination had gotten so much better, and was actually giving the alpha a run for his money. By the end of class, they were the only two still going, the teacher coming over and telling them it was time to pack up. Eren was still proving his point to Levi, and got a cheap return in. Causing Levi to lose the match. He jogged over to the net, and held his hand out. It felt like electricity when Levi's hand came to rest in his. His knees nearly gave out from the want he felt. He wanted Levi's hands all over him, and the alpha seemed just the same. He broke the handshake and turned to begin helping with the clean up. He didn't want Levi to see how badly he was blushing.

When it came to showering, Eren had his forehead resting against the wall and was off in his own world. His body was going crazy, and he thanked all the stinking alpha's for hiding the sweet smell of the slick that had dribbled down his thighs. He was so hopeless. He was practically a stranger to Levi, but it was Levi's mark he wore. Part of him wondered if Levi felt the same jumble of lust and want that he did. He was still in the shower when most of his classmates left, but Bertholdt hung back  
"Eren, can we talk?"  
Letting out a groan, Eren forced himself to turn the water off, and turned to find Bertholdt leaning against the wall across from him. He rushed to grab his towel and wrapped it around his waist  
"Sure, what's up?"  
"Well... you were dating Reiner right?"  
"You love him, I know you do. Don't worry, we were only ever fuck buddies. He's crazy about you, but never thought you'd like him back"  
Eren watched as Bertholdt turned red  
"That's what you wanted to know right? Look, tell him how you feel. He really loves you"  
"Then why did he sleep with you?"  
Eren sighed and rubbed his face  
"Because we both loved someone we thought we'd never get. For him it was you, for me it was someone from my past... there were no feeling of love between us. I promise"  
Bertholdt seemed to brighten, offering him a small smile  
"Thanks Eren..."  
"No worries, I would say good luck, but I know you don't need it"  
He winked at his friend and Bertholdt left him to dry and slide his underwear on.

The locker room was empty when he came out, and Eren took his time dressing. He dried his hair off, and covered his bonding mark, before making sure he had everything, and closing the locker. The teen smiled as he walked from the locker room, as far as he was concerned, he'd just done his second good deed for the day.

Levi didn't seek him out the next day, and the alpha wasn't at their Friday PE class, that was when Eren wondered if he'd maybe pushed the alpha too far. But thoughts of that were pushed from his mind as the afternoon rolled around and cheer practice began. Sasha wanted to change the routine, but some of the senior girls were against it and in the end they didn't really accomplish anything. If he was completely honest, he was pro-Sasha, but cheerleading could be catty enough and it was better he kept his mouth shut.

With no distractions, he used the weekend to catch up on his homework and playing with the twins. He may have been slightly biased, but the boys were super smart. Each loved learning, and even doing silly things like counting to 10, or drawing letters, given they couldn't really master a pen to "write", make both boys swell with pride. Their reward for finally getting their names right was ice cream. Technically, they didn't get their names completely right, Ren did his "R" backwards, and Eli's "I" looked like another "L", but Eren was completely smitten. Both artworks were hung on the fridge proudly, joining the jumble that had already filled all the available space. He wanted to buy a folder to put it all in, but never seemed to remember. Even through his happy weekend, he still couldn't forget what had happened on Wednesday and when Sunday night came with no word from Levi, he began to panic that the alpha had taken off again. He message Levi, apologising for Wednesday, but got no reply.


	11. Chapter 11

It was two weeks before Levi finally started talking to him again. Seeing Levi at school on the previous Monday had reassured some of his fears, but it soon became apparent he was in the doghouse. Even spending the weekend out in Shinganshima hadn't helped, he'd run himself to exhaustion in the woods, but all he thought of was Levi and how to make up with the alpha. Monday and Tuesday passed and he was still clueless, but when Wednesdays PE class rolled around again, Eren found himself paired with Levi again, forcing the alpha to speak to him. Given it was storming outside, they were playing tennis again in the gymnasium and once again it was doubles. This time however, Levi actually adjusted to Eren's self imposed handicapped state, and though they still won, it was a much more even match. They were about to change ends of the court when Eren's phone began to ring, and he rushed to pull it from his shorts. Given his parental state, he was allowed to keep his phone on him, though he usually didn't. His heart stopped when he saw it was the twins day care, and he answered slowly  
"Hello, this is Eren?"  
"Oh Hi Eren, its Hannah here. Look, we've had a bit of an incident and I was wondering if you could come and pick Eli up"  
The racket fell from his hand, and Eren started jogging towards the doorway  
"W-what happened?"  
"Some of the kids were playing on the patio area, and it seems when he went to join them, he's tripped and given himself a few nasty grazes"  
Eren frowned  
"Grazes?"  
"Yes, both hands, both knees and on his forehead. He seems to he alright, but he's got a pretty nasty bump, and both his ears and tails are showing. We can't get him to calm down, so if you could come pick him up immediately..."  
"Yeah. I get it, just make sure you put an ice pack on his head"  
"We know how to do our job"  
The woman was clearly not impressed with his words  
"Sorry, look, I'll be there soon, but make sure Ren stays with him until I get there"  
"Ren is fine"  
Eren rolled his eyes, Eli was scared, and needing comfort, if the woman thought about it, she'd realise it for herself  
"I'm leaving now. I'll be about 15 minutes"  
"Ok. Thank you"  
Eren hung his phone up, and stashed it in his locker as he raced to change. He didn't even realise he'd been followed  
"Is everything alright?"  
Eren jumped at Levi's words and span to look at the alpha  
"No... I don't know. You should go back to class"  
Struggling out of his pants, Eren raced to change them  
"If I can be any help..."  
"Look Levi, I'm sorry I was shitty with you before. But Eli's hurt and I need to go pick him up"  
"Eli?"  
"He's... you know what, it doesn't matter right now. I need to go"  
Having changed in record time, Eren grabbed his stuff out his locker and slammed it closed  
"I hope everything's alright..."  
Levi sounded like he actually cared and Eren wished he didn't. It made him feel worse as he began to run through the school building. The alpha had a right to know.

Arriving at the day care, the manager showed him straight through to where Eli was sitting on his own. His son looked absolutely adorable with his ears and tail out, but Eren's eyes fell on the bruise of the boys forehead, his son had stacked it properly. The moment Eli saw him, the small boy hobbled towards him sobbing. Eren immediately lifted him, brushing back the boys hair carefully, before kissing his forehead   
"Mumma it hurts..."  
"I know baby... lets get Ren, and then we'll go on an adventure"  
Eli nodded quickly and Eren looked to the daycare manager  
"Where's Ren? I'll take them both now"  
"I'll just go find him"  
As much as he hated it, Eren used the few minutes to cover Eli's ears with the hood of him jacket, and then hide his tail in his pants. His son was trying to be brave, the sobs had stopped, but the boys bottom lip still trembled  
"Mumma!"  
Ren came running to him, and smacked squarely into his leg. Eren ruffled the boys hair gently, and shifted his hold on Eli  
"Hey baby, you ready to go?"  
"Mumma, Eli got hurt"  
"I know, that's why I'm here. Now say goodbye"  
Ren said his goodbyes, but Eli just clung to Eren tighter. Ren kept a tight hold on him until they were outside, he then let Eren hold him by the hand  
"What happened?"  
"One of kids was picking on me... and Eli stood up for me... so they pushed him and he fell"  
Eren sighed, not impressed that that had been left out   
"Mum, he's gonna be alright"  
"I know baby, but we still need to get a doctor to take a look"  
Eli was sniffling sadly and Eren wondered if this was how his mother felt every time he hurt himself.

It took nearly half an hour to reach the nearest hospital, and Ren's enthusiasm had begun to waver. The boy was tired and hungry, and wanted to play. But instead Eren had to ignore his son as the triage nurse took the details of the incident, and then fill in a new patient form as neither boy had been to that hospital before. When the woman was finally done, he was sent to wait in the waiting room and Ren decided he wanted to be a total show off, all his sons worse qualities were exhibited for the people of the waiting room. Even when Eren scolded and then smacked Ren's bum, the boy continued all the way up until they were finally called through. Given Eli was Wolfblood, they were taken to a room that connected off the hall of the ER. Ren promptly tried to talk to doctors ear off, while Eren gently stripped off Eli's jacket and jeans. His son started to cry again as the doctor examined him, and Eren hushed him gently   
"His pupils are responding nicely, has he thrown up? Or complained of pain?"  
"He hasn't thrown up since I picked him up, and he said "it hurts", but I assumed he meant all the grazes"  
The doctor nodded and leant in to look Eli in the eye   
"Eli, can you tell me in you have any pain? Does your tummy hurt?"  
Eli shook his head  
"And your head?"  
Eli nodded slowly  
"And where does it hurt?"  
The boy pointed to the graze and bruised bump  
"Alright, why don't I get you some special medicine. It'll make you feel all better, and then we'll clean those nasty scrapes of yours"  
The man straightened up and up and looked to Eren   
"Is he fine with children's panadol?"  
"Yeah, he'd had it before and been fine"  
"Alright, I'll send a nurse in to clean his wounds up and bring you the Panadol. When you get home, ice that bump and if he starts showing signs of being dizzy, or vomiting, bring him straight back in"  
Eren nodded quickly  
"Thank you"  
The man gave them both a smile, and Ren grabbed Eren's leg  
"Mummy, I want to sit next to you"  
Given his hands were full, the doctor lifted Ren up onto the bed and the boy looked proud of himself as he stared up at Eren   
"Ren, what do you say when someone helps you?"  
Ren looked to the doctor  
"Thank you"  
"You're very welcome. That nurse will be in soon"  
Eren thanked the man again, before the doctor left the three of them alone  
"Mumma, I want to play"  
"I know you do, but you've go to wait until they've made Eli feel better"  
"Eli, you're alright now"  
Eli shook his head at Ren's question, though it was more of a statement. This caused Ren to let out a dramatic sigh. All three jumped when Eren's phone began to ring, and he had to slide Eli sideways so he could get the device from his pocket. Armin's name was on the screen. He slid his finger across the screen, and didn't give his friend any time to talk   
"Hey, sorry, in the ER with Eli, here's Ren"  
His son took his phone, immediately beginning to talk as fast and as loud as he could  
"Ren, you've got to be quiet, there are sick people here"  
Ren dropped to whisper, just as the nurse came in. The boy slid from the bed, before strolling across to the chair on the other side of the room. It was comical the way the boy scuffed his feet as he went.

Eli cried softly as the nurse cleaned his wounds. The woman had given the boy the liquid panadol first, so some of the pain from the antiseptic spray was lessened. Eren held Eli protectively close as the woman worked. He forced back his own tears, it was so hard to have his son be so miserable and not be able to help. The woman tried to get Eli talking, but his son was having none of it, and by the sounds of it, Ren was still busy talking to Armin and completely ignored the woman he could have easily victimised. It didn't take long to have all Eli's scraped cleaned and dressed, and by the time she was finished Eli's tail and ears had receded. Eren thanked the woman, before redressing his son. He tried to lower Eli down so he could slide of the bed, but his son stubbornly clung to him, making it slightly awkward to climb down  
"Ren, can I have my phone now?"  
Ren climbed down from the chair, and brought his phone back to him, Eren took the device and held it to his ear   
"Armin?"  
The line was quiet for a few seconds, but then Armin's voice came through   
"Sorry, Ren kept talking and I sort of phased out. So what happened, Bertholdt said you took off in the middle of class and then Levi came and found me at the start of lunch to ask if I'd heard anything"  
Eren groaned at the alpha's name, he paused to open the ER door, and ushered Ren through before replying  
"Some kid pushed Eli over, and I had to take him to hospital"  
"Is he alright?"  
"He's got a bump on his head about the size of an egg, and I'm supposed to monitor him... and a few pretty nasty scrapes"  
"Shit. I'll come over after school, but do you need me to bring anything?"  
"If you could pick up some strawberry children's panadol, that would be awesome. I'm sorry I had to hand you to Ren, but he wasn't exactly on his best behaviour"  
"It's fine, it's still lunch time"  
Given Eren was now standing out the front of the hospital, he dragged Ren over to the nearest taxi in the bay  
"Sorry Armin, I have to go. Gotta get these two home, but I'll call you if anything changes between now and the end of school"  
"Ok. Given Eli a big hug for me, and I'll see you later"  
Ending the call, Eren opened the taxi door, letting Ren slide in first, before carefully sliding in with Eli still on his lap. He gave the man his address and then spent the 15 minute drive chatting back and forth with the driver. Arriving at their destination, Ren thanked the man without prompting and Eren smiled as the guy grinned happily   
"You're most certainly welcome young man"  
His son seemed to swell with pride at being called "young man", and Eli seemed to rally enough spark to also thank the driver. Eren paid, before also thanking the driver and let Ren open the taxis door. They'd barely made it half way up the first flight of stairs before the boy decided he was tired and Eren had to carry both boys up to the 5th floor.

Given the hassle of getting boys home and upstairs, it wasn't until they were all safely inside and sitting on his bed, that he remembered Armin had mentioned Levi, and fished his phone back out. He stopped himself from checking the device, telling himself he had to settle the boys down first. Ren had already taken off his shoes and jacket, so Eren gently helped Eli out of his and his jeans, his son was miserable as the boy laid there quietly. Climbing under the blankets, he gently lifted Eli up and settled the boy against him, while Ren sat on the other side  
"Mumma, I'm hungry"  
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Eren dropped a kiss on Eli's forehead  
"What about you baby?"  
Eli nodded  
"What do you guys what to eat?"  
"Cookies"  
"You can't have cookies for lunch"  
Ren pouted, and Eren looked down at Eli   
"Why don't I make some sandwiches?"  
"Oh! Can I have cheese?"  
Eren nodded  
"What about you Eli?"  
"Peanut butter..."  
"Ok babies"  
"Mumma, were big boys now. You don't have to keep calling us babies"  
Ren's serious tone had Eren smiling  
"No matter how old you get, you'll always be my babies"  
His son let out a frustrated sigh, and Eren left them to move into the kitchen, before remembering he should probably fill Armin's grandfather in  
"Ren, can you bring me my phone? I need to call grandpa Arlert"  
There was a small yelp, and he looked to see Ren half over Eli, trying to reach his phone   
"Ren, get off your brother, he's in pain"  
His son looked down at his brother and let out a sigh, before climbing off the bed and rounding it to reach Eren's phone. The small boy brought it over and Eren thanked him, before Ren took off and jumped onto his bed... kids... the boy was lucky he was adorable.

With the phone back against his ear, Eren set about making his boys lunch and filling Armin's grandfather in on what had happened. The man wasn't impressed about the daycare incident, but had to admit that his sons definitely took after him, and the proceeded to fill Eren in on some of his own great moments. They chatted away for maybe 20 minutes, before Eren said good and brought the two plates of sandwiches over to his sons. Once they were eating, he doubly back and grabbed a bag of peas to use an ice pack. Eli wasn't terribly impressed about Eren holding the tea towel wrapped peas to his head, but still munch away on his sandwich. It wasn't until the dishes were in the sink, and the boys were laying down next to him, that Eren finally got to check his phone. He had two new messages from Levi and he bit his lip lightly as he opened them  
Levi: Hey is that kid alright?  
Levi: And are you alight? You seemed pretty freaked   
Eren looked down at Eli, and against his own internal advice, he snapped a picture of his sons bump. The blend of blue and purple would have been spectacular if it hadn't been on his boys head   
Eren: img_6530  
Eren: Yeah. He's alright. Just gotta keep an eye on him  
He swallowed nervously, wondering if he should add to his message, but Levi replied before he could   
Levi: Damn. That's impressive. Do you mind if I asked what happened?  
Eren hated how happy he was that Levi was concerned, but still replied   
Eren: Some little shit was picking on his brother and when Eli stood up for him, they pushed him over   
Levi: Fuckers. Is it bad I hope someone pushes them over  
Eren: Yes. But I feel the same way  
Levi: Lol. You could just wolf out on them or get their father to  
Eren snorted, yeah... Levi would probably do it too... he shook his head  
Eren: Its a Wolfblood friendly daycare... and I think there'd be plenty of angry parents if I did  
Levi: So? Their kids are shits  
Eren rolled his eyes, he really needed to stop messaging Levi before he spilt the whole truth to the alpha  
Eren: That might be so. Anyway. Thanks for the concern, but we'll be fine. Sorry to have worried you  
Levi replied with a thumbs up emoji and Eren snorted lightly  
"Mumma?"  
Locking his phone, Eren placed it out the way before looking to Ren   
"What is it baby?"  
"Why do you look reeeeally happy?"  
"Because I'm with my two favourite boys"  
Ren gave him a skeptical look, while Eli snuggled closer against him  
"You're uncle Armin is going to come and stay the night, so if you two are good, I'll buy a special dinner for us all"  
Ren was dead serious as he looked him in the eyes  
"Mum, please. We are always good"  
Laughing lightly Eren reached over so that Ren was pulled into an awkward hug. 

Once the two boys were finally sleeping, Eren slid from the bed and cleaned up their unit. Ignoring the fact it was storming outside, he opened the window to twins room as far as it would go. The first year or so, he hadn't been able to air the unit out, but then his landlord had installed mesh screens on the windows and ended his days of paranoia that the twins would figure the windows out. He'd managed to get everything done by the time Armin arrived. Upon entering his unit, Armin made a beeline for Eli, climbing into bed and letting out a gasp at the bruising. Eren had continued to ice the bump while Eli slept, but it still had to hurt   
"Wow... he did a good job"  
"No, some little shit pushed him. They scared him so bad that his ears and tail were showing"  
Armin looked angry at his words  
"Did they do anything about it?"  
"Not that I know of. The kid was picking on Ren so Eli went to defend him. I was fucking furious"  
"I don't blame you, oh, I got your panadol too, it's in the front pocket of my bag"  
Given Armin had dropped his bag near the bed, Eren picked it up and carried it to the kitchen bench, before rummaging through it  
"Armin, even the twins keep their school bags cleaner than this"  
"That's because you probably clean them out. Everything that goes in there kind of just ends up living in there until the end of the year"  
Letting out an annoyed sigh, Eren pulled everything out of Armin's bag, finally finding the box with the panadol in it down the bottom   
"I had to get orange, they didn't have strawberry"  
"It's fine, as long as it flavoured I can get them to take it"  
Setting about reorganising Armin's bag, Eren left his boys to his friends watchful gaze. He was busy straightening out crumpled paper when he heard a giggle. Turning around, he found Eli in Armin's lap and Armin ticking the boy   
"I see someone's feeling better"  
"It's my awesomeness as an Uncle. But I don't know if he's Eli any more, he might be an Egyptian mummy with all these bandages"  
Armin pounced on Eli as he said bandages, ticking the small boy until Eli couldn't take it   
"Uh-oh... um Eren... I just made him wet himself"  
Eli's laughter soon turned to crying and the omega moved to lift Eli from Armin   
"Did it get on the blankets?"  
"No, just all over both of us"  
At least that was something. Carrying Eli into the bathroom, Eren had to very carefully clean his son up without getting the boys dressings wet. Eli was once again quiet and Eren hated it  
"It's alright baby, accidents happen"  
"Uncle Armin's mad..."  
The way Eli said it was heartbreaking  
"Eli, do you remember what a pinky promise is?"  
The boy held out his tiny pinky and Eren quickly hooked it with his  
"I promise uncle Armin isn't mad"  
His son gave an almighty sniffle  
"Pwomise?"  
"Yeah baby. Let's get you dried off"

Armin disappeared into the bathroom the moment Eren carried Eli out, he carried his son into his room, and sat on his bed, before carefully drying and dressing the boy. Eli really didn't seem convinced that Armin wasn't mad. So Eren stayed in the boys room until he heard Armin emerge from the shower. Carrying his son out, he passed the crying Eli into Armin's arms  
"He thinks you're mad at him"  
Armin let out a gasp, before lifting Eli as high up as he could  
"I could never be mad! Not at you!"  
Eli reached for Armin, and the lowered him back to his chest. It was adorable the way the boy wrapped his arms around Armin, but Eren also didn't want Ren to feel left out   
"Ren, do you want to come get dinner with me?"  
Ren nodded quickly, as he climbed from the edge of the bed  
"What do we all feel like?"  
"Food!"  
Eren shot his friend a glare  
"Edible food?"  
"Mumma, what's ebbidle?"  
Armin snorted and Eren ignored him  
"It means uncle Armin was showing off"  
"So uncle Armin is ebbidle?"  
Oh god. His son was just too precious   
"Put your shoes and jacket on, it's cold outside, and mumma will get himself ready"  
That just involved putting his own shoes and hooded jumper on  
"Do you need money?"  
Eren frowned at Armin  
"No? Why?"  
"I didn't know if I should pay for my share?"  
"Armin, I still have money from mum..."  
"Alright..."  
"Besides, you totally helped me out by picking up panadol for Eli, which reminds me, can you give him some while we're gone. Instructions are on the box"  
Armin looked terrified at the idea, but still nodded and Eren grabbed his wallet  
"Come on Ren, let's go see what looks good"

Holding Ren on his hip, Eren held the boy close as they walked down the street. The rain had eased, but it was still dreary outside. Ren chatted on about food he liked, while Eren nodded and agreed like he was supposed to. Walking past the first cafe, he realised he still had no idea what to buy for dinner   
"Ren, what do you want to eat?"  
Ren hummed  
"I want meat"  
Well that was something, but the kid had another thing coming if he thought he was getting away without eating vegetables  
"Do you want a burger?"  
Ren shook his head  
"I don't feel like chewing"  
Oh, it was such a hard life  
"Then what about Eli, what do you think he wants to eat?"  
"He doesn't want to chew either"  
God give him strength, his son was on fire today. They continued to walk, Eren enjoying one on one time with Ren. 

Walking past various fast food shops, Ren said no to everything, even simple things that didn't need "chewing", and when his phone rang, Eren wasn't surprised to hear it was Armin wanting to know what was happening with dinner. Rounding the corner, Eren came to a stop in front of an Italian restaurant. He read the door, white letters reading "Takeaway available"  
"Armin, how about Italian? I don't think the boys have had anything but spaghetti bolognese before"  
"That works... I want garlic bread now"  
"Alright. I don't know how long it'll be, the place looks pretty busy"  
"Well Eli's asleep, so there's no rush"  
Eren frowned  
"We haven't been that long, he should be awake after that nap before"  
"Eren, it's been like an hour, hence why I called"  
"Oh, my bad. I'll catch a Taxi back, but first, what do you want with your garlic bread?"  
"Lasagne!"  
Armin's reply was instant and Eren smiled as shook his head. He should have known   
"Alright. Put an ice pack on Eli's bump for me and let me know if anything happens"  
"Yes mum! Now hurry up, I'm hungry"

 

*  
Levi frowned down at the wooden floor, thanks to the shitty weather customers has tracked mud and water all over the restaurant floor and it was making their lives a living hell. Izzy had nearly slipped twice as it was, and the mess was serving to put him in a shitty mood. Moving to the pass, he picked up the order for table 4, and carefully made his way over to them. He didn't even notice Eren enter, and would have been completely oblivious if not for Hanji. Hanji was working on the front counter today, she seemed to bounce between that and kitchen prep, and he had no idea how she put up with so many bitching customers. All he could think was at least onions didn't fight back. Returning to the pass, the girl waved him over  
"Levi! Oh my god, you have to see this!"  
Placing down his tray, he slipped through service door and made his way to meet her in the kitchen   
"What is it?"  
"There's a mini-you at the front counter"  
Levi frowned at the woman  
"What are you talking about?"  
"There's this gorgeous green eyed teen with this kid that looks just like you"

Taking his hand, Hanji lead him out and to the front counter, where he came face to face with Eren. Eren gave him an almost pained smile   
"Hey Levi, I didn't know you worked here"  
"Yeah... for like a month now... what brings you here?"  
"Dinner, Armin's staying over so we needed food..."  
Levi nodded slowly, and Hanji elbowed him  
"Levi, you're so rude! Hi, I'm Hanji, I work with Levi..."  
The girl extended her hand, and Eren shifted the child on his hip so he could shake it  
"I'm Eren, I go to school with Levi"  
"Ooooh, and who's this little one?"  
"This is Ren"  
"Hi Ren, how are you today"  
"Good... but my brother went to hospital today"  
Eren rolled his eyes, but Hanji indulged the boy  
"Oh no! What happened?"  
"Kids were picking on me... and Eli went to tell them off, but they pushed him"  
Hanji let out a small gasp  
"That's horrible! I hope he's alright?"  
"He can't play..."  
"Well I'm sure he'll be able to really soon"  
Levi's eyes stayed on the tiny boy, the kid was definitely big mouthed like Eren used to be  
"Sorry, he's been extra talkative all day"  
"No, no, it's fine. He's such a cutie, isn't he Levi?"  
Levi swallowed and nodded, the kid was kind of cute  
"So Ren, how old are you?"  
"Three"  
His son proudly exclaimed while holding up for fingers, and Eren hid his face   
"Three! But you're so tall! Are you sure you're only 3?"  
This obviously confused the boy, who looked up to Eren   
"He's just over 3 and a half"  
"It's that half! I'll go check your order. It was nice to meet you"  
Hanji gave a small wave, and disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Levi awkwardly standing at the counter  
"So Eli's alright?"  
"Yeah. He seems to be, he's at home with Armin... oh, he said you came and asked about me today"  
Shit... he hadn't even really meant to, but when he'd seen Eren's friend, he couldn't help himself  
"Well you did just take off"  
Eren nodded   
"The boys are kind of my responsibility..."  
"Oh... was your dad working?"  
"No. It's complicated, but it's just us three living here"  
Levi didn't like the sound of that. Eren was gorgeous, and being in Trost alone didn't sound safe  
"Shit. I don't know what to say... I should probably get back to work..."  
"Yeah, the place looks pretty busy"  
Scurrying to get away, Levi was just stepping into the kitchen when he heard Ren's small voice  
"Mumma, who's that?"  
His steps stalled, and his heart was racing as he resisted the urge to look back. Mumma. Eren was a mother? When did this happen and why the fuck did it make him so mad? Taking a shaky breath, he clenched his hands and plunged on through the kitchen. Maybe Eren wasn't the kids mum? Eren had said it was complicated, so maybe it was like how Izzy called him "Big Brother"? The alpha was distracted for the rest of his shift, he just couldn't get the boys voice out his head. Eren couldn't possibly be a mother of a 3 year old. He was too fucking young... the various scenarios of his imagination began to spiral out into great elaborate stories, causing him to curse himself. This was bothering him way too much, he had his own shitty life to deal with.

Eren wasn't at school the following day, but the kid he now knew as Armin was, so that had to mean that everything was alright. The teen also wasn't at school on Friday, and Levi was agitated that he was getting no where closer to an answer. He'd carefully stalked Facebook, but saw nothing other than a few comments of "your brothers are so cute", Eren hadn't corrected them, so that had to be it.


	12. Chapter 12

Eren pressed a kiss to Ren's forehead and then Eli's, he didn't want to leave them for the weekend, but there was a soccer game against Stohess in Stohess, which meant a road trip to the city. The boys would be staying with Armin, and the trio were already making plans without him  
"You two promise me you'll be good for uncle Armin and Grandpa Arlert"  
He held up his pinky and the two boys shook it  
"Mum, we'll be fine. You can go already"  
Eren sighed and rose slowly, before giving Armin a hug  
"Feel free to smack their bums if they misbehave"  
"Nooooo, we'll be fine. But will you be alright? I mean, you're all going to be on the same bus and then staying at the same hotel"  
"Armin, I'll be fine. You worry too much, besides, just what do you thinks going to happen?"  
"I don't know!"  
"Look, I'm sharing a room with Sasha, is cheerleaders are on a completely different floor to the soccer team"  
Armin hummed, clearly insinuating that shenanigans were going to happen   
"God! It'll be fine. Just look after my sons!"  
Letting go Armin, Eren readjusted his hold on his overnight bag, before taking a big step back  
"Alright, I'm off. I love you"  
He gave a small wave and forced himself to jog over to the school bus, Sasha was already waiting for him  
"Soooo, you and Armin?"  
Eren stared at her blankly, before it clicked  
"No. Ew. He's like my brother"  
"Mhmm"  
"Sasha, I'm serious"  
"But you aren't dating anyone right now, why not him?"  
"Why not who?"  
Eren jumped as Reiner's voice cut in  
"I was just telling Eren he should date Armin"  
The omega sighed as he slipped his bag off and stowed in the luggage compartment   
"And I was just telling her no"  
Stepping away from his two friends, he moved to board the bus, but Sasha trailed along behind him  
"But..."  
"Sasha, no"  
Choosing a seat half way back, his mistake was letting Sasha sit next to him and Reiner sat behind, desperate to change the topic, he turned back to look at Reiner   
"Where's Bertholdt?"  
"He rolled his ankle practicing last night"  
Eren gaped   
"Seriously?"  
"Yep. We need this win, but I don't know how we're going to go without him"  
"Damn... oh, have you two talked?"  
"Ooooh, what about? Is this about how they're all hot for each other"  
Eren looked to Sasha   
"You were such a nice sweet girl when I met you"  
The girl shrugged, and they both looked to Reiner   
"Kind of... I don't know what you'd really call it, but it's on hold until the end of season"  
"Lame!"  
Eren glared at Sasha   
"Well, if you need anyone to talk to, I'll always listen"  
"Thanks Eren"  
Sasha pouted, obviously disappointed things had turned out this way.

Trost to Stohess wasn't a long trip, but because it was a night game, the school had deemed it unsafe to drive back after it. The first stop was the hotel so everyone could freshen up. Sasha wouldn't shut up, even when Eren threatened to smother her in her sleep. It was Eren's second time to Stohess, and he was as secretly as excited as Sasha, but at the rate they were going, they'd never be ready in time. In the end, he just walked off into the bathroom while she was gushing over the room service menu. He had no idea how the girl could eat and eat, and remain stick thin. Bitch. He took his time to shower carefully, feeling nervous and excited for the coming game. 

While Sasha was in the shower, Eren took his time to do his make up. The school hadn't really wanted them sharing a room together, but thanks to numbers, it was how it all worked out. He found it kind of funny that Connie didn't give two shits, but the school did. Sasha took twice as long as he did to get ready, the girl couldn't decide on how she wanted her hair, and Eren was stuck plying stylist. He was lucky that he'd spent so much time with his mother, and did two plats into a pony, before tying it off with thick green ribbon. Eren's own hair was in two pony tails, with matching green ribbons, but he'd also looked thinner white ribbon around them which, in his opinion, went better with the knee high green and white socks of the uniform. In the end they were the last two arrive out the front of the hotel, and Eren was forced to sit next to an alternate for the soccer team. He'd never really talked to the kid, but he was creeping him out, especially the way he was staring down at Eren's thighs. Yeah. Note to self, don't be late again. He was still slightly jumpy as he climbed off the bus, Reiner immediately came over to him and took his arm, leading him slightly away  
"Are you alright?"  
"Yeah... sorry, he was just creeping me out"  
"He creeps everyone out, wait for me after the game, and I'll make sure you sit with me on the way back"  
Eren smiled at Reiner  
"Thanks. We should probably go, you have a game to win, and I have a cheer not to fuck up"  
Reiner snorted, and moved to sling his arm over Eren's shoulder as they headed towards where everyone else was congregated   
"You'll be fine, besides, you looking smoking hot like this, so even if you mess up no ones going to notice"  
"I don't know if this was a pep talk or not, but you need to up your game"  
Reiner faked mock offence, before sliding his arm off Eren's shoulder  
"Alright, I'm going this way, go have fun shaking your pom-poms"  
"You just wish you had my pom-poms"  
Reiner shook his head, and Eren jogged over to Sasha  
"What'd I miss?"  
"Nothing, but what was that?"  
"Oh, one of the soccer guys was creeping me out. We should probably head out onto the field?"  
Sasha grinned and linked her arm in his  
"Yep! Let's go show those Stohess bitches what we Trost girls have"  
Eren rolled his eyes, but jogged off with her anyway.

Stohess girls were sluts. Sure cheerleading was sexy, but fuck, they left nothing to imagination. There was no way he'd ever let his kids out in what they were wearing. Still, Trost fans screamed for them and Eren flirted back. He blew kisses to the crowd with Sasha, he'd done this so many times, he could have done it all with his eyes closed. In the end Trost won, and Eren felt good to stick it to those slutty Stohess girls, the team was in a great mood and decided they wanted to party. Eren didn't particularly want to, but was still dragged along with the group to the hotels restaurant. He stuck close to Sasha, and Reiner, the same pervy kid was staring at him and his mood fell rapidly. Knowing he was bringing his friends down, Eren excused himself and headed back up to his hotel room. The first thing he did upon arriving was facechat Armin  
"Hey Armin, where are my babies?"  
Armin laughed lightly, and Eren watched as the teen moved through the house  
"They're already in bed, but I know you'll still want to see them. How was the game?"  
"Good, we won. It was a little scary for a while, but we rallied at the end. The boys behaving?"  
"Yeah, they ate their dinner and both had baths. Oh, Eli said you looked really pretty"  
"That's my boy, the total charmer"  
The screen went dark for a moment, but it was just Armin switching camera as he turned on the light. Both boys were fast asleep, but Armin held the phone up close to their faces  
"Hey babies, mummy loves you"  
"See, all safe and sound"  
Armin retreated from the guest bedroom, and switched the call to audio   
"Soooo, anything else happen?"  
"Not really, everyone's downstairs but one of the soccer kids keep staring at me. He's totally creeping me out"  
"Eren..."  
"I know, I'm being careful and Reiner knows to"  
"Alright. Oh, how are thinking with him and Bertholdt?"  
"Bertholdt rolled his ankle, so he's not here"  
"You're not going to hook up with Reiner right?"  
"No. He and Bertholdt are together... or on hold until the end of the season. I'm happy for them"  
"That's good, have you talked to Levi?"  
"No, why would I?"  
"Um... 'cause you love him"  
"That means nothing. I can't just drop a bombshell on him like this"  
"The longer you wait"  
"I know. Alright, I'm going to take a shower before going to bed. Thanks Armin and say hi to grandpa for me"  
Hanging up with Armin, Eren looked around his room. He was actually kind of thirsty, but he wanted to sleep. Opting to hit the vending machine up, he left his room and headed down the hall. It only took a couple of minutes to make the trip, but the door was open and he frowned. He hadn't left it open, but maybe Sasha had. He pushed it wide open, but found the room empty. Slightly creeped out, he pulled his phone out and called Reiner   
"Reiner, where are you at the moment?"  
"We're still down in the restaurant"  
"And Sasha's there?"  
"Yep. Why?"  
"Someone's been in our room... can you stay on the phone with me until I get down to the lobby"  
"Hold up, I'll come and meet you there"  
By the time he made it into the elevator and down to the lobby, he'd worked himself up. Reiner took one look at him and pulled him into a hug  
"Sorry..."  
"It's fine. Do you want to come and join everyone?"  
Thinking of that creepy teen, Eren shook his head  
"I know it's really stupid, but could you check my room with me?"  
"It's not stupid. Look, if you're that freaked out, why don't you sleep in my room?"  
"Nah, I don't want to leave Sasha alone and I don't want Bertholdt to get the wrong idea"  
Reiner nodded, letting Eren step out of his hold, the pair headed back into the elevator Eren had just got out of, and headed up to the room he shared with Sasha.

Reiner had him stand in the hallway, while the alpha checked the room and ensuite, before checking under the beds and in the cupboards  
"I can't see anyone, are you sure someone's been in here?"  
"Maybe I didn't close the door properly..."  
"Maybe. Why didn't you stay down with the rest of us?"  
"I wanted to call the kids"  
Reiner nodded  
"How are they?"  
"Asleep, fuck. I just want to go home now"  
Hearing the elevator ping, Eren jumped, but soon Sasha appeared  
"Oooh, what's this?"  
"I thought someone had been in our room, so Reiner checked it out"  
Sasha frowned  
"That's creepy"  
"I know right"  
The girl leant around and peaked into the room   
"Hey Reiner, is it safe?"  
"I can't see anyone. But Eren's pretty freaked"  
Eren sighed, pushing himself off the hallway wall and slipping into the room. He made a show of pulling back the blankets, only to wrinkle his nose   
"What's wrong?"  
"We are both totally sleeping in Reiner's room"  
"Why?"  
"Because there's now a pair of dirty underwear in my bed and that's revolting"  
Sasha rushed over, before letting out a long "ew", to which Eren just nodded  
"Alright, grab your stuff, I'll wait in the hall"

Given their were two beds, Eren opted to sleep in the chair. He didn't really want to sleep, he just couldn't calm down. Reiner insisted he was fine to sit up with him, but Eren told him to get some sleep and curled up to check his Facebook. It didn't take long before his two friends were snoring, and Eren had to admit, he kind of wished they weren't. Or that he could crawl into bed with Reiner and have the alpha wrap his arms around him. But he couldn't do that Bertholdt. Opening messenger, he scrolled to Levi's name. His thumb hovered for a minute  
Eren: Hi  
Given the late hour, Eren had no idea if Levi would even be awake. Half an hour passed before the alpha replied  
Levi: What are you doing awake?  
Eren: Can't sleep  
Levi: And you messaged me?  
Eren: Well, we haven't talked in a bit...  
Levi: Ok. So why?  
Eren bit his lip. He couldn't reply that it was because he was lonely and scared? Maybe he'd annoyed Levi. The alpha hadn't really talked to him since the incident at the restaurant the previous month  
Eren: Sorry for annoying you. I'll let you go back to sleep   
He didn't know why tears were rushing to form. What the fuck was wrong with him? It was just a Percy creepy teen, he'd dealt with plenty of them before... he sniffled quietly and wiped at his eyes. Fuck. He wanted to be home with his boys. His phone dinged and he flicked it to silent, before opening the message   
Levi: It's fine. So how was the game?  
Tears dropped into Eren's phone screen  
Eren: Fine. We won  
Levi: So I guess you're all partying  
Eren: No. Everyone else might be, but I'm not  
Levi: How come? I thought that it was the done thing  
Eren didn't know what to put. He couldn't put that he was in Reiner's room. He should have said something else before  
Eren: Doesn't matter. What are you doing?  
Levi: Just out with some friends   
God. He an idiot. He really was annoying the alpha  
Eren: Oh. Ok. Sorry. I'll just go  
Holding the power button down, Eren shut his phone off before Levi's reply came through. He dropped the device to the ground and buried his face against his knees as he cried softly.

"Eren"  
Eren held his breath as Reiner's sleepy voice reached his ears   
"What's wrong?"  
"It's nothing. Sorry. Go back to sleep"  
Reiner let out a sigh, and Eren heard the sheets rustle, before the alpha padded over  
"Come on, come lay down"  
Eren shook his head  
"No. I'm fine"  
"You're not fine, you wouldn't be crying in the middle of the night if you were"  
Reiner lifted him from the chair and moved to sit him down on the bed  
"Hurry up and lay down  
"I shouldn't. I don't want Bertholdt getting the wrong idea"  
"He's not going to"  
"But if Sasha tells him..."  
"If Sasha tells him what?"  
Sasha's voice joined the conversation   
"Eren's upset, so he'd going to sleep next to me, but he's worried what Bertholdt will think"  
"Eren, just sleep next to Reiner, I want to go back to sleep"  
It was literally seconds later that Sasha let out a snore  
"Well, you heard her"  
"I'm sorry"  
"Come on, let's just lay down and you can tell me all about it"

It was nice being in Reiner's arms again, the bear of an alpha was spooned up behind him and the teens warm breath gently tickled his ear  
"So, why were you crying in the middle of the night?"  
Eren sniffled and let out a long breath  
"It's really stupid. I was still freaking out over what happened earlier"  
Reiner let out a groan  
"I knew you weren't as alright as you were trying to act"  
"I don't know why I got so freaked"  
"Well it was pretty disgusting"  
"Yeah... and I just want to go home, and I want my kids"  
"You'll see them tomorrow right?"  
"No, not until Monday morning. They're out in Shinganshima with Armin"  
"I can give you a lift out there if you want"  
"No... its alright. Thanks though"  
"If it's the Bertholdt thing again, he can come with us"  
Eren shook his head   
"No. I think I just want to turn my phone off and lock myself in my unit"  
"Eren?"  
"I fucked up...I started messaging Levi..."  
"Does he know yet?"  
"No. I'm too scared to tell him"  
"He has a right to know"  
"I know. But we were both kids... we still are kids. I don't want to ruin his life"  
Eren let out another sniffle and Reiner's hold tightened  
"Thanks Reiner, you're always there for me, even when I don't deserve it"  
"It's fine. Now, we should get some sleep. Coach has the stupid idea we're leaving at 8"  
It didn't take him long to fall asleep in the alpha's safe hold. Though he did wonder what it would be like to be in Levi's hold instead.

 

*  
Levi stared down at his phone in annoyance. Eren had stopped replying and the alpha was worried  
"Big brother, you're frowning"  
Looking up to see Izzy staring at him, Levi made a show of downing his drink  
"It's nothing Iz. Where's Farlan?"  
"He's in the bathroom, you should come and dance with me"  
"Izzy, I don't dance"  
"Please! We haven't been clubbing in ages, and I don't wanna dance alone"  
Fuck. He really couldn't say no. He let the girl pulled him from the barstool, and drag him over to the dance floor, where he awkwardly hovered while Izzy danced. He was more than a little relieved when Farlan reappeared, the teen patted his pocket and Levi nodded, it was time to get out of here.

Izzy was a giggling mess as they laid on the grass of the nearest park. Levi couldn't even remember what had set her off, and also had no idea what they'd taken, but the stars were so pretty. Rolling over, he pulled his phone out. His drugged state telling him it was a great idea to message Eren  
Levi: Stars are really pretty. But so are you. Like seriously hot. We should have sex  
Proud of himself, he dropped the device to the ground as Izzy moved to pull him up  
"Push me on the swings!"  
Jogging across the park, Levi flopped down into the swing next to Izzy  
"You were supposed to push me"  
"That's Farlan's job"  
"Boooo!"  
He couldn't help but smile at the girl. Her and Farlan were all the family he needed... but then there was Eren...   
"Izzy... serious question"  
Isabel snorted, before giggling at her own snort  
"Yes?"  
"Do you think I'd make a good dad"  
"Noooo! Wait! I can picture it! Little babies with your glare!"  
The girl laughed so hard that she fell off the swing, and Farlan finally came to join them  
"You left your phone behind"  
Levi swung forward and snatched the device from his friends hold  
"Thanks"  
"And why is Isabel laying in the sand?"  
"Levi wanted to know if he'd be a good dad. Can you imagine?!"  
"I don't know, he wouldn't be that bad"  
"Really! Mr freaky clean?"  
"Alright, lets get you up"  
Farlan pulled Izzy up, before sitting her on his lap, on the swing she'd fallen from  
"I think Eren has kids"  
"No way!"  
Levi nodded, he could hear himself talking, but couldn't shut up   
"He came into work with a kid that called him mum"  
"When was this? Where was I?"  
"This was like last month. Hanji served him... but his kid looked like me"  
"Ooooh... maybe it's your secret child!"  
"Izzy, don't be stupid and Levi, you're over thinking this"  
"Am I?"  
"You are. You're just so hung up on him you're imagining shit"  
The alpha let out a growl of frustration   
"What do I do?"  
"Fuck him... and make babies with him"  
"Alright Isabel, time to go home. You've got to stop picking on Levi"  
"No! I'm giving him helpful advice"  
The three of them slowly staggered home, Levi forgetting almost everything that happened the moment his head hit the pillow.

 

*  
Waking up in Reiner's arms, Eren sighed  
"You could have woken me"  
"Noooo, you looked so cute"  
Sasha was hovering centimetres from his face, and Eren groaned  
"Reiner. Protect me"  
Reiner let out a growl, but Sasha just laughed  
"Sorry, I tried"  
"I give up. Let me go, I want to get dressed and get away from you two"  
"Hear how he talks about us!"  
"I know right, by the way what times breakfast?"  
"7... I think"  
"Reiner we're going to miss the food!"  
"We can't have that. Eren, hurry up, we've got to go"  
"God, you're as bad as the twins! Sasha, get your clothes ready, you're in the bathroom next. Reiner get your stuff ready too, we can change out there while Sasha's in here"  
Finishing in the bathroom, Eren walked out to find neither teen had moved  
"Sasha, you're going to miss out on food. Move it!"  
Sasha stumbled to get her things and disappeared into the bathroom, so Eren turned his attention to Reiner  
"Come on, time to get up"  
Reiner rolled his eyes  
"Can't half tell you're a parent. You have this down pact"  
"It took me 2 years to perfect it. Now up and dressed. Then go pee, brush your teeth and wash your face"  
Reiner gave him a look and Eren ignored it. He retrieved his phone from the floor and then grabbed his bag. He grabbed his clothes out and stripped down, it wasn't like Reiner hadn't seen it all before. It took him another half an hour to get both his friends out the bedroom and down to the hotel restaurant. Eren felt the creepy kid's eyes land on him immediately and he shied back behind Reiner  
"What?"  
"That kid's staring again"  
"Ignore him. He's just jealous"  
"Well it's creepy"  
Eren grabbed a plate, before beginning to compile his breakfast. He wasn't that hungry, but still placed two poached eggs, bacon and a couple of pieces of watermelon on his plate. He grabbed a knife and fork, then finally a juice and followed Reiner over to the table where a few of the soccer kids were already seated  
"Sooooo, we heard you slept in Reiner's room last night"  
The rumour mill was alive and well  
"Maybe. What's it to you?"  
"Oooh snap! Nah, we're just messing with you"  
He wasn't exactly sure what to make of that, but Sasha came and took the last seat at the table. Her plate piled high, and boys seemed in awe as she started to eat   
"Damn girl! Look at you go"  
Eren rolled his eyes  
"This is nothing for her"  
One of the boys let out a long whistle, and they fell into discussing the previous nights game. After breakfast, the all checked in with the coach and slowly lined up to board the bus. Eren snagged a window seat and Reiner sat next to him. Sasha sat behind him and one of the cheer girls joined her. With nothing left to do but wait, he slid his phone out and turned it on. He glared at the screen as it came up with a new notification from Levi. Opening his messages, he noted he had one from Armin too. Ignoring Levi, he opened Armin's message to find a photo of his kids covered in maple syrup. His heart ached to see them, and he let out a small sigh. He didn't want to be alone for the weekend   
"What's up?"  
Reiner leant over as Eren clicked the picture, the alpha snorted   
"Bet you're glad you're not cleaning that up"  
"I don't know, I'd take cleaning them up if I could see them"  
"Eren, that offer still stands"  
It was really, really tempting. But he forced himself to shake his head  
"No... it'll be alright"  
Saving a copy of the photo, he opened Levi's and his eyes narrowed...   
Levi: Stars are really pretty. But so are you. Like seriously hot. We should have sex  
Um... what the fuck. He was out with his mates, and one of them could have sent it, but what was he supposed to say, or do? Sure he'd love to have the alpha between his legs, but not when things between them were all up in the air. He wanted a proper relationship... or something with the alpha. He locked his phone and closed his eyes, letting himself fall asleep. Reiner would keep him safe.

Given his short nap, his eyes hurt when Reiner woke him  
"Time to be upright and mobile"  
Eren groaned, and waited until Reiner finally stood, and joined the line of teens. Feeling a hand on his arse, he ignored the revolt. Telling himself it was just a few more moments until he was free. When that hand began to massage, he spun around and slapped the person as hard as he fucking could. The creepy teen eyed him in shock  
"Stay the fuck away from me"  
Reiner let out a snarl that made even Eren shiver  
"What'd he do?"  
"He thought it was fine to grab and play with my arse"  
Reiner snarled again, pulling Eren into his hold  
"Touch him again, and you'll have to deal with all of us"  
The kid was ghostly pale, and Eren began to move away from him. He held his breath until he was finally outside  
"Thanks Reiner"  
"It's fine. Are you ok?"  
"Yeah. I might have slapped him a bit hard"  
"Nah, it's fine. Grab your bag, Bertholdt's picking me up, I'll have him drop you off"  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yeah. Better than you walking home alone"  
Eren grabbed his bag and said his goodbyes before jogging over to Reiner, the alpha had grabbed his own things in his absence. 

Bertholdt smiled as Eren climbed into the back of the teens car  
"Hey Eren, how was the game?"  
"Would have been better if you'd been there"  
"Yeah. Can't believe I messed up so badly. So where am I dropping you?"  
"I'll give you directions, I'm sorry you have to give me a lift. Reiner had to save me twice while we were away"  
"Really? What happened?"  
"One of the alternates practically stalked him the whole time we were away, and someone left jizzed in underwear in his bed"  
"That's fucking gross"  
"I know. So Sasha and I ended up crashing in Reiner's room. I hope you don't mind"  
"Why would I?"  
"I don't know. I just didn't want you to think something happened"  
"Eren, it's fine. I probably would have said the same thing. When was the second time?"  
"On the bus just now. He was trying to play with my arse, so I slapped him and Reiner pulled me out the way"  
"Reiner, we need to drop him from the team. This shit isn't alright"  
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking"  
"I'm really sorry"  
"It's fine, but do I keep driving straight?"  
"Yeah, and then a right at the lights"  
Having made sure that Bertholdt understood nothing had happened, Eren relaxed on the drive. Directing Bertholdt to his building, before climbing out carefully   
"Thank you, I'll see you both Monday!"  
"Bye Eren!"  
He waved as Bertholdt pulled away, and then headed inside and up to his unit. Thoroughly exhausted, he stripped and headed straight to the bathroom, before placing the plug on the bath and turning the taps on. He then carefully piled his hair up, and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked like the walking dead. A bath, a quick call to the boys, and then sleep... or maybe a sleep and then a call to the boys. His battery was pretty dead.


	13. Chapter 13

Levi groaned as pushed himself out of bed. Whatever they'd taken had been great at the time, but now he just felt shit. The teen fumbled his was through to the bathroom, emerging half an hour later, feeling like he was forgetting something important. Given the silence of the apartment, Farlan and Izzy must have still been asleep, which meant he should probably check the time and make sure he wasn't going to be late for work. His phone was only 4%, and there was a new crack in the device. He groaned as he opened messenger, and eyed Eren's name at the top of the list. This couldn't possibly be good. Scrolling up, he frowned at Eren's messages, the omega seemed upset, but he'd been oblivious. But his last message. He was a fucking idiot. How was he supposed to recover from that? He might as well kiss any chance, with the green eyed beauty, goodbye. Opening his alarms, he set the one for work and plugged his phone in to charge, before climbing under his blankets and cursing himself.

When his alarm blared for work, he dragged himself out. He hadn't even fallen back to sleep, instead laying in a ball of seething anger. He needed to message Eren. Snatching up his phone, he opened messenger   
Levi: Sorry. That was... I mean, you're beautiful. But it wasn't thinking straight. I'm a fucking moron  
Yep. That would do. He'd apologised, he'd admitted he meant it but shouldn't have said it, and that he was a moron. He hastened to delete the evidence, no one needed to know what he'd said.

Eren hadn't replied by the end of work, and Levi was a little concerned. His message hadn't been read, but Eren should be back in town... and the teen was definitely upset last night... fuck. The thoughts played on repeat all the way home, hell, he would have walked past the apartment building if Izzy hadn't been with him. Locking himself away in his room, he opened his new pack of smokes and slid the first one out. He hastened to light it, before taking a deep draw and opening messenger. He opened his conversation with Eren, and hit the phone before he could chicken out.

The sound of the phone ringing bugged him, and when Eren answered Levi forget the English language. Soft sniffles came through the line  
"'lo?"  
Fuck. He sounded miserable, Levi cleared his throat   
"Eren?"  
The omega went silent, before sounding much steadier  
"Levi?"  
"Yep, what's up?"  
"Levi, why are you calling?"  
"Because you seemed sad and I was an arse last night"  
"It's fine. It doesn't matter"  
"It matters to me"  
"Well it shouldn't"  
"Eren..."  
"It doesn't matter Levi. Why should it?"  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"You show up in my life after disappearing and not saying goodbye, like it's nothing! And then you don't even remember me! I'm sorry, but I never forgot you! Leave me alone! Stop confusing me more than you already have"  
Eren was sobbing, and Levi fucking hated it. It felt like someone had crushed his heart and he struggled to get the words out  
"I'm sorry. I didn't remember cause things went to shit. But I've been kicking myself over forgetting you. I know it was a short time, but it really meant a lot to me. You meant a lot to me"  
"Bullshit"  
"It's true..."  
"Levi. Please, don't lie to me. You don't need to pretend to care. You don't have to try so hard. I'm not worth it"

Levi let out a frustrated snarl, but Eren had already hung up. What the fuck was that? He tried to call the teen back, but soon found Eren had blocked him. He was so fucking livid. How dare he do that? Sure they'd been doing this awkward one step forward, two steps back dance, but they'd talked and Eren had even sought him out... letting out another snarl, he hurled his phone across the room. Fuck this. Stubbing his cigarette out, Levi rose and grabbed his shit up. His intent was clear as he strode from the apartment. Find some bitch and lose in her wet heat.

By the time he actually made it into the nightclub, his lust had faded to confusion. He didn't want Eren to be sad. He loved the green eyed brats bright smile... sliding his phone out, he searched up Armin's profile. He had no idea if the kid was wake  
Levi: Look. I don't know what the fuck I've done, but Eren's having some kind of breakdown. I don't know else to message.

He slid his phone back into his pocket just as a tall brunette came his way, the woman sat down next to him and immediately tried to spark to a conversation. She was smart, and pretty, everything he'd usually dive dick deep into. But she wasn't Eren... but then again, Eren seemed to hate him and ultimately he let her lead him out to the alley and into the back seat of her car. Given it'd been a while since he'd done it, he came despite not really being that into it. Once done, he ignored the woman, practically fleeing and taking the condom with him. He didn't need some shitty bitch claiming he'd knocked her up. Thoroughly disgusted at himself and with his thoughts back on Eren, Levi started towards home, dragging his feet as he went.

 

*  
There was a knocking on the unit door that just wouldn't go away, no matter how much Eren tried to ignore it. He felt like shit. He was missing the twins so badly he'd actually thrown up, and then when he had fallen asleep, he had the first nightmare he'd had in years. The final straw was receiving Levi's call. He hadn't even looked before answering and immediately regretted his fuck up. The alpha sounded worried, and Eren didn't want him to. Before he could stop himself, he totally lost his shit at the teen. The words poured out like vomit and he was so ashamed. Feeling like he'd never be able to face the alpha again, he blocked Levi, before throwing his phone across the room and curling up in the middle of his bed.

"Eren! Open the door!"  
Eren sniffled pathetically, the mystery knocker now revealed. He had no idea why Bertholdt was outside his door, but in the few steps across the room he convinced himself Bertholdt must be mad at him. Answering the door timidly, he immediately shrank back as both Bertholdt and Reiner slipped into his room  
"Shit Eren. You could have called"  
Reiner's voice was stern, and he just couldn't take it. Sinking to the floor, he covered his head with his arms and let out a long whine  
"Reiner, you're scaring him"  
"What the fuck... I'm not going to hurt you"  
"I think he's to upset to think straight"  
Strong arms wrapped around him and Eren flinched. He didn't want to be touched, especially after the nightmare he'd had of the night he left home. He whined as he was lifted and carried back over to his bed, his face was buried against Bertholdt's neck  
"I'm sorry"  
"It's alright. Armin called Reiner, and given we were together I drove him over"  
"Armin called?"  
"Yep. He asked if we could stop in and check on you"  
"But its the middle of the night"  
"Apparently Levi messaged him"  
Eren let out a groan at Levi's name. The stupid alpha has gone and inconvenienced so many people  
"So, here we are. He said that he tried to call you first, but got worried when you wouldn't answer"  
"I turned my phone off... or maybe it turned itself off. I don't know, I don't know where it even went"  
"Well, now that your safely stuck with us, we kind of have a plan"  
Eren sniffled and wiped at his face   
"What plan"  
"We're going to drive you down to Shinganshima"  
"But it's the middle of the night"  
"Yep! We'll crash at Armin's for a bit, then drive back tomorrow afternoon"  
Eren shook his head  
"I can't ask you to do that. I've already caused you so much trouble"  
"You aren't asking. We're telling. Now, is there anything you need before we go?"  
Eren shook his head while letting out a shaky sigh   
"I'm sorry... I don't know why I'm so messed up..."  
"Well you did get a bit of a scare, then coming home to an empty unit... you probably really miss the boys"  
Thinking of the twins had him tearing up again, he nodded sadly and Reiner placed his hand on Eren's shoulder  
"Alright, let's get you off my boyfriend and back to your kid's"  
His mood perked up at Reiner's confession  
"You finally asked him out properly?"  
"Yeah, Reiner wanted to keeping waiting until the end of season, but it took us long enough to get our act together"  
Eren detached from Bertholdt and wiped his face  
"I'm really happy to hear that. Congratulations"  
"Thanks Eren"  
"So Reiner told you about my kids too? How the twins are mine?"  
"On the drive over. I hope you don't mind"  
"No... it's fine... but please don't tell the others. I mean, Mikasa and Armin know, but Sasha, Jean and Connie don't..."  
"It's fine, I'm not going to tell anyone. I was just wondering why you'd be so upset about being away from your brothers. That's when Reiner clued me in"  
Eren nodded and sniffled again  
"I must look totally stupid"  
"Nah, it's fine. Can you stand?"  
Rising shakily from the bed, Bertholdt scrambled up behind him and wrapped an arm around his waist  
"Where are your keys?"  
"Beside table near the bathroom"  
Given there were only two doors leading off the room, it was easy enough for Reiner to find them  
"And the lamp? On or off?"  
"It can stay on... you guys really don't need to drive me... I'll be fine..."  
"Nope. It's decided. Though you're going to need to give us directions when we hit Shinganshima"

Climbing into the back of Reiner's SUV, Eren curled up in the seat behind Bertholdt. The city was kind of pretty at night, with its empty streets and bright lights. His phone was still up in his unit, but he really didn't care  
"Are you hungry? We're going to grab McDonald's on the way"  
"Did we grab my wallet?"  
"I've got it, it was with your keys"  
"Then use my card..."  
"Eren"  
"It's fine..."  
"Eren, can I ask how you support yourself? I thought your dad must be paying for you to live in town because of the boys but..."  
"When my mum died, she left me everything. Armin's grandfather helped me move out here so I could keep going to school"  
"And your dad?"  
"I don't know. I haven't talked to him since I moved here"  
"So you've be alone with the boys since you got here?"  
"I'm not really alone... I've got you guys and school... Mikasa and Armin come and stay, and sometimes I stay at Armin's"  
Filling his friends in helped relieve the tension and loneliness he'd been feeling, Bertholdt and Reiner didn't judge him, and didn't make him feel useless or stupid for his life choices. Before he'd realised they'd pulled into the nearest McDonald's and Reiner was ordering. The alpha didn't ask him what he wanted, which was alright given he wasn't hungry, but he still ended up with a burger and fries... which he devoured. The drive to Shinganshima wasn't too bad. They got there just one sunset and Eren guided Reiner to Armin's house. The front light was on and his friend was out the front door before Reiner had even parked. Heading inside, Eren thanked Reiner and Bertholdt as Armin showed them to his room, and he headed down the hall to the guest room where both boys were playing quietly, that was until he walked into the room  
"Mumma!"  
Their two voices sounded like music to his ears and his sons rushed to hug him  
"What are you doing here?"  
"Well, I might have missed you. So my friends brought me out to see you"  
"But you're staying right?"  
"Yeah. Come on, you two should be sleeping. I'm going to have to tell your uncle Armin off"  
"No! Uncle Armin's cool! He let us have ice cream while we watched TV"  
Eren laughed lightly, and forced himself to let go of his boys. Stripping off his shirt and jeans, he climbed into the bed and the twins both curled up with him. It took Armin a few more minutes to finally appear and slide in on the other side  
"Everything alright?"  
"Yeah. Just giving Reiner and Bertholdt the tour. What about you?"  
"Better... we'll talk about it when the twins aren't around... Armin, thanks for this"  
"It's fine. But Reiner said you looked a wreck, you should probably get some sleep"  
Eren nodded, the comforting feel of having his sons close and the warmth of their two small bodies already had his eyes sliding closed. It didn't take long before he was snoring softly.

Everyone slept late that morning, and Armin's grandfather was surprised to find a the three extra teens for lunch. Eren introduced Ren and Eli to Reiner and Bertholdt properly, though the boys had met them before, but this time was as his sons. Both boys immediately asking the pair a million questions, and Eren left them to it while he helped make lunch with Armin, taking the time to fill his friend in on everything that happened. He ended up feeling like a moron as he explained about his disastrous conversation with Levi, but Armin pulled his phone out and showed him the message he'd received  
Levi: Look. I don't know what the fuck I've done, but Eren's having some kind of breakdown. I don't know else to message.  
Eren sighed as he passed Armin's phone back  
"Mumma?"  
Looking towards the table, he saw everyone was looking at him, but Ren was the only one who looked worried  
"I'm fine baby. Mumma's just got a lot on his mind"  
Ren looked up at Reiner and Reiner shrugged. Bertholdt and Eli were whispering about something and Eren watched the pair until Bertholdt finally shared their conversation   
"Hey Armin, how much space have got in the backyard?"  
"A bit, why?"  
"Because Eli here reckons he's going to take us on"  
Eren snorted as he shook his head and looked back down to the bacon he was trying not burn  
"Of course he does. He takes after Eren more than Eren would like to admit"  
"You guys do realise I can easily burn the bacon"  
"You wouldn't dare"  
"I might if you all don't start being nice to me"  
Eli seemed to take the threat of burnt bacon seriously. The small boy managed to slip from Bertholdt's hold and come to tug on his pants. Squatting down, Eren looked his son in the eyes, trying not to laugh at the tears forming   
"Mum... I don't like burnt bacon..."  
The small boy clearly didn't understand why they laughed at his words  
"Alright. I won't burn the bacon, but go back to the table. It's dangerous in here"  
Eli went back to Bertholdt, who lifted him back up   
"Does your mum burn things often?"  
"Sometimes... one time he set the oven on fire"  
Eren let out a groan, raising his hands as the group stared at him  
"Before you get the wrong idea, it wasn't my fault. The twins had stuffed their washing in the back of the oven so I wouldn't see"  
"Yeah, yeah, blame the children"  
Eli whispered really loudly to Bertholdt   
"Ren wet the bed, and he didn't want mum to know"  
"Eliiiiiiii!"  
Ren sounded mortified that his secret had been spilt  
"What? I only told Ber... what's your name again"  
"Ber is fine..."  
Reiner's voice held a hint of gentle teasing and Eren was really happy both teens were finally dating   
"If I'm Ber, then your Ner"  
"That's fine"  
Bertholdt groaned, obviously not expecting Reiner to roll over so easily.

After lunch, Reiner and Bertholdt were spectacularly beaten by Ren and Eli... even with Eren and Armin interfering. Bertholdt hadn't been too sure about it all, but followed Reiner's lead, even falling to the grass when Ren pushed his leg. The two alpha's headed back to Trost after dinner, and Eren was sad to see them go, but not as sad as the twins. Both boys threw themselves on the floor and began to cry until they realised that they were getting no attention. After that they settled for sighing until it was bath and bed time. Given they had school tomorrow, both Eren and Armin headed to bed early. Ren had decided he was a mean mum for sending "Ner" and "Ber" away, and that he was sleeping next to uncle Armin. Eli on the other hand decided that Eren could only sleep if he was in his wolf form and the omega laughingly obliged.

Arriving in Trost the following morning, Eren said goodbye to his friends, and began walking the twins to daycare. His teachers were used to him being late on Mondays, so he enjoyed the walk, listening to his boys continue to brag over beating "Ner" and "Ber". They both seemed to want to take up soccer, and Eren wondered if his friends knew how to go about it all. Approaching the daycare gate, Eli's hold tightened and Eren stopped to look down at the boy  
"What is it baby?"  
"That's the boy who's been picking on Ren"  
Eren didn't know it was a continuing issue and pulled his sons closer, before looking up and groaning. That seem shitty creepy teen from the weekend was holding the hand of some snot nosed little shit. Locking eyes with the teen, Eren let out a growl, baring his teeth as he did  
"Mumma?"  
"Come on"  
Pulling his kids forward, Eren marched over to the fellow teen, causing the small boy to dart behind the creepy one   
"What's your kids problem?"  
The creepy teens look soured  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"It means your kid has been picking on my boys, Eli even ended up in hospital and I want to know why"  
"Look, I don't know what you're talking about, but if your kids have got issues, maybe it's because you're such a slut"  
Letting out another growl, Eren stood straighter   
"Stay away from me and keep your kid away from mine, or you'll get your arse handed to you"  
Pulling his kids back, Eren moved to let them through the front gate and into the building. Great parenting right there... he wondered if the creepy kid had known who he was all along and that's why he'd paid him so much attention  
"Mum... what's a slut?"  
Squatting down in the set down area, Eren wrapped his arms around his boys  
"It's just a mean word. But don't you let me hear you saying that, or I smack your butts until you can't sit. Now give me a kiss and a hug"  
"But mum... people are looking"  
"I don't care"  
Eren pulled them close and pressed kisses to their temples   
"If he keeps picking on you, tell one of the adults"  
"Mum you're being embarrassing"  
"Yeah, we're big boys. You don't need to worry"  
Rolling his eyes, Eren forced himself away  
"Alright. Have fun"

His boys ran away, and Eren rushed to leave before the creepy teen. He shot the boy a dirty look before heading out and beginning to jog to school. Yesterday has been so good, and now he was back to being just as agitated and on edge as he was Friday.


	14. Chapter 14

Levi stared up at the school building, and let out a long sigh. He didn't want to head inside. Eren would he inside and the omega still hadn't unblocked him. He also hadn't heard from Armin since the kid thanked him. Fishing out his packet of cigarettes he looked to Izzy and Farlan  
"I'll finish this and be right in"  
Izzy nodded, ignoring Farlan's skeptical look, his friends leaving him standing out the front like an idiot. Crossing the road, he sank down on the bus stop bench and lit his smoke. He so totally couldn't be fucked with today.

Watching people pass by, his eyes landed on Eren and he could immediately tell the teen wasn't happy. Pushing himself up, he jogged across the road and over to the teen  
"Eren!"  
Eren seemed less than pleased to see him, but the teen came to a stop, and Levi scratched the back of his head  
"I'm sorry about the other night..."  
"No, it's fine. I shouldn't have lost it at you, it'd just been a shit day"  
"So everything's alright now?"  
"I wouldn't go that far. So what are you doing out here?"  
Levi decided to take the chance, it couldn't make things worse  
"Honestly. I was kind of scared of running into you"  
He didn't expect the small laugh that Eren gave, but fuck. His heart melted at that smile   
"I suppose I deserve that. I've been known to be pretty scary"  
"I know you've scared the hell out of me more than once, but I didn't think you'd be going 'round scaring others"  
"What can I say? Looks can be deceiving"  
And before he could stop himself his thoughts made themselves heard  
"Well you look great"  
Eren blinked at him, and Levi pinched the bridge of his nose in embarrassment   
"Sorry. I don't know what it is, but I always get reduced to mess when I'm talking with you. I'll just go and find a bus to throw myself under"  
Turning away from Eren, he didn't expect the teen to grab his arm   
"That... don't joke about that. None of us know when we're going to die..."  
Levi swallowed and turned back to Eren. The kids smile was gone, and he was staring down at his feet  
"You're right. I'm sorry. Look. We should probably get to class. I just wanted to make sure you're alright"  
Eren looked back behind him, and nodded   
"Yeah. Thanks"  
Levi walked beside the omega and up into school.

Eren seemed in a better mood on Wednesday, the teen had even unblocked him. Levi had promptly stalked Eren's profile, hoping for a hint over why the omega was so upset, but only found him tagged cheer photos from Friday and then tagged in photos from Sunday. It seemed like Eren had spent the weekend with Armin. The teen seemed so happy playing soccer with the kids and his friends, and Levi couldn't help but feel a little jealous. He wanted Eren to smile like that for him. Paired with the teen, both had seemed to have found a sport they were terrible at. Badminton. Levi had no idea why it was so much harder than tennis, but it wasn't appreciated. Eren seemed to be just as frustrated and when the omega finally dropped down to the gymnasium floor, Levi jogged over and joined him  
"Badminton is fucking shit"  
"Yep. Never again"  
Levi snorted and shifted a fraction closer to Eren   
"We should get up"  
"You can, I'm just going to stay here"  
"I'm pretty sure the teachers going to say something about that"  
No sooner had the words come out of his mouthed did he hear a sharp  
"Yeager! Ackerman!"  
Eren shook his head as he pushed himself up, but Levi rose first and pulled Eren the rest of the way up  
"You jinxed it"  
"You started it"  
The teacher ambled over to them and Eren smiled like nothing was wrong  
"Is there a reason you were laying on the floor?"  
"Sorry sir, I wasn't feeling well and Levi was just making sure I was alright"  
Levi looked to the floor to keep from laughing, he didn't think Eren had it in him  
"In that case, you're excused from class. Levi, make sure he gets to his next class alright"  
Both teens hasten to leave the court, Levi's laughter bubbled out the moment they were in the clear  
"What the hell was that?!"  
"That was me saving us from badminton. I'm going for a shower, you can do what you want"  
Eren moved past him, and Levi got a great view of the omegas arse as he followed him into the locker room and then an even better view as he chose the shower next to Eren. He didn't know what to say, but wanted to say something. He wanted to keep Eren shower so he could spend more time with the gorgeous omega  
"So... um... I saw you were in Shinganshima on the weekend. Has it changed much?"  
Eren hummed lightly  
"No. Not really. But then again, I don't really go into town. I usually just stay in when I'm there"  
"I thought you'd be all over the woods"  
"It depends, sometimes... but I'd rather not run into too many people"  
"Oh yeah... I get that. But still, there's not many places around here you can run free"  
"That's pretty much the only bad thing about living in Trost. I'd love to take the twins camping one weekend, but it's still too cold for that, and knowing them, they'd probably find some way to get into trouble"  
"Well, let me know if you do. I wouldn't mind checking out your old spot"  
Eren snorted, and Levi didn't know whether or not that was a good sign  
"What? You don't believe me?"  
"No... maybe. I went looking there for you when you didn't come back... it's just funny to think you remember it"  
"Well it was a nice spot... I thought you might be snorting because... no... never mind"  
"What, you thought it was because I can't picture you hanging around with kids. If it helps, I can't"  
"Well the boys don't seem that bad"  
"Probably because they're not..."  
"Hey Eren, what exactly is your relationship to them? I heard the one you brought to the restaurant call you "mumma""  
He'd obviously pushed Eren too far, the teen turned his shower off and Levi kicked himself  
"Sorry. I didn't mean to make things awkward... it's just you have a bonding mark too"  
Eren's hand flew to the back of his neck, and the omega had paled alarmingly. Rushing to turn his own shower off, Levi wrapped his towel around his waist before moving to the door of Eren's stall. With the water off, he could now smell the omegas distress and his alpha instincts demanded he comfort the boy  
"Eren?"  
Eren swayed slightly, causing Levi to step closer  
"Just... I'm sorry Levi... I don't know what you want from me... but I can't..."  
"Ok... ok. I'm sorry. You obviously don't want to think about it. But if you need to talk, you can talk to me"  
Eren shook his head  
"I can't talk to you about this"  
The omega grabbed his things and dashing out the stall, leaving Levi confused. Spinning around, he walked over to the wall and smacked his head against it. He was a fucking moron.

 

*  
Eren made his way into the first empty toilet stall and locked the door, before sinking down on the toilet and beginning to cry. Levi wasn't trying to hurt him, and he really needed to tell the alpha the truth, but... he was so fucking scared. Levi had seen the bonding mark, he'd heard Ren call him "mumma", what if Levi put it together? What if the alpha started asking around? The creepy kid already knew the truth... if Levi asked the wrong person and it got back to that kid... everyone in school would know before the day was done. He'd tried so hard to protect his secrets, but now Levi threatened to ruin all his hard work. 

His thoughts continued to spiral out of control, and he found it harder and harder to breathe. He needed to get out of here. He needed to go home. He needed to be safe and he didn't feel safe at school. Stumbling as he stood, he pulled his clothes onto his still wet body and on shaking legs, he staggered back into the locker room. He'd hoped Levi would be gone, but the alpha was sitting on the bench near his locker. 7 metres. 2 metres to his locker, and 5 to get out the door. He just had to last that long. He just had to ignore Levi for that long. Stumbling again, he made his way over to his locker and fumbled it over, before grabbing everything out. He didn't bother to double check he had everything, he just needed to get out of there.

It wasn't until he'd made it a few blocks from school that he could breathe again, and he slowed his pace. The people he passed all stared at him, and their eyes seemed to say they knew. Unable to take it anymore, he stared down at the pavement as he walked. The majority of him wanted to go pick the boys up, but that wasn't fair on them. This was when screwing Reiner would have come in handy. The alpha would have fucked him until he couldn't think... maybe he should find someone new... but he didn't want that. He wanted Levi... letting out a frustrated groan, he scolded himself. This was all his doing. Levi has come back into his life back at the start of the previous term, so it wasn't like he hadn't had weeks to tell the alpha... God. He was such a coward.

Having arrived home he stripped off his semi damp clothes and pulled on dry ones. It didn't make him feel any better, but then again, he didn't really know what would. He needed someone to tell him what to do, or a time machine to go back and warn himself that Levi was going to magically reappear. Most people probably would have gone back and erased the past, but he couldn't imagine not having his boys. Staring down at his phone, he decided to ask Mikasa instead of Armin about what he should do. He could always rely on the girl's slightly cold world of the view, where as Armin was just too loving to the be firm  
Eren: Levi heard Ren call me mumma, and he knows I have a bonding mark. I am now hiding at home. What do I do?   
Mikasa replied immediately   
Mikasa: Do you want me to kill him?  
The one time he needed a brutally honest opinion, she goes to humour  
Eren: I don't know. What if he asks someone? What if that creepy kid spills his guts? What if everyone finds out? Mikasa. I don't know what to do  
Mikasa: I don't know either. Maybe tell him? Then you'll know  
Eren: But he's going to freak out. How am I supposed to ruin his life   
Mikasa: Ren and Eli are both beautiful. There's no way knowing them will ruin anyone's life  
Eren: What if he thinks I'm lying? Or trying to trap him?  
Mikasa: Then he's a fucking moron  
Eren smiled ever so slightly  
Eren: How do I tell him?  
Mikasa: If you can't face him, then message him?  
Eren: I don't know if it's ok to message him this sort of thing  
Mikasa: Armin and I can rough him up a bit and then tell him  
Eren: No... fuck. Mikasa, I love him... he's going to be so angry  
Mikasa: You're great at giving everyone else advice, but never want to listen  
Eren groaned and dropped his phone, before grabbing it up and opening messenger. He could do this. He just had to tell Levi the truth, but in pieces...  
Eren: I met an alpha and I fell in love. The twins are mine  
See. This was easy... nope, he deleted what he'd written   
Eren: I'm sorry about earlier  
Nope, couldn't start with that  
Eren:...  
Fuck... ok. Deep breaths  
Eren: I fell in love with someone when I was younger and I thought they loved me back... the twins are mine. I'm their biological mother. Very few people know about it... and I don't talk to my father because of it all, and what happened after  
He sent it because he knew he'd just keep rewriting it if he didn't. His heart was racing a million miles an hour, and he locked his phone before grabbing his pillow and curling around it.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have the sick!!

Levi shook as he read Eren's message. After the incident in the locker room, he'd promptly taken off from school, and was currently proceeding to get drunk. It was a shitty plan, but it was the only one he had. Eren had been a total wreck, he hadn't been ignorant to the gasping sounds Eren was making as he so obviously struggled to breathe... but he hadn't done anything either. But reading the omegas message, at least he understood why Eren had flipped. Some shitty fucking alpha had gotten him pregnant and then fucked off. The same alpha was probably the one who'd given Eren the bonding mark and Levi's anger only grew. What kind of an alpha didn't fucking man up and stick with their omega... he stared down at the message. It was probably a huge thing for Eren to tell him... draining his glass, he supposed he should reply, but everything seemed to cliche, or totally uncool. Right. Liquid courage. He just needed more of it.

By the time Farlan and Izzy's got home, he was more than slightly intoxicated. He'd also moved out to the living room and still hadn't replied to Eren's message  
"Big Brother!"  
Grinning up a Izzy, Levi swirled his drink  
"Hey Iz! Hurry up and pour yourself a drink"  
His happy buzz was lessened when Izzy took his drink away  
"Levi! We have work tonight!"  
"Do we? Shit! My bad"  
Izzy was obviously not impressed, but Farlan placed his hands on the girl's shoulders   
"Levi, what's wrong?"  
"Wrong? Why would anything be wrong?"  
"Because you haven't been this drunk during the day in months and you left school early"  
"Oh that. Yeah. I fucked up and made Eren cry"  
Farlan frowned down at him  
"And how did you manage that?"  
"By being a fucking idiot. Now, can I have my drink back?"  
Izzy shook her head, and moved to sit in the recliner opposite him  
"Levi, what's this about Eren?"  
"Did you know he's a mum... but that's supposed to be a secret... I heard his brat call him mum and called him out on it, and the bonding mark. Apparently he got knocked up and the alpha split"  
"Oh my god! You'd never know it..."  
"I know right. Must have fucked him up really good"  
"I can't imagine it. Being bonded to someone and having them leave"  
"I want to kill them. Iz, how am I supposed to compete with a fucking bond?"  
"Bonded people leave each other, these things happen. If Eren isn't with the alpha that means you have a chance..."  
"And what if he shows up"  
"Levi, if you didn't love Eren, you wouldn't be so angry on his behalf. Now, give me your phone"  
"Why the fuck would I do that?"  
"Because you suck at replying, and I need to call work for you"  
Letting out a groan, Levi leant over and passed his phone to Izzy, before slumping back. It didn't take the girl long before she gently threw it back to him  
"Done and done. You have a stomach bug, congratulations"  
Levi didn't miss the opportunity   
"That sounds shitty"  
His bad joke caused the girl to roll her eyes  
"No. Just no. Now, I've got to get ready for work"

When Izzy left, Levi opened messenger to read what she'd replied. He groaned at the girl's words  
Levi: I don't know what to say. I feel like a total arse, and I can't take it back. Eren, it doesn't change what I think of you... shit. What I'm trying to say is, that even with kids, I'd still like to go out with you...  
Fucking Izzy. How the fuck was he supposed to get out of this? It wasn't like it wasn't true. He very much wanted Eren to let him in... in more ways than one. But now what?

 

*  
Eren read and reread Levi's message. It didn't even sound like Levi... but Levi said he wanted to date him... and his heart was racing. How long should he wait to say yes? But then again maybe it was joke? And hadn't he only just recovered from a total meltdown from Levi accidentally setting him off... but sex... he really missed sex... and then there was they boys. What if the boys got attach to Levi and the alpha just dumped them the moment he put two and two together. Levi had to click eventually, he'd told the teen before the boys were born just over 9 months after he left. He said he was the mother... it was kind of the logical assumption... and the fact that Ren looked so much like Levi only served as some small sliver of proof. 

Having picked up the twins from day care, Eren returned to brooding. It wasn't like Levi was a terrible father, and as it was the only blood family the boys had was him... and if something happened to him... what happened then? Armin would take the boys in a heartbeat, but what happened when the twins learned that Levi was right there and never knew? He missed the simple days, the days before Levi had come back and thrown his thoughts into a whirl. They should talk... looking from his boys to his phone, Eren let out a sigh and began to type a reply Levi   
Eren: Look. We should talk. If you can make it here anytime after 8, that works for me...  
He included his address, and then promptly called Mikasa to fill her in on what he'd done. He could practically hear her rolling her eyes as she "congratulated" him. Her plans for Levi's murder had him smiling. It was kind of nice she cared that much, but a little scary she had everything meticulously planned, including where they should cross the border once the deed was done. They chatted away until it was time for dinner, and he hang up feeling much more confident. Mikasa has said to date Levi, to get to know him and then decided if he should know. He'd never really thought of Levi as the abusive type, but she brought up one very important fact: he was hiding away from his own father. When that thought got stuck in his mind, he couldn't help but go into protective mode. If Levi wanted to know about the alpha who left, he'd tell him exactly how he felt for him at the time, but not mention Levi by name. 

Having tucked the twins in and read them to sleep, Eren washed the dishes then headed into the shower. Levi hadn't replied, so he took that to mean that it wasn't the alpha who messaged him at all. It was disappointing, but he still held onto a small sliver of hope the teen would show. It was only just on 8 after all.

It was a little after 10 when there was a knock on the door and Eren's heart was racing as he crossed to open it. Levi was standing there looking awkward and the omega didn't know what to think, but he forced himself to find his voice   
"Um... come in?"  
Levi gave a nod and walked in, the alpha's eyed flicking around the room  
"Sorry about the mess..."  
"It's fine... I just wasn't expecting to step into your bedroom"  
"It's a one bedroom unit, so the boys share the room and this is my space... well as much as it can be with two kids..."  
God. What came next? Right  
"Do you want a drink?"  
"No, I'm alright"  
Closing the door, Eren carefully locked and chained it  
"It's alright, the kids would sleep through a hurricane, so we don't need to whisper"  
Padding across the room, Eren climbed onto his bed and leant back against the bedhead  
"It's fine if you want to sit on the bed, or the dining table. Whatever's better for you"  
Levi shrugged off his jacket, carefully hanging it on the back of the dining chair before toeing his shoes off. The alpha came to sit on the bed, but towards the middle instead of next to him  
"Eren, before we talk, I should probably explain that I didn't send that message. It was my friend Izzy who did"  
Eren couldn't help but feel disappointed and his stomach knotted uncomfortably  
"So you don't want to date me?"  
"No... I mean yes. I do. But I don't know..."  
"It's the kids thing isn't it?"  
"No. Yes. I mean, you have a bonding mark too"  
Eren sighed, his hand moving to rub the back of his neck   
"It's not really like that. This was by accident"  
"You accidentally got bonded"  
"Yeah. Crazy isn't it..."  
"Just a little... I mean, what if the twins father shows up? Am I going to need to fight to keep you?"  
Levi sounded jealous, the poor alpha had no fucking idea he was jealous of himself  
"No. Trust me when I say you won't need to fight anyone"  
The alpha nodded  
"I've never been much good at this talking stuff. That's why Izzy took my phone. I was just so fucking angry that someone could hurt you and leave you"  
Again... this was going to be more work than he thought...  
"It was a long time ago now, and because of what happened I have two beautiful sons, and my mum got to see her grandkids before she died. Dad hated me being pregnant, but mum was there every step of the way"  
"How did she die?"  
"Aneurysm. I was at school when it happened, and came home to find the boys crying. There wasn't anything anyone could have done"  
"Shit. I'm sorry to hear that. I know she meant a lot to you"  
"She did..."  
Drawing his knees to his chest, Eren rested his chin on them and looked to Levi   
"Why'd you just disappear? I thought I must have done something wrong... or that you hated me..."  
"No. No, it was nothing like that. I was staying with my uncle Kenny, and came back to find he was ready to skip town. He's not the best person, but he's gone now"  
"Did he die?"  
"No, nothing like that. He just skipped out on me. Woke up one day and he was gone. Look, I know it must have hurt you, but I really didn't leave by choice. Hell, that week was the only good thing that happened in my whole time I was with him. That's probably why I forgot it. So much shit happened, and I never thought I'd see you again"  
"Yeah... life can be pretty shitty. It still hurt you didn't remember me"  
"If it counts I thought you were familiar. It was your eyes, they're still as stupidly green as they used to be"  
"I knew you the moment I saw you. I guess being an omega I'm just more sensitive to these things"  
"I'm kind of glad your an omega, I can't picture an alpha in that cheer uniform"  
"It's in the dresser if you want to try it on"  
"No. I don't think I'm built for the cheer life"  
"It was Sasha who got me into it. Well, that and moving here"  
"How long have you been here?"  
"Just over 2 years now... or around two years. To be honest, I can't remember. I was just too excited to be away from my dad"  
"Was he that bad?"  
"Yeah. I haven't talked to him since I left. He kind of beat the shit out of me and broke my arm because I couldn't stand him drinking away the money mum left me"  
Levi let out a growl and Eren shook his head  
"Change of topic, this is getting too depressing. Tell me more about you"  
"Ok. Well, after Kenny left, I bounced around for a bit. I'd lived on the streets before Kenny took me in, and one day I met up with Izzy and Farlan, they were street kids too, but Izzy has a job, and I had street smarts. The three of us kind of stuck together, but then Izzy and Farlan got help through a shelter to get a unit together so I didn't see them for a bit. When we met back up they let me move in"  
"That's rough"  
"It is what it is. Izzy also got me back into school and working. I used to do odd jobs in the building for favours and pocket change. You know, changing a washer and stuff like that"  
"Izzy sounds pretty amazing"  
"Yeah, she is. Farlan' great too, but he's not exactly a law abiding citizen"  
Eren filed that piece of information away for a later date  
"So what else have you been doing?"  
"Nothing really. I'm not Mr Popular like some people"  
"Don't worry, I wasn't exactly liked when I first started back at school, I'd missed so much. Dad wouldn't let me go to school when my stomach started to get bigger, so it was homeschooling. Mum loved it, she never had a daughter, so she made the most of dressing me up and doing my hair"  
"I notice it's long"  
"Yeah, I use concealer on the mark, but having my hair long helps cover it too"  
"That and it looks great in ponytails"  
Eren rolled his eyes  
"You don't need to lay it on thick"  
"Just telling the truth. Anyway. What do you want to do?"  
Eren frowned  
"As in?"  
"Well... I was kind of hoping you'd agree to date me... but no pressure"  
Eren couldn't stop himself from laughing   
"Sorry! Sorry! I wasn't expecting that! Ok. Hang on"  
Taking a few deep breaths, Eren regained his composure   
"So, here's the thing. My kids are my world. They will always come first, and if you ever put them in danger I will never talk to you again. I can also make you're life at school a living hell. There's shit I also don't want to talk about, and shit I can't handle talking about. So I will more than likely lose it at you. As for going out, yes. You confuse me and you leave my head spinning, but yes. I do want to go out with you. Buy that also poses another problem. I don't generally have a babysitter, the only times being when Armin or Mikasa are around. Now, you have to pinky swear"  
Levi laughed lightly as he nodded, and hooked Eren's finger  
"I will try to do my best"  
"Alright"  
How did he managed to stay so calm? Levi was his. They were a thing. He stared at Levi, with his finger still hooked  
"I really want to kiss you"  
Eren smiled and leant forward, putting Levi's want into action. The moment his lips touched Levi's he was melting with pleasure and began to slick. Fucking hell. This was just a kiss. Letting out a small moan, he deepened the kiss and Levi growled in response. It was so much better than he'd remember or had imagined, and when he pulled back from Levi, the alpha looked positively sinful  
"Eren... I know we just... but fuck..."

There was a rush to strip. One kiss had robbed him of reason, but there was a secret thrill about it all. Given Levi was taking way too long, Eren grabbed the alpha's jeans and striped him down   
"Someone's eager"  
"Because your not"  
"Oh trust me, I'm more than eager"  
Levi's musky smell had him drooling, he needed the... his... alpha's knot. Climbing into Levi's lap, Eren didn't give the teen a moment to think, before lining himself up and sinking down. Given how wet his thighs were, he knew he didn't need to be prepared  
"Holy fuck... don't move"  
Eren let himself drop, completely impaling himself on the alpha's erection. He could already feel his impending orgasm and let out a needy whine at Levi's command not to move  
"Shit... don't do that. I'm not going to last"  
"I don't care... I need your knot"  
Levi let out a snarl and Eren moved to claim the alpha's lips as he began to rock in Levi's lap. The teens hands came to grope and massage his arse and Eren pulled back with a smile. Sliding his hands into his hair, Eren began to rise and fall rhythmically, giving Levi a show. He wanted the alpha to watch and praise him  
"Shit..."  
Eren could feel Levi's knot, but that only caused him to increase his pace, and his toes curled as he came across Levi's chest. He continued to fuck himself until Levi finally knotted him and Eren's world went red with pleasure. He could feel Levi pulsing as the alpha came, but his own orgasm was amazing, he felt like he couldn't stop cuming. Even when he slumped onto the Levi, his penis still twitched as cum dribbled out  
"Jesus... Eren... wow..."  
Eren nodded against Levi. The alpha's erection might not have been as big as Reiner's, nor have the same feel as it flared, but he'd never felt fuller than right now  
"I don't think I'm going to want to do anything else ever again if it always feels this good"  
Levi rocked his hips up and Eren felt a shiver run through his whole body  
"Fuck. Do that again"  
Levi let out a snarl and Eren let out a yelp as he found himself now beneath the alpha. His eyes had practically rolled back with pleasure with the way Levi's knot caught and tugged. The alpha leant back and pushed his knees up to his chest, before starting rock. Due to the barbs, he couldn't build a rhythm, but Eren didn't care. It felt amazing. When Levi's knot deflated, the alpha fucked him into oblivion all over again, given they'd both orgasmed, the alpha seemed to go on forever and Eren was completely boneless by the time Levi knotted him again. Letting his legs drop, Levi moved to take him by the face and pulled him in for a kiss   
"Mmm... you know, I didn't think we'd be having sex when I came around"  
"I didn't either, but fuck... I need that"  
Levi smirked before pressing another kiss to his lips  
"Eren, I promise to fuck you as many times, in as many ways and places as you need me to"  
"God. Don't say that... you're making it hard for me to be a responsible person"  
"And you just make me hard in general"  
"I noticed... but... I'm now too tired to move, and I still need clean the bed up"  
"Or, we could nap, and fuck until morning"  
"Levi, I have two small people who wake up when the sun does..."  
The alpha nodded, before pulling Eren up and into his lap  
"Alright. I'll go home, but what happens tomorrow?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"Do I kiss you or hug you at school? Or do I play it cool?"  
Eren hummed  
"I think you meet the friends first"  
Levi groaned   
"You do know I usually sit with Izzy and Farlan"  
"I was joking. Because of the kids, I'd like to take things slow, at least at school. If that's alright?"  
"Yeah... oh, I've got work tomorrow night. I was supposed to work tonight, but Izzy called in sick for me"  
"If you've got work, you should work"  
"I may have been slightly drunk"  
Eren let out a clearly disapproving sigh  
"I thought you'd never talk to me..."  
"Well, you did blindside me. I mean, I didn't expect anyone to find out about Ren and Eli not being my brothers... and then I began to panic. There's a kid at their daycare who keeps picking on Ren, and his brothers a real creeper. I was worried that if you started asking questions then everyone would find out. I'm not ashamed to be their mum, but I don't want to be treated differently, and I don't want them hearing me being called a slut. Again"  
"Who called you a slut?"  
"Some random. Anyway. This is really important to me"  
Levi nodded and his arms wrapped around Eren, the alpha began to nuzzle his neck and Eren practically purred  
"Mmm, now you're mine, I don't want to let you go"  
"In that case, I'm sorry inform you that I'm falling asleep"  
"I get the hint. Do you want me to carry you to the bathroom?"  
"I don't think you can carry me. I'm heavy"  
"Eren, you're not heavy"

Levi slid from the bed without pulling out, and Eren hung limply as the alpha carried him through the open doorway  
"Bath or shower?"  
"Shower while I sit"  
Levi pressed a kiss to his temple as he finally pulled out and helped Eren sink into the bath. The omega fumbled for the taps, and ignored the cold as he waited for the hot  
"Do you want to wash off?"  
"I'll shower when I get home"  
"Ok... can I have a kiss before you leave?"  
Levi obliged and Eren was sad to see the alpha disappear out the bathroom. The teen cleaned himself carefully, before climbing from the bath and nearly collapsing on the spot. He was so completely fucked... grabbing his towel, he stumbled out and found Levi sitting on his bed  
"I changed the sheets, and found your pyjamas. Anything else you need?"  
"Another kiss, and you to text when you get home"  
Levi gave him a gentle kiss, and nodded  
"Alright. It's a deal. Goodnight Eren"  
Levi crossed to let himself out, while Eren tugged his pants on. He couldn't believe how considerate the alpha had been  
"Goodnight Levi, see you tomorrow"  
He hobbled over and locked the door once Levi was out, before returning and collapsing in his bed. His pillow smelt like Levi and he buried his face against it. Levi was his...


	16. Chapter 16

Eren hummed as he stretched, he felt the most relaxed he'd ever felt. A silly smile came over his face and he rolled to bury it against his pillow while letting out a happy scream. Yes, he was technically starting this whole relationship in a web of lies, but that didn't matter. He'd gotten hold of the object of his affection and the alpha had actually asked him out! Rolling back over, he sighed as he looked towards the twins room. It was time to get up and play mum.

Slipping from the bed, he walked over and opened the door to the twins room  
"Boys, time to get up!"  
Given how happy he was, the plan was to make pancakes, but his mood was slightly lessened. Eli was curled up with Ren in his arms, and as adorable as it was, Ren breaths were slightly ragged. Crossing the space, Eren knelt down and placed his hand on the small boys forehead, frowning at the warmth. Sleepy green grey eyes looked at him, and his son immediately reached out  
"Mum, I don't feel well"  
No sooner had the words come out, Eren found himself being thrown up on and his son started to cry. Yep. He was staying home   
"Ok baby, let's get you cleaned up and you can sleep in Mumma's bed"  
Lifting his son up against him, the boy immediately rested his head on Eren's shoulder and Eren gently rubbed his back. They both needed a shower, and Eren needed to let Armin know what had happened... and Levi... he didn't want the alpha getting the wrong idea. Not after all the fucking around it took to get to this point. He felt better knowing Levi hadn't just abandoned him, and wished his mother was here to talk to her about it all. This whole situation probably wouldn't have spiralled so badly if she was. Walking into the bathroom, he stood Ren up in the bathtub  
"Eli, can you get my phone for me?"  
His second son left while Eren stripped Ren down, he'd deal with his own messed clothes after the boy was settled.

While Ren sat in the bathtub with Eli, Eren stripped his shirt off and called Armin  
"Eren! Don't tell me something's wrong? Mikasa filled me in on everything..."  
"No... well yes, but not about that. Ren's sick, so I'm not going to be at school today, can you let them know for me?"  
"What do you mean he's sick? Is he alright? Do I need to come over?"  
"He's got a bit of a fever and vomiting"  
"Ewww, alright. Do you need anything?"  
"No, I'm going to give him some panadol and then try and get him eating later. Can you let grandpa know too?"  
"Sure thing. Hold on, Mikasa wants to talk"  
There was a moment of silence, before Mikasa's voice filled his ear  
"Is Ren alright?"  
"He'll be fine. It's not the first time he's had a fever. But I get the feeling your more concerned about a certain alpha"  
"Maybe... do I need to kill him?"  
"No... we're kind of dating... but don't tell anyone. I thought about what you said, and I want to get to know him before introducing him to the twins with the truth..."  
"Of course I was right. Can you ever remember a time I wasn't? Anyway, our bus is here. Armin says to make sure you give Ren lots of hugs"  
"That was going to happen anyway. Bye Mikasa"  
The call ended, so Eren placed his phone down on his bed before going to check in with the boys. Ren's colour was a little better, but the boys face was still dusted red  
"You two ready to get out?"  
Ren nodded and reached for him, and Eren couldn't help but smile as he lifted him out, then wrapped him in a towel. Not wanting to upset Eli, he lifted the other boy out and did the same  
"Eli, can you grab Ren's clothes for me? You're both staying home today"  
"But mum... we're supposed to be doing painting todayyyyyyyy!"  
"I can't send you to school when you're sick"  
"But you go to school"  
He couldn't argue with that one  
"Look, we can just hang out here. It'll be like when you had to stay home when you got hurt"  
Eli threw his hand up in the air dramatically, before storming off leaving Eren shaking his head. Turning his attention back to Ren, he lifted the boy up and carried him over to his bed  
"Mummy just needs to take a quick shower, but how does your tummy feel?"  
"It hurts"  
"Ok baby. Mummy will get you something for that. Just wait here"  
Retrieving the panadol, he measured the dose and got Ren to take it. Eli had returned and dumped Ren's clothes down next to him  
"Mum, I want to go to schoooool!"  
Oh god. No. He totally didn't need this  
"Eli, Ren's sick. How about this, if he feels better by lunch time, I'll take you?"  
Eli scowled, but still nodded. It was a mean trick, there was no way Ren was going to be better by then. But he needed Eli under control enough that he could get things organised  
"Good"  
He pressed a kiss to Ren's forehead  
"I'll be right back"

Having taken a stupidly fast shower and now dressed in sweats and a shirt, Eren was making breakfast. Ren didn't want to eat, so he'd found some packet soup to heat up. He knew how shitty the boy was feeling, but the last thing he needed was a hospital trip because the boy had become dehydrated. Breakfast ended up with Ren in his lap as Eren gently coaxed him into eating. Eli wolfed down his soup and bread, before declaring he was going to play. Ren was obviously upset he could join in, but mummy cuddled makes everything better. With everything going on, he forgot to message Levi. When lunch time came, Eli wasn't happy at all that Ren was still sick. The boy took off with Eren's phone, calling Armin before Eren could stop him. It was kind of funny listening to Eli complain to Armin. The small boy was so serious about it all, and he could imagine Armin struggling not to laugh. Their call only lasted about 5 minutes, but Eli seemed in a better mood by the end of it. Even returned Eren's phone to him carefully  
"How was uncle Armin?"  
"He said you had to make us cookies!"  
Eren groaned. Thanks Armin  
"Did he now?"  
"Yep! Chocolate chip!"  
He didn't have chocolate chips... but he might have a box of cookies somewhere... leaving Ren sleeping, Eren went and checked the kitchen cupboards. Thanking his lucky stars there was a box in there   
"Look what I found"  
Holding the box out, he watched his son snub it  
"I want the ones you make mum"  
Fuck...  
"Eli, I don't have the things to make them with"  
"Can't you buy them?"  
"I'm not made of money kid"  
"Why not"  
Letting out a frustrated sigh, Eren placed the box on the counter  
"Eli. This is the best I can do right..."  
The sound of vomiting ended his sentence and he winced as it continued. Ren was half off the bed, so the mess was over the floor rather than him  
"I don't want cookies anymore"  
"Then go play in your room while I clean this up"  
Eli's eyes filled with tears  
"You love him more than me!"  
The boy ran across the room and slammed the bedroom door closed behind him. Ren let out a pathetic whimper and Eren forced himself to concentrate. Eli would be fine, Ren needed help. Sitting his son up, Eren checked his temperature. It has definitely gone down, so he was grateful for that   
"I'm sorry..."  
Ren sounded so sad, and Eren nuzzled his cheek against his boys  
"It's fine baby, you can't help it. Here, why don't you brush your teeth while I clean up?"  
Lifting the boy up and over the mess, Ren stumbled off into the bathroom and Eren returned to the kitchen, this time finding out a bucket and cloth. He hated vomit, and if it wasn't his kids, he'd probably be puking too. Ren returned while he was still cleaning up. His son grabbing the bottle of water from beside the bed and Eren smiled at the small act of independence. 

With the mess completely cleaned up and the floor drying, Eren went to check on Eli. Apparently being in a foul mood all morning had left him tired, the boy was fast asleep. Tucking him carefully, Eren dropped a kiss to the boys soft hair. Returning to his own bed, he finally had time to check his phone. Levi had messaged him and Eren couldn't help but smile as he opened the chat  
Levi: Made it home alright. Sorry I forgot to message  
Levi: Are you coming to school?  
Levi: is everything alright?  
Levi: I didn't do anything wrong... right?  
Eren chewed on his lip as he typed his reply  
Eren: I'm happy you got home alright. I might have passed out. As you can probably tell, not at school. Ren's sick and Eli's not happy. You didn't do anything wrong, it's just been chaos here  
Ok. Good. That sounded alright. But now what he was supposed to do? He was already eagerly awaiting the alpha's reply. He really was hopeless. It also then occurred to him that he should probably message Levi his phone number... it would be easier than relying on Facebook... but was that too weird? He didn't want to seem to clingy, but they were dating right? It would weirder if he didn't. Before he could talk himself out of it, he sent Levi through his number before locking his phone. Looking over to Ren, he couldn't help but stare. Like really stare. His son had the same soft black hair, the same nose and long lashes as Levi... he wondered what Levi would think. He'd only talked to the boy that time in the restaurant, and the alpha probably hadn't gotten a good look thanks to the dim lighting. 

Eren was still watching when his phone began to ring, making him jump. He didn't know the number and and answered hesitantly   
"Hello"  
"Hey, I just got your messages, so I thought I'd give you a call"  
Levi... shit. He wanted to see the alpha now he'd heard his voice  
"You didn't have to do that..."  
"Maybe I wanted to? So Ren's sick? That sucks"  
"Yeah, he's got a fever and vomiting"  
"Shit. Will he be alright?"  
"Yeah. It's not the first time and it won't be the last. He's sleeping it off in my bed at the moment"  
"Lucky him. I wouldn't mind having you take care of me"  
"Because you totally need taking care of"  
"You never know, I might. So what else is happening?"  
"Well, I'm the worlds worst mother because Eli couldn't go to daycare and paint, and I also love Ren more than him. He was curled up with Ren when I woke up, but he's been in a shit mood since"  
"That sucks. So he likes painting? I remember you had pictures all over you walls at home"  
"Oh god. That's embarrassing... Armin and I were always so proud of our masterpieces"  
"And I bet you're just as proud of theirs"  
"Maybe... I'm not saying the fridge is covered with their art... but I'm definitely not saying it isn't"  
Levi snorted lightly  
"I'll have to check it out next time I'm over"  
Eren swallowed nervously  
"There's going to be a next time?"  
"If you want there to be... I'm not that great with this dating thing"  
"Me neither... but yeah. Next time I'll give you the tour of the art gallery"  
"Sounds good. Well, I have to get to class, but I wanted to call so you'd have my number and to make sure you're alright and not getting up to any trouble"  
"Thanks... I'll probably just take a nap like the boys... so no trouble here. Though, I might also get adventurous and go buy chocolate chips. Armin promised Eli I would make cookies"  
"You can cook?"  
"Well how else am I supposed to raise two boys? Takeaway is way too expensive"  
"That's true. Ok I'm at the classroom. I'll message you later. Bye Eren"  
"Bye Levi"  
When Levi ended the call Eren flopped back on his bed. He stared up at the ceiling with a sigh. He really wanted to see Levi...

He got his wish. Ren was still asleep, but Eli was awake and Eren was reading softly to the boy in the twins room, when there was knock on the door. Closing the book, Eren slipped from under his son and padded through the unit before unlocking the door. Levi was standing there with a shopping bag in one hand, and a sheepish smile on his face  
"Hey... I hope you don't mind"  
"Mumma who is it?"  
So much for stepping into the hall and reminding Levi he'd wanted to take it slow  
"You'd better come in"  
"I can't stay long, but I stopped by the supermarket and this place is on my way home..."  
Eli came to Eren's side as Eren moved away from the door allowing Levi entry  
"Who are you?"  
The young boy moved slightly in front of Eren and Levi raised an eyebrow   
"I'm Levi, I'm a friend of your mums. We go to school together... now, he said that you were promised chocolate chip cookies but that hasn't happened yet has it?"  
Eren's heart was racing. This was fucking adorable. He didn't think Levi could be this good with kids and Eli was clearly curious about Levi meant  
"No... mum tried to give me cookies in a box"  
"Well box cookies are pretty good"  
"No! Uncle Armin said mummy would make them"  
Eli's stern tone had Levi nodding, as if he completely understood the boys struggles  
"I stopped by the shop on the way here and picked up a few things, now mummy has what he needs to make your cookies"  
Eli looked up at him and Eren shrugged  
"Don't look at me, what do you say to Levi"  
"Um... thank you..."  
"That's alright, now, I also hear that you like to draw. Why don't you show me while your mummy puts these things away"  
Eli immediately grabbed Levi's free hand, and the alpha passed the bag of shopping to Eren, placing a quick kiss on his cheek as Eli tugged him into the kitchen. So damn cute... 

Eren sorted the shopping out on the bench. Levi had grabbed butter, brown and caster sugar, eggs, vanilla essence, flour, and three kinds of chocolate chips. The boys were going to love this. Eli showed Levi the fridge and the alpha obediently listened as he spoke  
"Eli, don't take up too much of Levi's time. He's got work this afternoon"  
Eli pouted and looked to Levi, who nodded  
"Sorry kid, I only really came to drop off things for your cookies"  
"But I haven't even showed you my room"  
"Our room"  
Ren's sleepy voice interrupted before Eli could continue  
"Hey baby. This is Levi, he's a friend from school"  
"Hi Ren, I hear you were sick today. You feeling better?"  
Ren shied away from Levi, and Eren crossed to check on him  
"Hmm, your fevers finally gone. Do you feel better?"  
His son nodded as he reached for him, lifting ren up, Eren carried him over to the kitchen, before sitting him on the end of the bench  
"Eli, if you want to show Levi your room, you better do it now"  
Eli tugged Levi off, and Eren got Ren a glass of juice   
"Mummy's going to make cookies, what do you want to do? Do you want to go back to sleep or do you want to watch cartoons on my laptop  
"Cartoons..."  
"Alright baby"  
Lifting Ren back up, he carried him over the bed and set him up with the laptop and Levi emerged from the twins room  
"It's neater than I except. I've got to go or I'm not going to make it work"  
Eren nodded quickly, before heading over to the door  
"I'll walk you out"

Standing outside in the hall, Eren wrapped his arms around Levi   
"Thanks for the shopping, you really didn't have to"  
"I know, but you sounded lonely and it can't be much fun with two cranky boys"  
"I kind of was. It's so frustrating not being able to click my fingers and make him better"  
"Yeah... will you be at school tomorrow?"  
"If Ren's feeling better. But I have cheer practice tomorrow afternoon"  
"Damn, that would be hot"  
"Mmm, if you come to a game I might cheer extra hard just for you"  
Eren nuzzled against Levi's neck  
"I like the sound of that. Text me later?"  
"Yeah"  
Levi gave him a quick kiss and Eren missed him the moment he began to walk down the hall.

 

*  
Levi couldn't stop yawning as he walked to school. Work had been a shitfest and he couldn't sleep because he'd been too busy thinking about Eren. The teen clearly adored his kids, and Levi had found himself enjoying the short time he'd spent with them, despite not being a kid person. Catching sight of Eren, he stumbled slightly, causing Izzy to laugh  
"Ooooh, there's Eren. You should introduce us properly"  
"Izzy..."  
"Come on! He's your boyfriend right?"  
"We're taking it slow..."  
"Riiiiiiight. You just don't want to share"  
"Izzy, give him a break"  
"But Farlan, Levi's in love!"  
Drawing closer to where Eren was talking to his friends, he was surprised when the teen turn to waved him over  
"Seee! Look, Eren wants us to meet his friends"  
Before he could protest, he found himself following Izzy over to Eren   
"You're Eren right? I'm Izzy and this is Farlan"  
Eren's smile had butterflies erupting in Levi's stomach, he quickly pulled himself together  
"Sorry, she insisted on meeting you..."  
"It's fine. Anyway, Levi, this is Armin and Mikasa"  
"It's nice to meet you properly, Eren's told us a lot about you"  
Levi exaggerates a groan  
"I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not?"  
"You'd be dead if it wasn't"  
Mikasa looked at him so seriously that Levi couldn't help but swallow in fear. Damn she was scary  
"Mikasa, be nice. Oh Levi, I have something for you"  
Eren slung his bag down and began to rummage through it, pulling out a plastic container filled with cookies   
"I was under orders to make sure they got to you in one piece"  
Levi accepted the container, smiling at mix of wolf and cat shaped cookies  
"Awesome. They look great"  
"No worries..."  
Eren shuffled and Levi took the hint  
"Well, I've got to get to my locker before class, but I'm definitely going to enjoy these"  
Given they were taking it slow, Levi resisted the urge press a kiss to the teens cheek. He forced himself to begin towards the steps, while Eren went back to talking with his friends. He was definitely going to have to keep his distance from that female alpha, though it was reassuring that Eren had such a good friend.

The cookies were amazing. Eren had made them slightly thick so the middle was still chewy and the 6 were gone way too soon. Taking a photo of the empty container he messaged it through to Eren with a crying emoji. His boyfriend replied almost immediately   
Eren: I didn't think you'd demolish them immediately   
Levi: Maths is boring. Levi has 6 cookies, how many does he have left it he eats them all?  
Eren: how many crumbs remain? You might be able to fashion one out of the debris  
Levi: I might have just snorted in class and now everyone is staring at me. But seriously, good job on the cookies  
Eren: ^-^ I'll pass your verdict onto the boys, now go back to your maths. 

The rest of the school day passed with them texting off and on. It was probably the best day he'd had since transferring in and he was still smiling as he walked home with Farlan and Izzy. Izzy hadn't been happy he'd saved her none of the cookies, and was only calmed when Farlan promised to make her some. Levi made a mental note not to be home when that happened. The last time Farlan had cooked it had taken weeks to get the smell out the apartment, and he wasn't anxious to relive it anytime soon.

Over the next two weeks he was swamped with work thanks to inconsiderate morons quitting because they had exams. This meant he had more hours than ever and like no time to talk to Eren outside of school. His life was literally work, school and sleep. It was driving him crazy. So many times he'd wanted to blow off work and spend the afternoon with his boyfriend, but Rico had made it clear that anyone who took time off would be fired, which was completely ridiculous. Eren had been very understanding and that only pissed him off more. He wanted the omega to want him as much as he wanted Eren... He wanted Eren to admit he missed him, not just accept this was how things were. He'd worked himself into a ball of angry misery and didn't know how to drag himself the fuck out of it. The final cherry on the top was the last game of the soccer season. He couldn't give two shits about the game, but the school was going all out over it even though there was still a good week to go. He remembered what Eren had said about cheering harder if he came, and he wanted to see his boyfriend doing something he clearly loved... but he was scheduled to work that night and though no job was more important than Eren he needed money to support himself in the future and even though he was completely crazy for Eren, there was no guarantee they'd be together forever. He wanted to fucking go.

Whether it was an act of God, or the act of a bad chef, by some fucking miracle he got his wish. It was the day of the game and he'd spent most of the morning trying to ignore the possessive jealousy he was currently burdened with. The cheerleaders were in their uniforms and Eren looked like sex on legs. Everywhere he went, everyone's eyes were on him and Levi wanted to knock them all the fuck out. When his phone rang at the end of the day and the caller ID had informed him it was work, he'd nearly smashed the device. Eren had promised to make some time for him this afternoon, despite how busy the team was decorating the field. Still, he answered, forcing himself to be polite to the woman who was currently number one on his "murder" list. That very quickly changed. Rico sounded exhausted as she filled him on what had happened. There had been some kind of fire in the kitchen thanks to the deep fryer and it would be at least three weeks before they'd open for business again. Levi assured her he was sorry to hear that, and that he'd be back when they reopened, but it was a struggle to keep his happiness out his voice. Hanging up the phone, he quickly decided not to tell Eren straight away. He wanted to surprise his boyfriend.

Waiting 20 minutes for Eren seemed like an eternity, but his boyfriend finally appeared out the front of the school with his friends. Even from a distance, Levi could tell that the day's festivities had taken a toll on his boyfriend and he wanted nothing more than to fuck the teen senseless and fall asleep with Eren in his arms. Or maybe just fall asleep... no. Definitely sex first... he was still caught up in his imagination when Eren came to stand in front of him. The teen had avoided contact outside of a small hug here and there, but now Eren wrapped his arms around him and dropped his forehead against Levi's shoulder  
"Hard day?"  
Eren nodded with a groan  
"Spreading school cheer is hard when you're sleep deprived"  
Looking over to Armin for an explanation, the blonde teen sighed  
"The kids had nightmares last night"  
Levi's hands came to the small of Eren's back and he gently massaged Eren's bare skin with his thumbs  
"Why don't you take a nap?"  
"I can't. We still have to finish doing the field"  
"I thought that's what you were doing before"  
"No. We were supposed to be. But even though the seniors have passed the reins onto us, they hated Sasha's plan for the decorations and the whole thing became a mess"  
"Tch. I don't know you do it. Are you guys coming tonight?"  
"Usually we don't, but because this is the last game of the season, we're bringing the twins with us"  
He couldn't hide it from Eren, not when his boyfriend obviously needed a pick me up   
"Guess what?"  
"What?"  
"I've got the night off work... I was thinking I might come and watch a certain sexy cheerleader scream"  
Eren mumbled his reply so only Levi could hear  
"I'd rather you made me scream"  
Pressing a kiss to the side of the omegas head, Levi the nuzzled against the spot  
"Soon. I promise. What time does the game start?"  
"6, but if you want a good seat, you've got to be there by 5"  
So he had an hour an a half to work with. He might as well fuck around in park down the road until then  
"Armin, is it alright if I meet you guys around here at 5?"  
Armin nodded  
"Sure, that alright with you Mikasa"  
"If you must. Come on Armin, we should go pick the boys up. We'll see you after the game Eren"  
Eren detached from his hold long enough to give his two friends a quick hug and thank them. He then stretched his arms up and let out a groan   
"I so can't wait for tomorrow. I have to get back, but I'll see you tonight right?"  
"Do you want me to walk you?"  
"Nah... it's fine. Besides, you've probably got stuff to do"  
"Nope. Not really. I was just going to hang around in the park down the road for a bit"  
Eren hummed and nodded  
"Alright, we're all out at the field, so if we walk really slowly you can waste some more time"

With the thinning tides of students, Eren slipped his hand into Levi's and Levi quickly laced their fingers together. They didn't really speak as they walked, but that was fine. He just wanted to soak up as much time with Eren as possible. When they emerged from the main school building, Eren slowly slipped his fingers from Levi's hold, but the alpha caught his hand before Eren pulled away completely   
"We still have a good 50 metres until we reach the field"  
"Oh... I didn't know if you wanted to walk all the way..."  
"Well I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't want to"  
Eren smiled at him tiredly  
"You are awesome. I really needed this... I mean, just some time with you and no one else around"  
"Yeah. I've really missed you"  
Eren once again took him by surprise and Levi melted into the rough kiss Eren smashed against his lips. The teens tongue hurried explored his mouth before pulling back all too soon  
"Recharge complete!"  
Levi stared at Eren, but his boyfriend began pulling him towards the field. They'd only just made the gateway when they heard screaming and Eren sighed  
"Yep. Cheerleading. School spirit and bonding and shit. Wish me luck?"  
"Good luck, it sounded like you need it"  
Eren nodded and released his hand before jogging off. Levi forced himself to walk all the way back through the school grounds, leaving his school bag in his locker on the way. He'd taken out his smokes, keys, phone and wallet so he didn't need to keep carting it around. Leaving tje school he headed down to the park he'd mentioned before. It wasn't much of a park, just a couple of trees, a set of swings and table, but he walked over to the swing and sank down before pulling his cigarettes out. Mikasa and Armin were most likely staying at Eren's, which meant that even though he desperately wanted to spend the night with Eren, he'd have to wait. 

 

Armin and Mikasa had both dressed sensibly for the occasion, but the twins on the other hand were channelling Trost Spirit. Both boys were in green shirts, with war stripes of green and white zinc on their tiny faces. Eli recognised him immediately, freeing himself from Mikasa's hold on his hand, and running as fast as he could to cover the few metres between them. Levi caught him as he leapt at him, lifting him up easily  
"Hey brat. You excited?"  
"Yep! We're going to cheer really loudly for mummy!"  
Levi snorted, he moved to stand near Armin and Mikasa   
"Apparently we have to cheer for Eren, not the team"  
Armin nodded  
"Yep. We were told the same thing, you ready to head in?"  
Levi looked to Eli  
"What do you say?"  
Eli roared like a lion and Levi took that to mean yes  
"I can take him back if he's annoying you"  
Mikasa was looking at him like he'd grown an extra head and he had no idea what she would be so confused or shocked over  
"No, he's fine"  
The girl let out an unhappy huff, and Armin promptly began leading the way through to the field. Levi felt like he'd fallen asleep and woken up on St Patrick's Day. There was green, green and more green... with the tiniest splash of white. He really couldn't say anything great about the decorations, so silently followed Armin and Mikasa into the second row. From where he was sitting, he had a clear view of Eren warming up. Well, all the cheerleaders where, but Eren was the only one he cared about  
"Are you watching mummy?"  
Eli shook his head  
"I don't see him..."  
The small boys lip trembled and Levi lifted him into his lap before pointing Eren out   
"There's your mum"  
"We have to call him Eren when we're here. Mumma said..."  
"Alright, I'll call him Eren too, is that alright?"  
Eli nodded, and settled back against him. It didn't take long before the boy was wriggling with excitement   
"Look Ren! It's Ner and Ber!"  
Levi's gaze came to where the team was running onto the field, Reiner and Bertholdt lead the pack and Levi assumed that was who the boys meant, especially after those photos of them playing soccer together. Both boys waved their arms almost frantically until the two soccer players finally noticed and waved back  
"Aw yes!"  
Levi couldn't help but smile at how excited the boy was over the wave, but looking back to the field his eyes found Eren and he couldn't help but be impressed. He kind of assumed cheerleaders were flexible, that's what happened in all the movies Izzy has subjected him to, but watching Eren cartwheel into a back flip was fucking hot. It was like the whole thing had happened in slow motion and he got the opportunity to enjoy the strong lines of Eren's form. Fuck... if he wasn't consciousness of the warm weight in his lap, he probably would have popped a boner right there.

Slowly the stands began to fill, and a fever ran through the crowd. Levi was shocked that everyone seemed so into it all. It was just a high school soccer game and it wasn't even against a different town, just some high school a few suburbs over. Still, the roar when the cheerleaders began performing was deafening. Everything else in Levi's world faded out after that, his eyes firmly on Eren as they started and Armin leant over to whisper in his ear  
"He's good isn't he?"  
"Fuck yes"  
"He's worked hard to get to where he is..."  
Levi nodded, understanding the teens message  
"Don't worry. I don't intend to fuck this up"  
"Good"  
So he'd thought Armin was the safer one of the two, but apparently not. The small blonde hardly looked threatening, but the way he'd said "good" made it seem like the teen could end him any time he wanted. His hold on Eli tightened slightly and Eli looked back up at him  
"Levi?"  
"Sorry, I was just thinking how pretty your mummy looks"  
Eli frowned at Levi   
"He's my mum. Not yours"  
Jeez. He couldn't catch a break  
"I know"  
"My mum is pretty"  
Wasn't that what he just said? But then again Eli was emphasising the word "My". Levi nodded so he wouldn't get in trouble and vowed to be the perfect alpha gentleman around this tough crowd.


	17. Chapter 17

Jogging from the the field, Eren grinned happily. Levi had stayed for the whole game, and the alpha had looked adorable with Eli on his lap. He wanted to stop and check in with the group, but Sasha had a firm hold on his arm as they followed the soccer team. It wasn't until he was in the locker room that he couldn't finally take a breath and sank down on the bench   
"I am soooooo tired"  
Sasha snorted, and flopped down dramatically next to him   
"Sooo, who was that with Eli? I think I've seen him around"  
Eren rolled his eyes, Sasha had been teasing him over Levi since the moment she first noticed him during warm up  
"Levi, and yes you have. He goes to our school... I'm pretty sure you've even talked to him"  
"But why was he with Armin and Mikasa? And the twins?"  
"Because he's a friend, and he'd never gone to a soccer game here"  
"Yeah, yeah..."  
Eren sighed and pushed himself up, he didn't want to talk about it, the adrenaline from the game had drained the last of his energy and he felt like a dead battery the moment he'd come off the field  
"Aw Eren, don't be like that! You should come out with us, the seniors are having a house party to celebrate their retirement and victory"  
"And they'd be having the same party even if we'd lost. I'm so totally ready for sleep"  
"You're such an old man"  
"I know, it's my curse. Is Connie going?"  
"Of course, and Jean, and Ymir and Krista"  
"Then you don't need me. Make sure you don't do anything too embarrassing"  
Sasha rolled her eyes  
"Yes grandpa!"  
Giving him a quick hug, Sasha went back to organising herself and he grabbed his school bag out his locker   
"Right, I'm off. I'll see you Monday"  
"Sure thing!"

Walking back towards the field, he was cut short by the fact Levi was waiting for him. He smiled as he jogged the few steps over to the alpha  
"Hey Levi, where's everyone else?"  
"Mikasa and Armin had to take the boys to the bathroom, so I said I'd wait for you"  
"Thanks. So did you enjoy the game?"  
"Yeah. It was alright, but damn, you should have seen the cheerleaders. They were something else"  
Eren snorted, before grabbing Levi by the arm and pulling him around the corner of the building. He wrapped his arms around the alpha nuzzled into Levi's neck, before pressing a small kiss against it  
"Mmm, tell me about them"  
"Well, there was this brunette. Absolutely gorgeous"  
"Oh yeah. You cheating on me now?"  
"Maybe... but I tell you, you would to if you saw him. He was in this tiny skirt, and this midriff shirt..."  
Levi's hands moved to slide across the exposed skin at the bottom his shirt, causing a shiver to run down his spine   
"He sounds like a skank"  
"No... maybe... I don't know. He'd never go for someone like me"  
"Hmmm, I think he just might..."  
"Really? You'll have to introduce me"  
Eren snorted and pulled back  
"I kind of wish the kids weren't waiting..."  
"Mhmm, I can think of at least half a dozen thing I want to do to you against this wall"  
"Only half a dozen?"  
"To begin with"  
Eren smiled and let out a long yawn, interrupting their playful banter   
"Sorry, I'm really sleepy"  
"I noticed. What's the plan now? Dinner and bed?"  
"I can't even be bothered with dinner"  
"What about the boys?"  
"Mikasa and Armin would have made them dinner. It's just me who hasn't eaten"  
"Do you think they'd watched them while you got something to eat?"  
"Probably... they're really good like that"  
"Come on then, I haven't eaten either and I'm not letting you go to bed before you have"  
He really wasn't that hungry, but Levi slipped from his hold and took his hand, peaking around the corner before tugging him back out and into the lingering crowd. When the kids came into sight, Eren let go of Levi's hand   
"Sorry..."  
"No, I get it, but I'm kicking myself for not stealing a kiss"  
"If you're good, you might just get one later"  
Squatting down, Eren caught Ren as the boy ran at him, switching into mummy mode  
"Hey baby, did you enjoy the game?"  
His son nodded quickly   
"You were really pretty out there mum"  
"Thanks baby, what about now?"  
"Not so much"  
Levi laughed and Eren shot him a glare  
"Ren, you're supposed to tell mummy he's always pretty"  
"But he's not"  
Letting out a groan, Eren rose and lifted Ren up onto his hip as the others finally joined them  
"I feel so unloved right now. Eli, do you think Mumma's pretty?"  
"What's in it for me"  
Eren groaned again, now looking Armin. His friend was biting hard on his lip, obviously trying not to laugh  
"Armin, are you teaching my kids to be mean to me?"  
"Maybe. Do you want me to take him, you look ready to pass out"  
"No, I'll be fine. But I'm going to grab dinner with Levi on the way back, if that's alright"  
"I don't know. Mikasa, do you think we can handle putting the boys to bed?"  
Mikasa didn't play along with Armin's joking tone   
"It's fine. Just don't come back too late"  
Armin elbowed her and Mikasa shot him a glare  
"You were supposed to say nooooo"  
"Why? We'll be fine"  
"I know but... you know what, never mind. Do you have anywhere in mind?"  
"We'll probably stop in at McDonald's or something. We should probably start walking towards home or I'm going to fall asleep right here"

Armin and Mikasa took the boys on ahead, while Eren and Levi ended up at a Kebab shop near the omegas building. Given a few families who'd obviously been at the game were also in the store, no one noticed the pair sitting in the back corner. Eren was sitting between Levi's legs, his own legs over the alpha's right one and his head rested against Levi's shoulder while the alpha slowly fed him the last of his fries  
"This is nice. I feel like a princess with you feeding me"  
Levi snorted and reached for another fry  
"If you were my princess, I'd be feeding you somewhere that was a lot nicer than this"  
"What's wrong with this place?"  
"Nothing, you know what I mean"  
"Hmm, maybe. I'm sorry for letting your hand go"  
"Eren, it's fine"  
"I still feel bad"  
Levi pressed a kiss to his forehead   
"Don't. It's sweet how much you care for your boys"  
"Even if I'm not pretty?"  
"You're always pretty. Like now, you're pretty tired"  
Eren shook his head and shifted in his boyfriends hold  
"That was bad. You should feel bad"  
"But I don't. I wish I didn't have to say goodnight so early"  
"It's like 9 o'clock, it's practically the middle of the night"  
"Maybe for the twins, I'm usually at work right now"  
"I don't know how you do it?"  
"You get used to it. I don't know how you manage to be a mum and keep up with everything"  
"One magical word... Daycare"  
Levi snorted and Eren shook his head at the last fry  
"I'm full"  
"Not yet you're not"  
Letting out a groan, Eren struggled up   
"It's mean to tease"  
"Who said I was teasing?"  
"Levi, you do realise Mikasa and Armin are sleeping in my bed tonight? And I'll be sleeping in with the twins"  
"And you realise that I haven't gotten to touch my gorgeous boyfriend in like a month. Just take my hand and follow me"  
Following Levi turned into slipping into an empty alley and then up a fire escape. Levi seemed pretty happy with himself as he pulled Eren over to look at the lights across the city. With Levi's arms wrapped around him, Eren gazed down at the their small slice of the world  
"It's beautiful"  
"I know, and no ones going to care what we get up to"  
The alpha rutted up against him and Eren let out a low whine  
"Fuck..."

Alone on the rooftop, Eren's hands gripped the low concrete wall while Levi's fingers slowly continued to tease him. He'd expected the alpha to claim him the moment his skirt and shorts hit the ground, but now Levi was taking his time to finger him, while devouring his mouth. Every part of Eren was on fire, and he wanted the alpha to hurry up, but at the same time he never wanted the pained pleasure to end. Biting down on Levi's lip, Eren pulled it lightly and Levi growled  
"Eren..."  
Releasing Levi's lip, Eren moved to kiss the alpha quickly, before spinning and grinding his arse up against his boyfriend   
"Levi..."  
"Are you sure you're ready? I don't want to hurt you"  
"You've had your fingers up my arse for the last 5 minutes, I am more than ready and I want you inside of me when I cum"  
"There's something really hot about hearing those words out of your delicate pink lips"  
"Then why don't you prove it"

Taking his hips, Levi pushed into his heat with one hard thrust, causing both of them to moan. Once again Eren felt impossibly full, and the alpha hadn't even begun to move. Taking his erection into his hand, he mewed lewdly as he started jerking himself  
"Shit... you have no idea how fucking hot that is"  
"Well I wouldn't have to play with myself if you'd start moving already"  
Levi let out a snarl the alpha's teeth nipped lightly his exposed shoulder blade. Levi rolled his hips and Eren swore his eyes rolled back with pleasure. The alpha must have been feeling the same fever that was filling him, because it didn't Levi long to be slamming harshly into him, while Eren's palms scraped at the brickwork. He couldn't even care, his orgasm hitting before he realised and the last of his rational thought left him with it. Levi's knot flared almost immediately straight after, forcing a second orgasm before the warmth of the first had begun to fade. His boyfriend immediately began to nuzzle against his back and Levi's arms wrapped around his waist  
"I don't care what anyone says, you're pretty all the time"  
Eren let out a sleepy laugh  
"Thanks. The boys can be a pretty tough crowd"  
"I know. I made the mistake of agreeing with Eli that you were pretty and he made it very clear that you were his mum"  
"They have their moments. And I'm like 100% sure that their alpha's"  
"Really?"  
"Yeah, they were pretty big when they were born, even for Wolfblood's"  
"That sounds painful"  
"It was... but mum was there. She helped me while dad delivered them. I thought my whole body was going to split in two"  
Levi let out a low whistle and Eren nodded  
"Pretty much. But I'd do it all over again"  
"Who knows, maybe we'll have pups some day. That would be crazy hot. Your stomach all big and swollen with my pups..."  
Levi's hands moved to rub Eren's stomach, while the alpha rocked his hips in a vain attempt to start up a new rhythm. Eren couldn't stop himself from mewing at the sensation. Levi wanted pups with him... the alpha was probably just swept up in the moment, and he definitely wasn't having pups again anytime soon, but fuck, if sex with Levi was going to always be this good he was more than happy to practice making them. When the alpha's knot finally went down, Eren slid from Levi's hold  
"I want to kiss you while you fuck me"  
Levi claimed his mouth, while his hands came to lift Eren up by his arse, the omega wrapping his legs securely around Levi before sinking back down onto the alpha's erection. He was mostly able to build the rhythm with his own strength, but grew sloppy as Levi's knot grew and the alpha snarled before holding him down firmly. Cum dribbled from his spent penis and he passed out for a moment in his boyfriends arms. His third was apparently his limit at the moment, but he was more than happy to test that... when he and Levi were alone and in a bed   
"You back with me?"  
Eren nodded sleepily, wrapping his arms tighter around Levi   
"Sorry..."  
Levi nuzzled against his face  
"It's late, we've been up here a fair while"  
"Not long enough"  
"No, not long enough. But you need sleep and I don't want to get on the wrong side of Armin and Mikasa"  
"It's probably safer you don't... given their in town for the weekend, do you want to come to the zoo with us on Sunday? The twins learnt about them at daycare and I said I'd take them"  
"I don't know, I mean. I don't want to intrude and I don't want to accidentally kiss you or something and then make things all complicated"  
Eren sighed softly   
"You're probably right... I can't have it both ways"  
"You'll tell the twins when you're ready, I'm fine with waiting"  
"How can you be this nice to me?"  
"Because you're you. My first crush that I never thought I'd get to see again"  
Eren hummed and readjusted in Levi's hold  
"Monday night? It'll be just me and the boys on Monday night..."  
"I can do Monday..."  
"Good... I'd really like to continue this in a bed"  
"And after you've gotten a good night sleep"  
"Well, that too. The twins were having nightmares last night. Ren woke up first, then Eli. I'd only just gotten one settled when the other one started..."  
His boyfriend nuzzled his face and gently kissed his temple  
"I'm sorry you've been doing this alone. I get so confused and mad that anyone could leave you"  
"I've come to terms with it. Besides, I'm yours now, right?"  
"Very much mine. My knots going down, can you stand?"  
"I'm going to have to right? We still need to head back down the fire escape"  
"Yeah... I didn't really think of that"  
"It's fine. The city looks so pretty from up here"  
Unwrapping his legs, he would have fallen if his arms weren't still around Levi's shoulder   
"Whoops, sit on the edge and I'll slide your shorts up for you"  
"And my skirt"  
"And your skirt"

After redressing him, Levi carried him over to the fire escape and let Eren slowly climb down first. Once on the ground Eren insisted on walking, but Levi kept a firm hold around his waist. It was nice. They'd won the game, his boys seemed happy, his boyfriend was happy and he'd just been fucked under the stars. Yeah. Today had been a good day. Levi walked him all the way to his unit door, the alpha wouldn't take no for an answer and kissed him goodbye gently. Eren had a dopey smile on his face as he slipped into the unit and locked the door behind him  
"Mummy!"  
He sighed and looked to where Ren and Eli were sitting between Armin and Mikasa   
"Hey babies, you should be sleeping"  
"Uncle Armin and Aunty Mikasa said we could watch a movie until you got home. Where were you?"  
"I went out to dinner with Levi"  
"I don't like Levi, he said you were pretty"  
"Is that the only reason you don't like him?"  
Eli nodded and Eren felt the moment of panic pass  
"He let me sit in his lap"  
"That was nice of him. Mummy is going to take a shower, I want you both in bed by the time I get out"  
"Buuuuut mum... the movies nearly over"  
"How longs left?"  
Armin moved the mouse  
"About 20 minutes"  
"Alright, you can finish it. And make sure you give your aunt and uncle a big hug and kiss for being so awesome"  
"We will"  
Heading into the bathroom, Eren stripped slowly. He didn't want Levi's smell to wash down the drain, but the slick and semen running down his legs told him he needed to shower. Still, he took his time and could barely keep his eyes open when he climbed over the bathroom edge. Hopefully the boy would sleep through the night. He dried and pulled on his pyjama pants, before brushing his teeth and checking himself in the mirror. Levi had left a few small marks on his back, which weren't that bad. His hands were slightly grazed, but it wasn't enough to really worry about. Snagging his shirt, he pulled it on as he walked into his room  
"The boys are in their room"  
Nodding at Mikasa's words, Eren headed in and found Eli and Ren curled up together. Squatting down, he gently kissed both boys on the forehead  
"Good night babies"  
"Night mum..."  
He leant in and both boys gave him small kisses. They were very clearly exhausted, and he knew they would be asleep the moment he turned the light off. With the boys in one bed, be could just use Eli's.

Returning to his room, he smiled tiredly at Mikasa and Armin as he sat on the edge of his bed  
"Go on, give me the lecture"  
Armin shook his head   
"No lecture. Was dinner good?"  
"Yeah, I sat in his lap and he fed me"  
Armin wrinkled his nose  
"I haven't heard it called that before"  
"We didn't have sex at the kebab shop"  
"But you had sex"  
"Don't worry, I'm still on birth control. I don't plan on any more pups for a long while yet"  
Mikasa nodded, but there was still a frown on her face  
"What is it?"  
"Nothing. I just don't want him taking advantage of you"  
"He didn't. I promise"  
"I'm worried he will and you won't see it because you're head over heels"  
"That's why I have you two. To stop me from doing stupid things like that. Tonight was just... never mind. I don't think you guys need to know why"  
Armin hastened to contribute   
"We don't need to know that, we just need to make sure you don't abandon everything over it all..."  
Eren drew his brows  
"You mean the boys. You want to make sure I'm not fucking around while the boys are here crying. I wouldn't have gone out tonight if both of you hadn't been here. You both know that. Even when I was fucking Reiner I never did that and I don't intend to do that with Levi. You both know we haven't had the chance to be alone for a while, that's why I thought you didn't mind. I'm sorry that I made you feel like I was using you..."  
He didn't even know why he'd just snapped like that. He felt like they'd just told him that he wasn't trying hard enough and it hurt. He shifted and padded into the twins room, before nosing the door shut. Mikasa and Armin had no fucking idea. He'd always tried to do things on his own. He'd only asked them to babysit when he really needed a babysitter and it was outside of daycare hours. He'd said no to more offers to hang out, or catch up than he could think of, and had only taken up one after school activity. Even with his cheerleading, he always made sure his boys came first and now he felt like his friends had just told him he was a bad parent for needing one night. He climbed up and into Eli's bed, letting out a discontented whine, before telling himself he was just tired and it would all look better in the morning.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this weekend been shit. Have some fluffy zoo time!
> 
> My car died and needs to be towed, mums car died and needs to be towed. Asked a mate for a ride to school, his cars died too...
> 
> I am a jinx

Waking up to small warm bodies curled around him, Eren shifted back and pulled his sleepy sons closer. The sun was streaming in through the window and Eren pressed kisses to the tops of his boys head's   
"Good morning babies, did you sleep alright?"  
Both boys nodded against him, and Eren smiled happily. These sorts of mornings were the best, both boys had clearly slept through the night, meaning no nightmares and hopefully that meant good moods  
"I was thinking of making pancakes for breakfast, sound good?"  
"Can we have choc chips?"  
"I think we have some left. How about I run you two a bubble bath and then go check?"  
Eli nodded against him while Ren let out a sigh  
"What's wrong Ren?"  
"It's just so much effort to get out of bed"  
Eren was constantly surprised at the things his boys came out with, half the time he had no idea where they'd learnt the words from. Laughing lightly he nodded   
"I know, it's so warm and comfy here"  
"Mum, where did you have dinner last night with Levi? You took forever!"  
"Sorry baby, mummy just got caught up talking to his friend. Did you miss me?"  
"Not really, we got to stay up really late"  
"That you did. But want to know a secret?"  
Both boys nodded solemnly   
"I was really happy you did. You guys give me the best kisses"  
"Mum that's embarrassing, we're big boys now"  
"I know, and you'll be four soon"  
"Really?"  
"Yep. What do you want to do for your birthday?"  
"I want cake"  
Eli was lightening fast with his demand   
"Of course, its not a birthday without cake"  
"And can Ber and Ner come?"  
"I can ask them, all of mummy's friends will probably want to come. Is there anyone from daycare you want to invite?"  
"Maybe... but I don't want to invite girls..."  
The next bit was whispered not so softly  
"... they have girl germs"  
"Mikasa's a girl"  
"But she's oooooold, like you"  
Eren sighed, yep, time to get up  
"Maybe you shouldn't tell her that. But it's time to get up"  
Lifting both his boys at the same time he carried them out of the bedroom. Armin and Mikasa seemed to still be asleep, so Eren carried the boys straight through to the bathroom   
"Do you want bubblegum or strawberry bubbles?"  
"Strawberry, right Ren?"  
Ren nodded sleepily before stumbling towards the toilet. Eren busied himself turning the bath taps on, and finding the strawberry bubble bath. He may have squirted too much in, but the boys would love it. 10 minutes later both boys were sitting in the mass of white bubbles playing happily  
"Mummy's going to leave the door open, so call me if anything happens"  
"Relax mum, you worry too much"  
"It's only because I love you"  
"We know, we love you too"  
Eli nodded at Ren's words and Eren smiled brightly. Flattery would definitely get these boys extra choc chips.

With the batter made, Eren bribed both boys out the bath. He dressed them for the day ahead, taking into consideration that they needed to go food shopping, and then sent them to climb into bed with Armin and Mikasa while he started cooking pancakes. Neither of his friends seemed particularly happy to be awoken, even when both boys gushed over the pancakes he was currently making. Armin was the first to brave him, and Eren's gut twisted uncomfortably as his friend came into the kitchen   
"Look. We didn't mean to make it sound like we were having a go at you last night. We were just worried because you chose Levi over the boys"   
Eren's hands shook as he forced himself to flip the pancake   
"He put you through so much before, you can't blame us for being worried"  
"Look Armin. If it ever came down to it, I would chose the boys over Levi in a heartbeat... but I needed last night. I don't think you and Mikasa understand what it's like to have to tiny lives depend on you all the time. Every time they're sick, your heart breaks. Every time someone picks on them, you want to break their face. Every time someone asks you out, you've got to put them first. Every time you want to do something, but they want to do something else, you fold and do what they want. Every choice you make you always second guess. Are you a good mother? Can you be better? Is anyone bullying them because their mother is a slut or so young? I spread my legs for the alpha I'm bonded to, and they shouldn't have to cop the fall out, but they do. So I'm sorry I trusted you with my sons, but last night, I needed someone to take care of me, instead of me taking care of them"  
"Eren, if your struggling that much..."  
Flipping the pancake out the pan, Eren slammed it down on the stove top  
"I'm not fucking struggling and I won't have you making me feel like a shit parent"  
"It's alright to need help"  
"Armin. I don't want to get mad with you. This conversation is over. Now, I'm making pancakes for breakfast. Do you want chocolate chips or plain?"  
"Chocolate chips"  
"Good, now go talk to the boys and I'll bring these over to the table when they're done"  
Fucking hell Armin. He did all of that was asked of him. His boys were happy and healthy, why wasn't that enough.

The tension between him and his friends lasted all the way up to late afternoon. His friends had totally ruined his normal  
shopping plan. He didn't shop for the fun things like chocolates and lollies with the boys. It only ended up with them wanting everything and crying when they didn't. Armin got bitten by karma in this respect. The blonde teen had had to soothe two screaming boys when Eren said they couldn't have the shiny chocolates they'd seen on the upper shelf. The shine was the aluminium wrapper of each tiny bottle of alcoholic chocolate in their box. His sons didn't understand, to them it was just pretty chocolate and Armin was failing miserably at getting his point back. The silly teen had seemed to think substituting the shiny chocolates for more age appropriate ones would calm the boys. It didn't do anything. His sons wouldn't be so easily brought and the argument didn't come to an end until Eren lifted both boys off the floor and dumped them in the trolley, before ignoring their crying and continuing the food shopping. When they got to the check out, the boys did their usual jobs and passed him the things to place up on the register belt. Their lips still trembled, and their faces snotty, but they were taking deep breaths in an obvious attempt to calm themselves. Grabbing a giant Freddo, Eren placed that in with everything else. Once it was scanned the woman looked to him and Eren nodded before taking it and snapping it in half  
"Mummy loves you, but you were very naughty. Do you understand?"  
Both boys nodded sadly  
"And what do we say when we do something wrong?"  
"Sorry mummy"  
"Alright. Here you go. Now, no more tears"  
"Thank you mummy"  
Eren cast a side look towards Armin and Mikasa, both seemed slightly shocked at the rapid change of attitude. Top that bitches. This was why he was the mum, and they were the aunt and uncle. 

Leaving the shop, Mikasa decided she wanted to go clothes shopping, and Armin hastened to say he was going with her. Eren let them go off and do as they pleased as he headed out to the taxi rack. He couldn't wait for the day he wouldn't have to catch a taxi every where. Though, it wasn't like he could afford a car. He didn't waste money, but everyday life was expensive. Power, has, water, food, clothes, daycare, school costs, vaccinations, medication, rent... it unfortunately added up and it fucking sucked. It might take a while, but one day his friends would get that living alone and trying to keep everything running wasn't easy.

Arriving home, he settled the boys down and called Grandpa Arlert while he put the shopping away. He knew the old man would understand both sides of this current issue, and he wanted to give the man a bit of a warning before Armin came home on Monday. He didn't want to get Armin into trouble, the teen had had to survive one of the boys tantrums and that had been bad enough. The old man had sighed deeply at his words, but then had unexpectedly asked Eren to bring Levi down to meet him. Eren had no idea what to say to that, other than that he'd been trying to keep a just friends facade going around the twins. This was why talking to Grandpa Arlert was so easy to talk to. He just understood. Eren could basically tell him anything, and the old man would always talk to him like he was an adult. When he'd first been stuck living with them due to his broken arm, the man hadn't bothered sugar coating his thoughts. It had been a hard pill to swallow, but now Eren was grateful for it, it had helped him develop the backbone he needed to survive in the world. He felt so much better after the phone call, Grandpa Arlert had assured him it wasn't selfish to need a little time or space to himself, and had reassured him he was doing the best he could under the circumstances. When the shopping was away, he settled down in twins room with them, both boys curled up against him as they watched a movie on his laptop. He couldn't help but sing along to the Lion King soundtrack, and his sons constantly hushed him. Ren even putting his hand over his mouth  
"Mum... please just let the animals sing"   
He nodded and his son lowered his hand, but shot him a warning look. They were still watching it when Armin and Mikasa arrived back, given they had keys, he didn't bother moving from where he was snuggled up. They had a pretty good set up as it was. He'd brought in sandwiches and they sat on the draws beneath the window, with a pack of fruit boxes. So no one could complain he didn't feed the boys  
"Mum... are you and uncle Armin fighting?"  
"No baby, why do you think that?"  
"Because he's not talking to you"  
"Everything's fine"  
"And we're still going to the zoo right?"  
"Yeah baby. You want to see the lions right?"  
Ren nodded  
"And I want to see the wolves"  
"Of course you do baby"  
"What about you mummy? What do you want to see?"  
"The fish..."  
"Fish are boring"  
"Tell me if you still feel the same after seeing them tomorrow"  
"We will. Is Levi coming?"  
Eren frowned, and then realised he hadn't actually bothered to message his boyfriend all day. Whoops  
"No baby, just us and uncle Armin and Aunty Mikasa"  
"Oh... ok..."  
"Did you want him too?"  
"Nah... as long as you're there"

There was a small knock on the bedroom door and Mikasa came in  
"Hey boys, what are doing?"  
"Watching the Lion King"  
"Oh, that's a good movie"  
"Yep! And we're going to see lions tomorrow"  
"And wolves!"  
"Aunty Mikasa, what's your favourite animal?"  
"I don't know, but Meerkats are pretty cute"  
"What's a Meerkat?"  
"I'll show you tomorrow. Can I join you?"  
Eli squished himself impossibly closer as to make space for Mikasa. The girl barely made it onto the edge of the bed, but wrapped her arms around Eli  
"Where's Armin?"  
"He's in the living room..."  
"Did he recover after the tantrum?"  
"That was intense... it's not often the boys get like that"  
"That's why I try and avoid that isle when I'm with them. Parents get all shitty over fighting with their children because of fun packaging, but I just avoid the things I know will set them off, at least until their older"  
"Yeah... Eren, I don't want to fight. Things got out of hand and I don't want that"  
"I don't either Mikasa. I get you're both worried, but Armin made me feel totally shit. His heart might be in the right place, but I really am trying my best"  
"I just don't want Levi to hurt you"  
"I know. But you also have to remember a certain neck wound... it's all complicated and I really didn't think it would turn into a mess like it has"  
"I didn't either. So we're still friends?"  
"Of course we are. You think I would stand a change against these two if they couldn't see their favourite aunt and uncle"  
"Thanks, and I'm sorry for my part in all this and with what happened at the supermarket"  
"It's already forgotten"  
It wasn't really, but he really didn't want to reopen the freshly scabbing wounds.

Armin was quite through dinner, but would talk to the twins when they talked to him. Mikasa was trying extra hard, and Eren was struggling to ignore the vibrating phone in his pocket. After finishing the lion king, he'd texted Levi and the alpha was now bombarding him with quotes from the movie. It was another side to Levi he hadn't expected, and he was secretly dying to bed Levi to come to the zoo. It was his son's first time after all... but with Armin being a sulk, it kind of made things hard. The last thing he needed was the blonde exploding and telling the alpha the truth.

 

*  
Both boys were beyond excited when they woke Eren the following morning. They'd both already chosen what they wanted to wear for the day, and even had their shoes and socks ready. Their excitement was infectious and Eren stayed with them while they bathed and chatted about all the different animals. Some of the boys pronunciation left a lot to be desired, but that only added to Eren's happiness as he gentle corrected them. He really couldn't believe they'd both be four so soon. His own birthday was at the end of the following month, and then it was a hop, skip and a jump to June 17th. Shaking his head to shake away his distracting thoughts, he smiled down at his boys  
"I think it's time to get out"  
Both his sons allowed him to lift them out the bath and dry them down. Eren grabbed the sunscreen he'd bought yesterday in preparation for today. It would help hide the boys scent so some of the more finicky animals wouldn't run at the sight of them. Both boys grimaced as he rubbed it on, but stayed still, obviously knowing it was a necessary evil. He kissed them both before sending them to go dress and showered quickly. He applied the same sunscreen as they boys, and left it on the counter in clear view for his friends. Padding into his room, he headed over and grabbed his own clothes off the hanging rack. A nice white peplum shirt, with torn black skinny legs jeans and black sneakers. He wanted to look nice for the millions of photos he knew his friends would take. Mikasa and Armin stayed hidden under the blankets until he declared he was dressed and it was safe. Mikasa was the first to emerge and had barely made it halfway to the bathroom when both boys launched themselves on her  
"Aunty Mikasa!"  
Mikasa smiled down at the two boys  
"Hey boys, you excited for today?"  
"Yes! But we still have to have breakfast!"  
Mikasa laughed lightly and hugged both boys quickly   
"And while Eren organises that, Armin and I will be getting ready"  
"Well don't take too long! We want to go!"  
Having been given her marching orders Mikasa disappeared into the bathroom and the boys turned their attention to Armin   
"Uncle Armin! Get up! Get up! Geeeeet uuuuuup!"  
Both boys jumped on the Armin shaped lump and Armin let out a yelp  
"I'm up! Mercy!"  
"Never!"  
Eren left his boys to torment Armin while he set about making three bowls of cereal. He frowned as he pouted the fruit loops into the bowl. The colours had been so much brighter when he was a kid. But the boys liked it all the same and they probably needed the sugar boost... he carried their two bowls to the table   
"Boys, breakfast!"  
The twins abandoned Armin and rushed to sit at the table. Eli started eating immediately while Ren stared at the bowl  
"What is it baby?"  
"I'm too excited to eat"  
Eren dropped a kiss on his sons head  
"We can't leave until you have"  
His son hastened to pick up his soon and began to eat, which meant Eren could eat his own breakfast now the boys were settled.

Armin was quiet on the bus ride to the zoo, but it wasn't like any of them could get a word in with how fast both boys were talking. Even complete strangers were laughing at his son's antics and the boys were lapping up the attention. When their stop finally came, both boys waved and yelled "goodbye" to everyone. Eren could only shake his head as he ushered them off the bus. 

Trost Zoo was set in the heart of the city. It's brass plate on its old stone walls proclaimed that it had opened September of 1917, and Eren loved the fact they'd kept the original entrance building and walls. So many old building were torn down these days, and sure, the interior may have been updated but the original facade remained. Both boys were eager to explain to the woman manning the ticket booth that this was their first time. Even though she probably heard the same thing a hundred times a day, she still smiled and assured the boys they'd love it. Eren paid for all their tickets, to him it felt like passing through the ticket barrier had landed them in another world. Everything was so freaking green and the earth smell had him wishing he could shift and roll around on the grass. Ren and Eli ran over to the park map, while Eren took his time to cross few metres  
"Mum, where's the lions?"  
It was probably best to get most of what they wanted to see out the way first. Given how much energy the small pair had already used, Eren wouldn't be surprised if they crashed hard come lunch time. He tapped the lion at the top left hand corner and both boys let out long sighs  
"What's with the sighing?"  
Mikasa's voice made the three of them jump   
"The lions are all the way over there, now we'll never get to see them"  
Mikasa looked at Eren and they both couldn't help but laugh  
"I promise you'll see the lions, right Armin?"  
Armin nodded  
"It's not that far"  
"But you've got long legs..."  
"I'm pretty sure I'm the only one with long legs here, and I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who can do this"  
Swooping down, Eren hefted Ren up and onto his shoulders, his son let out a scream of delight, while Eli looked less than impressed   
"Now, so this is fair, I'll carry Ren half way up here, and then I'll carry you the other half Eli"  
"And I'll piggyback you in the mean time"  
Mikasa leant down so Eli could climb onto her back  
"Armin, you're the official photographer for today! We need a photo of this!"  
Armin snapped to attention at Mikasa's word, and had to walk back a few metres to fit all of Ren in. 

The kids were shocked at everything. Ren and Eli both got to hold a small carpet python in the reptile house, posing with toothy grins so Eren could take a slightly obscene amount of photos. It was then mummy's turn, and the snake promptly tried to make a run for it down his shirt. Armin also had a hold, but Mikasa just had a pat, even there she didn't look to enjoy it all. From the reptile house, they wove their way through the aviary, and the butterfly house. Eli went crosseyed trying to look at the butterfly that landed on his nose and as adorable as this all was, Eren wished Levi was seeing it all too. Opening up his text conversations with Levi, he sent through the photos of the boys holding the snake. Captioned "we wish you were here".

Finally they reached the lions and Ren let out a huge gasp. Three lionesses sat against the glass seperate, and a lion was lazing up on a ledge over them  
"Look Eli!"  
Eli climbed down from Eren's shoulders, while Ren clambered from Mikasa's hold, both boys plastering themselves against the railing   
"Look mummy! Look how big they are!"  
"I can see baby!"  
Taking a video of his sons talking excitedly to the kitty, Eren couldn't stop smiling. One day when they weren't living in a shitty unit, he wanted to get them a pet. Ren would want a cat, but Eli might like something else. But this was as good as they were getting for now. They spent a good half an hour staring at the lions, before moving on to the other big cats. He liked the tigers, and Ren liked them but "no where near as much as the lions", he son had informed them all when Mikasa had asked.

The wolves were Eli's clear favourite. They were in the opposite corner to the lions, past the tigers, elephants and rhinos. It was kind of funny how much both boys loved looking a the wolves, it was like they'd never seen one. Given no one was close, shifted and sat between the boys while Armin took a photo. He shifted back quickly when voice reached them, but they got a couple of good photos of him sitting and begging. Eren supposed he could just get a job at the zoo if things didn't work out. People liked their novelty photos and he could easily pose as a wolf. 

Lunch was a shared plate of fries and nachos, the boys had begun to lose some of their steam which meant he could carry them around on his hip now, instead of his aching shoulders. He texted Levi through their hour long break, the alpha was home and in bed, apparently Farlan and Isabel had decided last night was a great night to have people over for drinks and Levi was now nursing a nasty hangover. It didn't stop Eren from bombarding Levi was his favourite photos from their visit so far.

The afternoon was spent weaving their way back towards the front of the zoo. The boys both loved the giant pandas, and the red pandas. Mikasa had shown them what meerkats were, and they'd been happy right up until they hit the deer petting enclosure. Eli had cried when they'd stepped into the deer enclosure and a deer had headbutted him pretty much immediately. A wolf brought to tears by a deer... who would have thought. The penguins and polar bears saw the last of the boys enthusiasms, Ren wanted to be carried and the boy clung to him sleepily as they headed into the aquarium. Even the petting pool got no enthusiasm, but Eren was pretty happy he got to touch a shark. Sure it might have been the same length of a ruler, but a shark was still a shark. With nothing more that Mikasa and Armin wanted so see, they made their way through to the gift shop. Ren was practically asleep in his arms, and Eli in Armin's, but Eren wanted to buy them something for being so good. He found Ren a soft toy lion, and a wolf for Eli... though the boy had half a dozen stuffed ones as it was, and brought himself a soft tiger. Mikasa and Armin brought their own things, but Eren was left mulling his options over. He wanted to get Levi something... pulling out his phone, he called his boyfriend and didn't give the alpha anytime to think  
"Pick an animal"  
"What?"  
"Pick an animal"  
"I don't know... a giraffe"  
Eren hung straight up and grabbed a stuffed giraffe. Levi was bringing this one on himself and he supposed the should joke about his short boyfriend picking the tallest animal. He paid for the pile of soft toys, and grabbed a tea towel too... and then a keychain out the zoos motif on it. There was space for a photo and he figured that would do for grandpa Arlert.


	19. Chapter 19

Levi woke with the sun, he rolled over and smiled. He got to spend time with Eren tonight, and he couldn't deny he was excited. His boyfriend had had a good weekend by the seems of it, and he couldn't deny the photos of the boys that Eren had sent were rather cute. But the ones Eren had been tagged in were even cuter, his boyfriend had been smiling so lovingly in each of them and he looked stunning in that white top. Eren was clearly comfortable in his own skin, but damn, Levi wished he'd been there to fight off any alpha's who'd given the omega a second look.

Walking to school with Izzy and Farlan, he was already texting Eren. It started with him texting the teen good morning and now they were chatting about the weather. It was a stupid topic, and they were pulling the piss out of it completely. The day was ridiculously bright and beautiful, but Eren insisted the forecaster had said there'd be rain. His boyfriend had him choking on his lungful of smoke by betting him a blowjob it would. Izzy stared at him curiously, clearly wanting to know why he was coughing his lungs up, but he was still trying to recover from the double shock. 

Arriving at school, his two friends went on ahead as he came over to where Eren was waiting on his own, he frowned at the teens lack of his friends but his boyfriend took his hands and smiled brightly  
"Good morning"  
Levi raised an eyebrow and Eren shrugged  
"It's not a good morning?"  
"No, its pretty good. Where's your usual tag alongs?"  
"They've already headed in. I had to drop the boys off, so I told them to head off early. Besides, they've been playing the awesome aunt and uncle all weekend. They need real people time"  
"Fair enough, what about you? Do you need real people time?"  
"No. Boyfriend time maybe, but I'm completely over people"  
Levi frowned  
"Wanna tell me about it?"  
"Not now. Guess what, we got you something yesterday"  
Eren let go of his hands and slid his bag between them. Levi laughed as the omega pulled out a stuffed giraffe   
"So that's why you want to know"  
"Yep, I wanted to get you something..."  
"I should have picked something more manly"  
"Nah, it suits you"  
"We both know it totally doesn't, what did you get?"  
"I got a tiger. Ren got a lion and Eli a wolf to join his collection"  
"Oh yeah, can they shift yet?"  
"The probably could if I told them how, but I don't particularly want any accidental shifts at daycare"  
"Good call, you're such a good mum"  
Eren's face fell slightly and Levi couldn't help but feel his own happiness draining away  
"What's wrong?"  
"I'll tell you tonight, it was just a long weekend"  
"You sure? We still have a little time..."  
"No, I just want to enjoy this a little longer"  
Eren slung his bag back and took Levi's hands again, his thumbs rubbed the back of Levi's hands lightly  
"Do you want to come have dinner with us tonight?"  
"Are you sure? I thought you wanted to take things slow around the boys"  
"I did, but I've had Mikasa and Armin all weekend, it's not going to hurt anything by having you around"  
Levi wasn't exactly sure how he should take the teens words, his stomach knotted a little, it was like Eren was saying he was just another friend. His tone carried a hint of the hurt anger he was trying not feel  
"I'm touched"  
His boyfriend sighed and hung his head  
"It feels like all I've done this weekend is fuck up, you don't have to if you don't want to"  
"I was just worried about doing or saying something wrong..."  
"Levi, I get it. It's fine. I'm just... yeah... maybe we should just head in"  
Eren pushed himself off the half wall he'd been leaning against, and Levi hated how shitty he felt. Something's was definitely weighing on the omegas mind, and if it helped his boyfriend smile again, then of course he'd come  
"Eren, wait. If you'll have me, I'd love to"  
His boyfriend brightened up immediately, the teen pulling him in for a hug  
"Thank you. I promise I'll tell you about it all tonight"  
"Ok... let me walk you to class?"  
Eren nodded, the teen keeping a hold on his hand as they walked into the entrance.

By lunch time the rumour mill was at once again on over drive. Their holding hands had been blown right out, Levi even heard some girls whispering that he'd been caught having sex with Eren. It was water off his back, but he worried about his boyfriend. Eren had wanted to take it slow, but now the whole school knew and people were gossiping about his boyfriends sex life. It fucking pissed him off. His boyfriend was a person, he had feelings and they all gave zero fucks about them. Walking across the cafeteria, Eren rose as he approached, the alpha didn't pause before pulling him up close and claiming his lips, causing his boyfriend to blush so beautifully   
"So, I take it you heard? Apparently we're dating?"  
"Mhmm. We were also caught having sex in the locker room... why didn't you tell me we did? I feel like I totally missed out"  
Levi looked down as if checking his watch for the time  
"I think we can still fit it in if we leave now"  
"But that's so much life effort"  
"I know right, we could just go for it here"  
Eren snorted, before pulling away  
"Alright, that's enough of that. Are you going to sit with us?"  
"I don't know, are you going to make a move on me?"  
"You should be so lucky"  
"Ok, that's enough boys. Some of us are still trying to eat"  
Sasha's tone had Eren laughing and Levi hastened to sit, before Eren sat on his lap  
"Alright then. So guys, this is Levi, he's been my boyfriend for like 6 weeks now"  
"Whaaaa! You said he was a friend!"  
"He is... he's my boy-friend"  
Sasha glared at him  
"How could you not share?"  
"Because I knew you'd all grill him"  
"That's besides the point"  
"Sasha, it's totally the point"  
Casting a glance around the table, his eyes came to Armin and Mikasa. Mikasa had a tight smile, but Armin looked annoyed. Nodding at both of them, he yelped when Eren pinched him  
"What was that for?"  
"Because Isabel and Farlan are standing over there staring at us, and you were busy looking off into LaLa land"  
"I wasn't, I was silently saying hello to Armin and Mikasa. Do you guys mind if I call my friends over?"  
"Oooh, the more the merrier"  
Sasha spoke for the group it seemed and Levi waved Izzy and Farlan over  
"Nice to see you again Eren. I'm surprised made it out the janitors closet"  
Levi rolled his eyes   
"What can I say? He's gorgeous"  
Izzy awed while one of Eren's friends made gagging sounds   
"Guys, this is Isabel and Farlan, Levi's friends"  
Izzy gave a bright smile as she sat beside them, and Farlan took the last bit of bench space   
"Um, nice to meet you all?"  
Sasha rose, confusing his two friends   
"Alright, so I'm Sasha, this is my boyfriend Connie. That Jean, he's in a bromance with Connie. Then we have Ymir and her girlfriend Krista. The next blonde is Armin and finally Mikasa. You already know Eren and Levi"  
This chick definitely had to be mental. Sasha sat, but immediately looked to him  
"What do you think of Eren's brothers? They're adorable right?"  
"Yeah, they're not bad for brats"  
It was probably the most social lunch he'd ever had. The group of teens were chilled and laid back, and it seemed nothing was off limits. After weeks of hiding it, it was nice to be Eren's boyfriend in public too.

Eren waited for him after school, by the school gate, and Levi smiled as he approached   
"Hey you"  
"Hey, fancy meeting you here"  
"I know right! Goddamn stalkers these days"  
Eren laughed and took his hand  
"Sooo, I have to pick up two little boys, wanna walk with me?"  
"Of course, I can't leave my boyfriend to fend for himself out there"  
"Mhmm, you're not mad are you? I mean, I didn't really think this morning..."  
"How could I be mad? I'm not ashamed of dating you if that's what you think?"  
Sure, he might not be able to keep up with Eren's rules for intimacy in public, but that was because he pretty much wanted to touch the lovely omega all the time   
"I want to say I know, but I also know I'm a lot of work. I have a lot of issues, and I have the boys..."  
"And you're doing the best you can. We'll just work things out as we go"  
Eren practically launched himself onto him and Levi held his boyfriend protectively close  
"Thank you Levi..."  
"It's nothing special. I thought it was kind of obvious that what you did"  
Eren let out a shaky breath   
"I know I said I'd tell you later, but I might as well tell you now. Armin got mad at me because we had sex on Friday night. He made it sound like I was neglecting the boys to spend time with you... I get that he was just making sure my heads still in mummy mode, but he made me question everything I'd done up until now, and it fucking hurt. Everything I do,'I always try and put the boys first. Like when dad lost it after mum died, I let him beat me so the boys wouldn't get hurt... but he basically made me feel like I should have put the boys up for adoption"  
Levi let out a snarl, he clutched Eren even tighter  
"I know we haven't been together that long, but even I can tell those boys are the centre of your world. Their eyes wouldn't be so bright if you weren't a good parent"  
Eren snorted  
"Isn't that a bit too poetic?"  
"Maybe. What else happened? Do I need to rough him up?"  
Eren shook his head slowly  
"No. I talked to Armin's grandfather. He gets it, and he'll talk to Armin about it. But fuck. You were there, he didn't mind us going out... I wasn't imagining it was I?"  
"No, you weren't imagining it. How about we order dinner tonight? I'll pay, we can have sit down, watch a movie or something with the boys?"  
"That sounds perfect. But I probably have more savings than you"  
"So what? I want to take care of you..."  
Eren nuzzled against his neck  
"Thanks Levi. We should probably head off, don't want to get in trouble for neglecting my kids"  
Eren's words held more pain than humour. He pressed a kiss to his boyfriends cheek, before letting Eren pulled back and compose himself. Armin could go fucking jump, the blonde coconut had no fucking clue about neglect. He swallowed his anger down, and took Eren's hand again, letting the omega set the pace as they walked to the daycare.

Ren was once again nervous around him it seemed, but Eli came straight up to him  
"Levi, what are you doing here?"  
"Well I heard that you guys went to the zoo, and I wanted to hear all about it"  
Eli's eyes went wide  
"You do?"  
"I do. I even heard you guys got to touch a snake!"  
Eli nodded obviously happy to have Levi's attention   
"It was cold... and slimy"  
"It was slimy?"  
"He means slippery"  
"Don't tell him what I mean mum"  
Eren bit his lip, but Levi wanted to hear the teen laugh. He definitely deserved it. He wanted Eren to feel comfortable enough around him to just be himself. Letting Eli take his hand, he let the boy begin tugging him along  
"You should have seen the snake, it tried to go down mums top!"  
"Really?"  
"Yep! The man had to pull it out"  
Lucky man... Eren looked like he wanted to sink into the ground, Levi wasn't sure why though. He thought it was pretty funny and cute.

Arriving back at Eren's unit, he was immediately tugged along by Eli and taken through into the twins room. The young boy told him to "stay there", and disappeared out the door. Levi wasn't sure what he was in for, but waited patiently until Eli returned with Ren. Ren closed the door behind them, and both boys sat on the bed across from him  
"Levi, what are you intentions with our mum"  
It was hard not to laugh at the seriousness in Eli's voice, especially since the boy had bumbled the word "intentions"  
"What do you mean?"  
"You like our mummy, don't you?"  
God. This kid... he had no words  
"And what if I do?"  
"He's our mummy"  
Eli really seemed to love emphasising Eren was theirs  
"I know he is, and I know he loves you more than anything else in this world"  
Both boys beamed as they nodded, so he seemed to be saying the right thing  
"I really like your mummy. He's super smart, and funny and nice"  
"So you want to date him?"  
"I do. Do I have your permission?"  
"Will you make mummy happy? He doesn't know it, but sometimes we hear him cry... we don't want him to cry"  
Levi felt like his heart was breaking over the boys honest words  
"But mummy doesn't know we know. So don't tell him"  
"I promise I won't"  
Eli and Ren both stuck out their little fingers  
"We take pinky promises very seriously here"  
Levi quickly held his own pinky out  
"You can't break a pinky promise"  
Both boys nodded and hooked his finger  
"I knew I liked you Levi"  
Eli beamed, but Ren still seemed a little unsure  
"Ren, is there something you want to say to me?"  
Ren sighed dramatically   
"I don't want mummy to stop loving us because he has you"  
Before he knew what he was doing, Levi sank down and wrapped his arms around both boys  
"That will never, ever happen. I don't want to take your mummy away from you. But I do want to date him and I do want to make him happy"  
Ren nodded against him  
"Ok Levi. We'll give you a try... nice doing business with you"  
Levi laughed lightly as he pulled back  
"Alright, your mummy is probably wondering what's going on"  
"'s ok we told him we had to talk to you about something really important"  
Damn, Eren had done amazing job with these kids and he was hit with a sudden fear that he wouldn't live up to their tiny expectations. Swallowing hard, he pushed himself up. This seemed to mean that he was finally off the hook, as Eli scrambled off the bed and over to the door, giving him a look that told him he was evicted.

Eren cast him a curious look when Levi emerged, and the alpha shook his head. Not now, not with little ears around   
"Mum, Levi has something to ask you"  
Levi was confused, he leant down to ask Eli what it was  
"You've got to ask him out. There's a proper order to these things"  
"I have to do it now?"  
Both boys nodded at him and Levi straightened up. He had no idea why butterflies were exploding in his stomach. He was an alpha dammit, and he already knew Eren had said yes  
"Eren Yeager, I have just been given permission to ask you something serious"  
Eren frowned, abandoning his riflings through the boys bags  
"Levi?"  
"Eren, will you please go out with me. I'm not a perfect alpha, but I want to make you happy... and these two have just given me the talk, so it's up to you. Will you take a chance with this alpha?"  
Eren's went wide, before he burst out laughing and Levi looked to the twins   
"I think I broke him"  
"Mum! Be serious! Levi's being serious!"  
Eren struggled to regain his composure   
"Sorry... sorry. Yes. Yes, Levi"  
Levi looked at the twins, both boys pleased with themselves   
"Do I get to kiss him now?"  
Ren scrunched his face up  
"If you haaaave to"  
"What if I want to?"  
"Fine. Come on Eli, we soooo don't have to see this"  
The boys retreated back to their room and Levi crossed to the kitchen, before hefting himself up to sit on the bench beside the kid's bags  
"Well that just happened"  
"It did... did you tell them we were dating?"  
"Nope. They wanted to know my intentions and well, there was a lecturer and a pinky promise"  
Eren groaned   
"Why does this shit have to happen all at once. I think things are finally settling down, and then something else comes up"  
"I'm sorry. Look, this doesn't change anything. We'll still take it slow. I won't come around without your permission"  
"Levi, what if something goes wrong? The boys clearly like you. Enough to give you permission to date me... they don't even know you..."  
Grabbing his boyfriends hand, pulled Eren over to him, and hooked his legs around Eren's waist so he couldn't escape  
"And what if things don't go wrong? I'm not going to abandon you, not when I'm completely crazy about you"  
His boyfriends eyes filled with tears and Levi took Eren's face in his hands  
"Hey, no crying"  
"I'm... sorry..."  
"You've got nothing to be sorry for. I'm not like the boys father, I'm not going to kick you to the curb, even if something were to happen. I want to be here with you"  
Eren let out a shaky breath   
"Thanks Levi... can I have that kiss now?"  
"You can have all the kisses you want"  
Wiping away Eren's tears first, Levi gently kissed the omega, trying not to get too swept up in the moment. Each time his lips met Eren's he was filled with happiness and warmth. Something he really hadn't had that much of in his life. Eren probably didn't even realise how happy he made him.

They had pizza for dinner, both boys had told him no mushroom or funny fish. Levi assured them he didn't love mushrooms or funny fish either. So he ordered a meat lovers and a supreme with a large bottle of sprite. He was more a coke person, but Eren wanted sprite and what his omega wanted he got. When the delivery man arrived, the pour guy was saturated   
"Ok, silly question. Is it raining?"  
"No, I just swim in puddles for fun"  
Ignoring Eren laughing in the background, he paid the man accepted the order. He'd expected to to have dinner sitting at the table, but Eren grabbed a stack of plastic cups and settled down with the boys on his bed. All the alpha could think about was crumbs, but with 3 sets of confused eyes staring at him, he had no chance and carried the pizza over to Eren's bed. After dinner they settled down and watched Beauty and The Beast. He quickly realised Eren had a thing for singing along, and that the boys were obviously used to tell him to be quiet. All it took was a look for Eren to shut up quickly. The boys were enthralled by the movie, completely oblivious to Levi holding Eren's hand. He'd gotten far to comfortable and was confused when Eren was suddenly shuffling both boys to the bathroom  
"It's bed time"  
Oh. Yeah. That. Picking up Eren's neglected laptop, he powered it down and moved it from the omegas bed, while Eren fussed over his boys. He'd only been in the boys rooms for seconds when he was coming back out sighing  
"Levi. Your wanted"  
Levi was confused, Eren's face gave nothing away and he was sure he hadn't fucked up. Walking into the room, he smiled at both the boys laying in their beds  
"Yes?"  
"Good job Levi. Keep it up"  
Eli nodded at Ren's words  
"Thanks boys, I was pretty nervous"  
"Levi, will you tuck us in?"  
How does one tuck a child in? He moved awkwardly, pulling the blankets up to their shoulders  
"I have to admit that I have no idea what I'm doing?"  
"You've got to put the wall light on now. And then your jobs done"  
"So no hugs?"  
"Do we have to?"  
"I don't know, you guys are the experts here"  
Eli hummed  
"No, no hugs. Goodnight Levi"  
"Goodnight boys"  
He found the switch for the light that Ren had mentioned. It was wolf shaped and practically blended in with everything else wolf like in the room. Switching the main light off, he closed the door carefully   
"Sorry, apparently I had to tuck them in... now what happens?"  
"Usually I do my homework and the dishes, then given the house a quick clean up"  
"Well, I can help..."  
"Do you have homework?"  
He had maths... he didn't want to do maths...  
"I'll take that as a yes. Get it out and you can do yours while I do mine"  
"I'd rather you do mine..."  
It took Eren a moment to realise what he'd said and what Levi meant  
"Down boy, not until the boys are asleep"  
"I know. But I do believe I owe you a blow job"  
"Levi... don't... it's hard enough as it is"  
"It's hard is it"  
His boyfriend let out a groan and walked over to pick his bag up from near the bed. Eren then made a point of pulling his homework out, and Levi sighed  
"Fine. But can I have a cigarette first?"  
"You did well holding out this long. You'll have to go all the way out to the front if you want to smoke"  
Levi nodded  
"Fair enough. I'll be right back"

20 minutes later, he was back in Eren's unit. The omega had changed into a singlet and pyjama bottoms in his absence and Levi couldn't wait to get him out of them. He forced himself to copy his boyfriend and pulled his homework out  
"What are you doing?"  
"Social studies... you?"  
"Math... I wish I had cookies..."  
"How about this, if you do your homework, I'll make extra cookies next time"  
Looking Eren in the eye, he held up his pinky  
"You have to promise"  
"Oh god. Of course"  
Eren hooked his finger and shook  
"Yay! Cookies!"  
"You do realise I didn't say when I would be making any. I might just start buying the ones in the box"  
"Then I'll have to drop some subtle hints to the boys"  
"Nooo... that's not playing fair. I can't say no to them"  
"I know. One might say it's brilliant"  
The pair both struggled with their homework. Eren tried valiantly to ignore his advances, but Levi had gotten stuck on a stupid question and instead of googling it, he was now teasing his boyfriend with his foot. The omegas face had grown redder and Eren's lips were slightly parted as he let out low pants  
"For fucks sake Levi, either you take me to bed and blow me, or you give me 10 more minutes to finish"  
He knew Eren took school seriously, and tried to behave himself. Toeing off his shoes and socks before undoing his belt and jeans. Eren let out a low whine and his pen slipped from his hold   
"Levi..."  
"What? I'm just sitting here?"  
"Then why am I getting harder from the smell of your arousal?"  
"Because you're gorgeous and I want you"  
"Can wait to want me? I literally just need to finish this question and I'll be done"

The moment Eren was done, Levi stripped himself down under his boyfriends stare. Fuck. He loved thinking of Eren as his. Everyone fucking knew it to! Eren on the other hand was a damn tease. He took his time to strip and then climbed into the middle of his bed, before looking back to Levi  
"The blow job can wait"  
Raising his hips higher, the teen lowered himself to his elbows. Presenting himself to the alpha and Levi snarled. Eren's arse was his. Climbing up behind the omega, he rutted against him, as his hands came to the teens hips  
"Such a beautiful omega..."  
He pulled back, and pushed in without preparation. It was like that was Eren was beginning him to do. It didn't take long for the room to fill with their lewd sounds and Eren opened up so beautifully for him. His own thighs were sodden with slick, and if he wasn't so close to knotting Eren, he would have slid out to taste his boyfriend. Being this close and deep in Eren, it felt like the teen was made for him. Every twitch, every moan, it was all for him, all so perfect. Sliding his hands up, he pulled Eren up so the omega was bouncing in his lap. He'd loved to film Eren, but then he'd have to kill anyone who saw the footage. When his knot flared, he nipped on Eren's name and the teen let out the most amazing mew he'd ever heard. He loved being knotted so deeply, it was like they were completely connected. With his heart racing, he didn't realise his hands had come to Eren's belly, holding him closely until Eren pulled his hands away   
"So perfect..."  
Levi lapped over the bonding mark, it was waaaaay to soon to do something as intimate as bite over the mark properly. Also, it wasn't like it would do anything. His mark wouldn't hold. Letting out a sigh, he moved to nuzzled Eren's shoulder   
"Why is sex with you so amazing?"  
"Because my arse is magical"  
"That it is"

Eren's arms were warm as the omega held him tight. He had no idea how many times they'd climaxed, only that it felt like he couldn't stop consuming his boyfriend hungrily. Being in a bed with Eren was soo much better, he didn't have to worry about accidentally hurting Eren... well against the brickwork or concrete and Eren seemed so much more open and willing now they were behind closed doors. When Eren let out a sleepy yawn, Levi knew it was time to go... but he just couldn't. He carried Eren to the bath, and just like their first night together, he changed the sheets. But once done, he joined his boyfriend under the warm running water, where they exchanged small sleepy kisses  
"Stay with me?"  
"Eren..."  
"Please... just for tonight. I want to sleep in your arms again... we can even be wolves if you prefer"  
"Wolves... but only because I don't want the boys getting the wrong idea"  
"Thanks Levi..."  
He kissed the tips of Eren's nose  
"No biting my tail brat"  
"Mhmm, whatever you say"

Eren's warm sleepy breath fell against Levi's ear, the alpha was struck with a wave of protectiveness, and he couldn't bring himself to sleep. He didn't know why he was on edge, but he wanted to keep Eren and the boys safe.


	20. Chapter 20

Eren woke with a smile on his face, the teen rolling over sleepily, before snorting at the look of desperation on Levi's face. Both his sons were sitting quietly on the other side of his boyfriend and gently stroking the alpha's pelt  
"Boys, leave Levi alone"  
"But muuuum"  
"Buuuuut noooo. It's bathtime"  
"But he's so soft"  
"He's also human remember. Do you want him patting you?"  
Both boys let out sighs, Eli speaking for them  
"No. That would be weird"  
"Good. Levi, please ignore these small children, they have apparently forgotten that it's not alright to pat guests"  
Climbing from his bed, Eren gathered the boys up and hefted them off into the bathroom. He'd woken a little before dawn to find Levi's head protectively sitting on his hip. One thing has lead to another... which had lead to another hard and fast round of amazing sex. He'd fallen back to sleep almost immediately after sliding his pants on, completely spent in more ways than one. It seemed Levi hadn't bothered with pants, and that was probably why the alpha was in his beautiful wolf form.

Filling the bath with bubblegum bubbles he settled the boys down and winced as his hips twinged while he stood. Zero regrets. They thankfully didn't notice as he stretched as tall as he could, before heading back into his room. Levi was standing at the end of the bed pulling his pants on  
"Hey, sorry about that"  
Levi smiled as he turned towards him  
"I couldn't shift back, and I didn't want to wake up"  
"You should have. I hope they were gentle"  
"Yeah, they were. It was just a little awkward after the first minute or so"  
Crossing over, Eren wrapped his arms around Levi's waist and rested his chin on the alpha's shoulder  
"Mmm, thank you. Last night was exactly what I needed"  
"Oh... so I need to lift my game when it comes to morning sex then?"  
"I wouldn't go that far. I kind of want to blow school off and spend the day in bed with you"  
Levi let out a long groan and Eren nodded in agreement   
"It sounds soooo good doesn't it. Why can't we again?"  
"Because you're a good person and you've actually done your homework"  
"Damn me"  
Levi's legs and thighs were positively edible, and rolled his hips to torment the alpha one last time before pulling away  
"Tease"  
"I know... But it's time for mummy duty now. First up's breakfast"  
"Are the boys safe in there? Is your home safe with them in there?"  
Looking back towards the bathroom, Eren nodded   
"Yeah, the secret is not to fill the bath too much and to let them bath together. They kind of watch each other. Besides, I use this time to get their breakfast ready, then once I get them out, dressed, and eating breakfast I can take care of getting myself ready"  
Levi let out a low whistle   
"Damn, you're all over this"  
"Well I've only been letting them bath unattended for about 9 months now. They're nearly 4 and big boys as I've been told repeatedly. And being wolf bloods they've been stable on their feet for a long time now"  
Levi snorted   
"They certainly are characters. Is there anything I can do to help?"  
"No... wait, we need to pack our homework up. Can you do that for me while I take care of breakfast?"  
Levi gave him a peck on the cheek  
"Sure thing"

It took him a little while to get into his usual rhythm. Mostly because he was super conscious of Levi being so close. But this kind of domestic bliss was addictive and as he ushered everyone out the unit, he wanted nothing more than to ask Levi to come back home with him again this afternoon. Once they'd dropped the twins off at daycare, Levi hastened to pull his cigarettes out. Eren rewarded him with a kiss on the cheek  
"That's for not smoking near the boys"  
Levi grinned as he lit up  
"That's because it's shitty to smoke near kids and I'm trying to respect your wishes"  
The omegas heart fluttered, he felt his cheeks dust red and stared down at his feet   
"Thanks... um... thank you for putting up with this morning chaos"  
"That was chaos?"  
Eren couldn't lie, a smile playing on his face as he thought of his kid's past shenanigans   
"It was smoother than some. I've had some less than awesome wake up"  
Levi snorted, a smile tugging at the corner of the alpha's mouth  
"Like what?"  
"One time the kids flooded the bathroom so badly that the living room was filled with bubbles... it took me an hour to get the boys to stop playing and get dressed"  
He didn't want to scare Levi off with mentions of tantrums. He'd definitely had his fair share of those wake ups  
"I can't even imagine"  
Eren nodded with an understanding smile, this whole kid thing was new to the alpha after all  
"I wouldn't change it though. I can't picture not having the boys in my life"  
"They're good kids... even if they like to pat random strangers"  
Eren snorted, stumbling slightly  
"You're hardly a stranger..."  
Fuck, he had to stop himself from blurting out "you're hardly a stranger, you're their father". It was way too soon to spring that on Levi. He wanted the alpha to build a relationship with the boys without that thought in mind... but there was a small voice in the back of his head telling him he was being selfish and stupid. He was living a lie and Levi was being so damn good to them all... pulling himself together, he let out a long breath and scrubbed his face, before taking his boyfriends free hand again.

 

*  
The next month seemed to fly by. Armin got over his sook and had even warmed up to Levi. The alpha had been extremely protective after Eren had told him about what his friend had said, but they'd eventually come to some sort of comfortable understanding and Eren was happy that Levi had been accepted. Though, this didn't mean the alpha knew yet, nor did it stop both his friends gently reminding him he had to one day tell Levi the truth. Eren had told himself he had until the twins forth Birthday to tell him. He figured that by then they'd have been together for nearly 6 months and Levi would have built a stable relationship with their boys. Still, every time he thought about it, he felt sick. Levi was still treating him like he was something terribly precious. The alpha came over on Monday nights, it was their night. Well, until Levi went back to work, but apparently his boss had hired more people while the business had been closed and once the new hires were trained, Levi would be able to pick his days and nights off. The only real problem with this was that Levi would be working the day/night of Eren's 17th and the omega desperately wanted to spend his birthday with the alpha. He hadn't told Levi his birthday was coming up, and he'd never made a big deal of it at school, mostly because it'd fallen around the Easter holidays the last couple of years. The twins didn't know either, so they couldn't spill, but the omega wished Levi some how magically knew. He wanted his boyfriend to take him out for dinner and show him off, but that was unreasonable and so he was quietly trying to act like everything was normal.

It was a couple of days before his birthday that he started to fall apart. Every year he'd always helped make sure that his friends had an amazing time, and he couldn't help but feel the friendship was all one sided because no one had mentioned his birthday at all. It was his own damn fault. He'd asked Mikasa and Armin not to say anything, and now he was reaping what he'd sown. Given his plummeting mood, he skipped school on the Wednesday and Thursday before his birthday, on the Friday, using the excuse the kids were sick. Levi immediately wanted to come and help him with them, but Eren couldn't face him. He hadn't even answered Levi's phone calls, just his texts.

The morning of his birthday, he was woken to a phone call from Armin's grandpa. The old man cheerfully sang happy birthday to him and Eren had struggled not to break down crying. The man sounded so happy that Eren was alive, but Eren felt so shit that he wasn't sure he was happy. Both his boys were still in their room, Eren left them sleeping as he headed into the bathroom, turning on the shower before breaking down and sobbing. He stayed under the shower until he finally calmed, before clambering out the bathtub while wiping his face and pulling himself together. He wanted his mum, he wanted to crawl into her arms and have her soothe him. It was on holidays that it hit him hardest, that and on the anniversary of her death. He missed everyday... but they were definitely the worst, her life was cut short way too soon.

Both boys were in his room when he exited the bathroom, his two sons had been whispering quietly, but that soon stopped  
"Good morning mum"  
"Hey babies"  
His voice cracked and he swallowed hard. He had to be strong for them   
"Are we going to school today?"  
"No baby, I thought we might go shopping"  
Both boys let out groans  
"Not food shopping, just fun shopping"  
"Can we get games?"  
"Maybe. Alright. Bath first, and then we can get something to eat while we're out"  
"I want fries!"  
Ren nodded at Eli's declaration   
"Alright, just this once..."  
Both boys yelled "Yes!" at the same time, and Eren smiled softly. They climbed from his bed and ran over to hug him  
"We love you mummy"  
Their innocent words hard him tearing up again  
"I know, and I love you both so much"  
He proceeded to get both boys bathed and dressed, dressing himself in a loose black tee and jeans. He grabbed his phone, before throwing it back down on his bed. Today he'd just hang out with the kids... it was just a normal day...

The boys got their fries for breakfast, while he had a burger, though most of it went to the boys. Both scolding him over the pickles he'd accidentally subjected them too. After breakfast, they wandered the shopping centre. Given it had been a long time since he'd brought himself anything nice, he brought a gold bangle and gold necklace with two charm, the letters "E" and "R". He also brought a pair of gold hoop earrings, but that was at a different jewellery store. His ears weren't pierced, but that soon changed. His sons seemed almost shocked he'd got it done, and both boys immediately wanted to play with the studs. From their they wandered the clothes shops and he brought a dark crimson dress, and a nice pair of black flats to wear with it. Deciding he'd spent way too much on himself, he then took the boys to get their hair trimmed, while turned into them demanding he had to have his done to. Eren opted to just get the split ends trimmed for all of them, and the boys seemed relieved they didn't get their hair cut too short. After lunch, which was a donut each for the boys and vanilla slice for himself, he took the boys shopping for the game they wanted. Both boys were immediately distracted by the giant televisions on the wall of the department store. The store had a camera set up and the boys loved posing and watching themselves on the screen. It took him nearly 20 minutes to drag them away and over to the toy section. Ren and Eli both got stuffed toys to add to their collection, a lion and wolf respectively, as well as some board game. They both chose then to tell him they also needed new shoes and that lead to a fight as they didn't want the same shoes as each other. The teens head was throbbing by the end of it.

Arriving back home, Eren let the twins open their new game and busied himself hanging up his new dress and putting his shoes up out reach. His new jewellery was placed in the bedside draw, and the twins shoes were placed into their room. Once done he sank down onto his bed with a sigh. Unable to procrastinate any longer, he picked his phone up and sighed. 3 missed calls and 7 new messages. He opened the ones from Mikasa first  
Mikasa: Eren! Happy Birthday!!! Please come to schoooool!  
Mikasa: Eren! Answer me! Where are you! I'm calling you!  
Mikasa: Eren, why won't you answer. Is everything alright? Are the boys alright? Levi said he hasn't heard from you today either. Call me or at least text me back  
Not wanting Mikasa to worry any longer, or cause a scene he messaged his best friend back, lying slightly  
Eren: Sorry, my phone was dead and I took the boys shopping. I'm alive, and the boys are alright. Thanks for the birthday wishes, just going to chill with the boys today  
Mikasa replied almost immediately   
Mikasa: Oh thank god! I was worried! Get anything good? And you should come see us after school! I want to give you a hug  
Eren: A few nice things, but the boys needed shoes. You can give me a hug on Monday, I'm just about to take a nap  
Mikasa: :( fine. Give the boys my love and I'll call you later tonight x  
Eren smiled down at the screen, he loved Mikasa. He opened up the next message  
Armin: Grandpa already called you, but wouldn't wait for me to get out the shower. Happy Birthday! Hope you come to school today!  
The last two were from Levi   
Levi: Good morning gorgeous, I hope you and the boys are alright, I miss you. Will you be at school? I feel like I haven't seen you in days  
Levi: So apparently you haven't talked to Mikasa or Armin today... and you haven't replied to me. Are you ok? I can come over if you need me...  
4 of his missed calls were from his boyfriend and he bit his lip guiltily. Levi was too good to him  
Eren: Hey, sorry. My phone was at home and I took the boys shopping. We just got home. So yes, everything is fine here. I'm going for a nap.   
He found himself fumbling with what to say. Just because he was having a small breakdown, didn't mean he needed to drag Levi down too. He put his phone on charge and looked to the boys  
"Boys, mummy is going to take a nap. No destroying the house while I'm asleep"  
Eli looked at him seemingly seriously annoyed by his "accusation"  
"When have we every destroyed the house?"  
"Fair call. Will you both be alright?"  
"Yes mum. Now stop disturbing us, we're reading the rules"  
Eren severely doubted the boys were reading the rules, but they did have the instructions out in front them. Eren toed his shoes off and stripped down to his boxer briefs and shirt. He hissed as his ear hit the pillow, but placed his hand beneath his head to create a little distance. Given his emotional roller coaster and shopping trip, it didn't take long for Eren to fall asleep.

 

*  
Levi frowned down at Eren's message. Something was up with his boyfriend, as much as Eren tried to deny it, he wasn't the type to go out and just leave his phone at home and the teen hadn't talked to either of his friends   
Eren: Hey, sorry. My phone was at home and I took the boys shopping. We just got home. So yes, everything is fine here. I'm going for a nap.  
He could almost hear the brush off in the omegas words and it rubbed him the wrong way. Maybe Eren thought that no one knew it was his birthday... Levi had been sworn to secrecy that his boyfriends friends had been planning on taking him out for dinner. Levi organised making a reservation at Ravioli, and he'd fought hard to keep his mouth shut... he'd even lied to Eren and said he was working, and felt completely shit doing so. Given class was nearly over for the day, he decided to skip the last period and head to his boyfriends instead. 

Having stopped to pick up flowers, Levi was now standing out the front of Eren's door hoping his omega wouldn't be too mad. Even outside the door, Levi could smell Eren's distress and he knocked lightly on the front door. It didn't take long before there was the sound of running feet and the door opened as far as the chain allowed  
"Levi!"  
"Hey kiddo, don't suppose you can let me in?"  
Ren nodded   
"Eli, we need a chair"  
The door slammed closed and Levi was left shaking his head. He feared for the world when these two were older. It took the two boys a few minutes to finally get the door open, both grinning up at him happily   
"Are you here to see me mum?"  
"Yeah, thanks for letting me in"  
"I's ok, we can't reach the top lock though"  
Levi nodded, kind of relieved they couldn't. He locked the door and slid the top bolt into place. No escapes for the twins this time..  
"Boys, can you give me some time with your mum?"  
Both boys nodded, Ren whispering not so quietly   
"He was crying this morning..."  
Eli nodded in agreement  
"We could hear him through the wall... but don't tell him"  
"Alright, I won't tell him. How about I see if I can cheer him up"  
The boys nodded and retreated to their room. Approaching his sleeping boyfriend, Levi placed the flowers down carefully and toed his shoes off, before dropping his bag beside them. He then climbed into Eren's bed and snuggled up to his omega, receiving a low yawn in response   
"Hey beautiful"  
"L-Levi?"  
Eren rolled over in his hold and wrapped his arms around him, the teen burying his face against the alpha's shoulder and Eren's body began to shake  
"Hey, no tears"  
"I'm sorry..."  
"The birthday boy shouldn't cry"  
Eren pulled back and pained green eyes stared straight into his grey ones  
"Mikasa and Armin told me... but I wish it had been you"  
"I... you have work so I didn't want to make you feel obligated..."  
Levi sighed   
"It's fine. You're more important than work, I did however bring you something"  
Reaching blindly behind him, Levi felt for the flowers before finally hooking the bouquet and brandishing them between them  
"Levi... they're perfect"  
"I didn't know what to give you, and they seemed like something you'd love"  
"I do. They're gorgeous. Thank you"  
Eren kissed him happily, before scrambling out his hold  
"What? Where are you going?"  
"To put these in water. Wait right there"  
Levi flopped onto his back with a groan. It was nice Eren loved the flowers, but cuddles were nicer. It was a long few moments before Eren climbed back into bed and curled up against him. His head coming to rest on Levi's chest  
"Thank you... I didn't want to make a fuss... but I was really lonely. I tried going shopping, but I felt shit the moment I got back home"  
"It's ok. But I have another surprise for you. I'm taking you out tonight. You and the boys, it's only to Ravioli, but I thought it would be nice"  
Eren nuzzled his face against Levi's chest, the alpha rubbed his back as he cried  
"Eren?"  
"Sorry... you're so wonderful... I don't deserve it"  
"Yes you do. You're always there for everyone, you always go above and beyond for them. So it's about time someone showered you with the love you deserve"  
Eren continued to cry against Levi's chest and the alpha's free hand came to gently toy with Eren's soft brown locks  
"Eren, did you get your hair cut?"  
"Y-yes... and the boys did..."  
"It feels really nice"  
Eren raised his head and looked at him through painfully red eyes  
"I'm sorry... birthdays and I aren't the best of friends... it's stupid, but I miss my mum"  
"It's not stupid at all. I remember how much you loved her. When you nearly drowned, you were crying and asking for her"  
"She was my everything..."  
"I know"  
"It's just so not fair... she birthed the boys, she took care of me and taught me how to look after them... she took care of me when I couldn't walk after they were born... she always took care of me and I didn't get to do anything for her"  
"You gave her two beautiful grandsons, and she knew you loved her..."  
"It doesn't seem enough"  
"Eren, wherever she is now, she'd want you and the boys to be happy. That's why she left you everything, she wanted you and the boys to carve out you're own slice of happiness"  
"Do you really think so?"  
"I do..."  
"Fuck..."  
Levi smiled down at Eren, before guiding his boyfriend back down against him  
"Where are the twins?"  
"They let me in, and then headed to their room so we could be alone"  
"They're good boys... they always try and protect me"  
"Yeah, that's obvious. Did you ever think of not having them?"  
Eren shook his head  
"I wanted them from the moment I knew I was pregnant. Dad wanted me to have an abortion, but I couldn't. I didn't care how hard it was going to be..."  
"That sounds so much like you. Sooo, what do you want to do? Dinner is at 6, and it's like 3 now?"  
"This is nice. Can we just stay like this?"  
Pressing a kiss to the top of Eren's head, he nodded as he did  
"Sure, whatever you want. But we should probably let the boys know we're not doing anything naughty"  
Eren sniffled and buried his head against Levi   
"Ren, Eli! It's safe!"  
The door to the twins room opened and the boys raced over to Eren's bed, jumping up and climbing all over the both of them  
"Is mum alright now?"  
"Yeah. So, its mummy's birthday today and I'm going to take you out to dinner. Does that sound alright?"  
Eli began shaking Eren   
"Mum! Is it really?"  
Eren nodded and Eli let out a gasp  
"Muuuuuum! Birthdays are important!!!"  
"I know baby, but when you get to my age, they really aren't all that"  
Levi smacked his boyfriends arse  
"Don't listen to him. Birthdays are always important. Now, what do you want to do for the next few hours?"  
"If we're going out, they should take a nap"  
"Guys! You do know we're still here!"  
Eren rolled off Levi and grabbed Eli as he did  
"I know exactly where you are!"  
The omega started tickling his son and Eli screamed with happiness. He pulled back after a few seconds, and looked to Ren. Ren rushed to get off the bed, and Eren followed, he scooped the boy up and span him around   
"Come on, I promise you can stay up tonight, but only if you take a nap right now"  
Eli sighed deeply and climbed off the bed, before crossing to where Eren was waiting with Ren. It didn't take long before his boyfriend returned and climbed in on the other side of Levi  
"Is it mean that I take full advantage of their innocence to make them take naps?"  
"Nah, its for their own good"

The twins finally fell asleep about half an hour later. Levi had gone to check, while Eren stripped under the blankets. It didn't take the alpha long to strip and climbed back into bed with Eren   
"What does the birthday boy want?"  
Eren hummed, his legs falling apart his did, giving the teen a smirk, Levi crawled under the blankets and nuzzled up against his lovers crotch  
"Shit... thanks for the warning"  
Letting out a low laugh, Levi took Eren's rapidly hardening erection in his mouth. He had no idea what he was doing, but Eren began moaning lightly, and the sweet smell of slick reached his nose. Letting out a snarl, he pulled back and yanked Eren into a better position, before burying his face between his lovers perfect arse cheeks. Eren was a mewing mess and the teens legs were shaking like crazy. Eren's slick tasted amazing, the liquid was as thick as honey, and ran down his throat so easily. He'd never tasted anything like it, and wouldn't have stopped except for the fact Eren had warned he was close to cuming. Pulling back, Levi kept a glop of slick in his mouth and slid back down over Eren's erection. He was taken by surprise as Eren came suddenly. He'd been warned, but hadn't expected it so suddenly and choked as he tried to swallow it all down. Sliding up, he smirked at Eren's disheveled look, the teens face dusted red and his chest heaving  
"So beautiful"  
Eren snorted and shivered beneath him, Levi's cleaner hand came up and brushed his boyfriend's hair back from his face   
"You got your ears pierced?"  
"Oh... yeah. Do they look bad?"  
"Not at all..."  
Ignoring how painfully hard he was, Levi rested his weigh along Eren. His erection pulsed and throbbed and it felt like could cum just like this  
"Levi... do you want me to roll over?"  
"We don't have to have sex. I like giving you pleasure"  
"And I want you to feel good too... besides..."  
Eren clamped his mouth shut and Levi pushed himself up, dragging his erection across Eren's pubes  
"Besides?"  
Eren looked away  
"I like knowing I have a tiny bit of you inside me"  
Fuck that was hot. Grabbing Eren's legs, he pushed him them up to Eren's chest and lined himself up. Eren's hand moved to grab his bed head as Levi pushed inside, nearly cuming immediately. He would never grew old of the feeling. Taking it slowly, he had to pull out frequently or risk cuming embarrassingly fast. He worked Eren up into a frenzy, before drilling his omega into the mattress and finally knotting him. Levi swore he saw stars as he came. His heart was racing and hefted Eren into his lap, snarling as his knot tugged and pulled deliciously. He bit down hard on Eren's neckline, and growled as his eyes landed on the bonding mark. That should be his mark. Not wanting to upset Eren, he pulled back and lapped at the bite mark, while Eren wrapped his arms loosely around him  
"This is the best birthday I've had in years"  
"Well. I promise that the days only going to get better"  
Levi nuzzled Eren's neck and held him tighter. Eren was his. He didn't care what the teen said, he was never letting him go.


	21. Chapter 21

Levi was prepared. The alpha had brought a change of clothes with him and after they'd showered together, Eren had given the alpha free reign to dress in his room while Eren used the bathroom. He kind of didn't want Levi seeing his outfit until he was completely ready. He dressed quickly, before brushing his hair back and pulling it into a high ponytail. His ears were a little red, and he flinched as he slipped the studs out and forced his hoops in. Next went on his necklace and bangle. He eyed himself in the mirror, happy enough with he saw. The redness had faded from his eyes, and no one would be able to tell he'd cried so much earlier. He slid his underwear on with a sigh, his body was still throbbing from Levi drilling into him, and he honestly just wanted to sleep. But dinner... he'd never been taken out as someone's boyfriend and couldn't deny he was thrilled. Levi was taking him to where he worked and he prayed that his boys wouldn't embarrass Levi. Sliding the red dress on, he shimmied the fabric down over his hips and arse, before backing up so he could check himself out. Maybe he should wear something different? Maybe the people at Levi's work wouldn't be so accepting of a boy in a dress. It wouldn't be the first time... he'd even been spat on for it before. His smiled dropped and his shoulders slumped. Who was kidding? He hadn't brought anything else to where, and stuck his head out the bathroom door  
"Don't look. I need to grab clothes"  
Levi frowned at him  
"I thought you took clothes in"  
"I look stupid"  
"Eren, you could never look stupid. Show me"  
Taking a shaky breath, Eren stepped out the bathroom with his eyes scrunched shut. When Levi didn't reply, Eren slowly opened his eyes and found his boyfriend gaping  
"I... I knew it was stupid"  
Rushing to his wardrobe, his path was cut short by Levi grabbing his arm  
"Don't"  
"Levi. Let me change. I look stupid"  
"You don't look stupid"  
"Then why didn't you say anything?"  
Eren couldn't hide his hurt and Levi pulled him backwards so they both fell onto the bed... well, he fell into Levi's lap  
"You do not look stupid. I didn't say anything because you look fucking hot. I literally had my breath taken away"  
"A-are you sure. I don't want to embarrass you tonight... I mean... you work with these people"  
"There is no way that you can embarrass me. Ever..."  
"Are you sure? Not everyone is as accepting as you"  
"Then I'll knock them the fuck out. No one touched you, or hurts you"  
Eren snorted and placed his forehead against Levi's temple  
"Thanks... I'm sorry I panicked. I'll get the boys ready now"  
"Alright, but can we take a selfie first? I want one of my beautiful omega smiling"  
Eren nodded, it was stupid how happy Levi made him. The teen grabbed his own phone, and posed for a couple of selfies  
"I'll upload them later"  
"Good. I want copies too"  
Eren gave a groan and Levi rolled his eyes  
"I know. Beauty is a curse. Do you want help with the boys?"  
"No, I just need to dress them. I'd normally bath them, but I have the feeling they'll probably end up wearing half their dinner"  
"They will of they're watching you. You look stunning"

Both boys echoed Levi's words as Eren dressed them nicely. It wasn't as if Ravioli was high class, but dressing up was kind of fun. He put both boys in their nicer shirts and jeans, and then their new shoes. The boys wouldn't be walking much as they'd catch a taxi to the restaurant. Levi insisted on getting a photo of Eren holding the boys, and Eren beamed as he held them close. He'd actually managed to get them looking not too feral  
"I called the taxi, they should be here soon"  
"Sweet. I need to grab my wallet and phone"  
"You don't need your wallet"  
"Levi"  
"Eren. It's your birthday. Just let me spoil you"  
"I don't think you realise how much the boys can eat"  
"It's fine. Now. Does anyone need to pee before we go"  
Ren decided the had to, and Eren sighed as wet hands were wiped on the bottom of his dress. This was why he couldn't have anything nice but at least he it wasn't pee.

 

*  
Arriving at the restaurant, Levi took Eli's hand, while Eren had Ren's. His face fell and then brightened the moment he realised they were actually having dinner with their friends. He didn't know how he felt, he'd wanted to enjoy dinner as a family, but at the same time he was actually spending a birthday with his friends where there attention was on him  
"Look mum!"  
"I know baby. Let's go say hello"  
Ren followed behind Levi and Eli, the boy practically dragging him as they went   
"Happy Birthday Eren!"  
The synchronised voices of his friends had him wincing  
"That was creepy. Don't do that again, but thank you"  
"Hear that, we all show up to celebrate and this is what we get"  
"Well it was a little creepy"  
Eren felt a smile spread on his face as Armin's grandfather appeared from behind the fellow teens  
"Grandpa!"  
The teens looked at the Eli in confusion and the boy clamped a hand to his mouth   
"Grandpa?"  
"Yeah, it's a long story. They may not be blood, but blood isn't everything"  
Eli released himself from the hold on his hand, and rushed to Grandpa Arlert. The old man lifting him easily  
"Grandpa, have you met Levi? He's... Eren's boyfriend"  
"No, I haven't"  
Grandpa Arlert reached a hand out and Levi moved to take it  
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Eren's told me about you"  
"And he's told me about you. Come sit by me so I can ask you about your attentions"  
Eren groaned  
"The boys already did that"  
"Then he's already prepared. Shall we sit?"

Everyone waited for Eren to sit first, and the teen lifted Ren into his lap  
"Hey Ren, how are things?"  
"Boring... life's hard when you're this small"  
Sasha burst out laughing and Eren sighed softly. Mikasa had come to sit by his side and she ruffled Ren's hair  
"So why do we have the kids?"  
Jean let out a yelp, glaring at Sasha's Eren assumed that meant Sasha had kicked him under the table   
"What was that for?"  
"For opening your mouth and not thinking. They're Eren's brothers"  
He didn't want to ruin the night with the truth, but he also wanted to spill the truth. He shifted slightly and held Ren closer  
"So, how's school been?"  
"Boring. Like nothing had happened"  
"Other than you all planning and scheming behind my back"  
"Oh, you can blame Mikasa and Armin for that. As soon as Sasha found out, she dragged us all into this"  
"Don't act like you don't care. Eren's always there for us"  
Jean scoffed and then yelped again  
"Will you stop that!"  
"Well don't be such a dick!"  
"Sasha... you can't swear like that around these two, they're like sponges"  
"Oh! Sorry, umm... Jean. Don't be such a garlic bread"  
Eren sighed and shook his head, trust Sasha to go for food. He's assumed that everyone had arrived, the table had fallen into comfortable chatter, but then Ren threw his hands and up and yelled out "Ber!"  
Looking towards the door, Ren soon slipped out of Eren's lap and Bertholdt caught him easily as the boy tripped in his hurry to meet him. Rising to greet his friends, Reiner let out a long whistle  
"Damn. That style of dress suits you"  
"For some stupid reason, they call it "bandage"  
"So it if you're wrapped in bandages does that make you a hot mummy"  
Eren groaned, he hugged both his friends quickly and took Ren back in his hold  
"Thanks for coming"  
"For you, anything"  
Smiling happily, Eren took his seat again and Levi immediately pounced on his hand. Leaning close to whisper in Levi's ear, he reassured his boyfriend that he was his "hot mummy", and no one else's.

Dinner was a kind of nice and noisy mess. Eli migrated from sitting in Grandpa Arlert's lap to sitting in Levi's, which made it awkward to eat. Eren had expected the night to end on happy note, but come dessert Sasha put her mouth in it and his shattered nerves crumbled. It had taken Eren a while to figure out Sasha was staring at him, as she was being unusually quiet about whatever was going on in her head  
"Sasha... you ok?"  
"I was just thinking. You four look like a family. Eren, you're the mum obviously, and Levi's the dad. Eli takes after Eren more than Levi, but their lips are similar and Ren is like a mini-Levi"  
Eren's heart stopped as he tensed, fucking Sasha. Reiner immediately came to his rescue though  
"Sasha. Whatever shit you've been smoking, I want in"  
Sasha laughed lightly  
"Oh come on, you can totally imagine it. Levi's probably got kids all over the place"  
Levi let out a sigh   
"Yeah, no. No matter who I've... I've never risked it. Anyone who says their kid's mine is a liar"   
And there was the kick in the gut. Levi had no idea how much pain he'd just caused Eren. Bitter bile burnt his throat and his stomach rolled threatening   
"Mikasa, can you take Eli. I need to use the bathroom"  
Mikasa nodded quickly and Eren slipped from the table. He forced himself to drop a kiss on the top of Levi's head before forcing himself to appear normal on the way to the bathroom. Once inside he hurled himself into the first cubicle, before falling to his knees and throwing up. He was a heaving shaking mess, when a small knock landed on the cubicle door  
"Eren"  
Fucking great. He'd left so he could be alone, but out of all the choices, he was definitely relieved it was Armin's grandfather   
"Sorry..."  
Armin's grandfather came to his aid, helping him up off the bathroom floor and to straighten up. Eren honestly didn't think he could have managed it alone. Guided over to the bathroom counter, the teen leant against it heavily   
"Eren, I know your relationship with Levi is your business, but when are you going to tell him"  
Eren shook his head, now the feeling of nausea had passed he felt like his body had been plunged into cold water. He took a deep breath and looked down at his feet   
"Before the twins birthday... every time I think about it, I just feel so sick..."  
Armin's grandfather nodded as he spoke  
"I wanted to get to know Levi before introducing the twins to him as their father... I mean, I know not all alpha's are as bad as my father. Look at you and Armin, you've both been so good to us... but I'm scared"  
"The longer you drag this out, the harder its going to get"  
"I know that too... but the kids love him. They actually sat him down and asked him about his intentions... and I feel really good when I'm with him... I don't want to fuck this all up and lose him"  
"Levi's clearly crazy about you. He wanted to come check on you, but I persuaded him to stay with the others..."  
Eren groaned at the thought of Levi fawning over him just because he'd literally worried himself sick  
"You should tell him"  
"But what about the mark? Everything he could be feeling is probably because of it... and we've been together for months now... and I knew him a few months before we we actually got together. I've had so much time to tell him"  
"Then explain. Explain why you were so scared"  
"He knows about what dad did..."  
"So it will be all that much easier for him to understand you just wanted to protect the boys. You're next heat will be soon, I think it's best you tell him before then. Just in case something happens"  
"I'm still taking my contraceptives"  
"That's a good start, but nothing is a 100% guarantee"  
Eren nodded sadly, and Armin's grandfather pulled him into a hug   
"You've become a fine young man. You've shouldered a lot of responsibility, especially given your age and your mother would be proud of you"  
His heart ached at the thought of his mother  
"I miss her"  
"I'm sure that wherever she is, she's proud of you"  
Eren sniffled and hid his face against the old man's shoulder  
"Eren, I have something else I need to tell you. I was going to wait until tomorrow, but Grisha's sick. I'm not telling you this to sway your decision about when you tell Levi, it's just... he's really not in a good way. When I was having my bloods done at the hospital, the nurses were talking about him. He'd checked himself out and locked himself in his house. I know you didn't end things on the greatest terms, and god knows I don't want you to see him again, but he is your father"  
"I don't know what I'd say if I saw him..."  
"I know, but you didn't get a chance to say goodbye to Carla. I'd hate for you to miss this chance too"  
His arm throbbed as if to scold him out of any thoughts about seeing the man... but the man was dad... and the twins biological grandfather... just how much could the alpha have deteriorated for Armin's grandfather to be worried. He nodded slowly and pulled back  
"I'll... I'll think about it. God... I must look like a total wreck"  
When the old man paused instead of immediately answering Eren snorted   
"Ok. Point taken. Give me a few minutes?"  
"Sure. Eren, just don't forget, Armin and I both love you and the twins. No matter what you decide, we always will"  
"Thank you..."

Left alone in the bathroom, Eren turned to face the mirror over the sink. His face was still stupidly pale and that only made the redness of his eyes that much more apparent. He'd just washed and dried his face off when the bathroom door opened and Levi came into focus behind him  
"Hey... feeling better?"  
No. He felt like fucking shit and didn't know what to say or where to start, still he nodded  
"A little... I think. I was actually just about to head back out"  
Turning away from the mirror, he pushed a false smile onto his face   
"Eren, stop. You don't need to try"  
The smile fell immediately and he rubbed at his face tiredly  
"Sorry. You all went to so much effort... I've just been emotional all day... it's probably because my heats coming up soon"  
Levi frowned at his words  
"You aren't on suppressants?"  
"No... its stupid. You need parental permission if you're under 18, but you can put yourself on to contraceptives"  
"That's shit. It's like asking an alpha to take advantage of you"  
"Yeah... but I'm used to it now"  
There were a few seconds of silence before Levi fumbled for sometime in his pocket  
"Ok. So this isn't whatever you think it is, just listen to me"  
The alpha pulled a small thin gold ring from his pocket, Eren felt the nausea rush to return  
"It's a promise. Since I left, you've been through a whole heap of unfair shit. You had a shit alpha who left you like it was nothing, you ended up bonding and you ended up pregnant... so this is my promise that I'm not going to get you pregnant and just ditch you. So whenever you're feeling down, or shitty or whatever, you know look at this and know I care"  
Why the fuck did all this have to happen all back to back?! The room span and he would have fallen if not for Levi guiding him back against the counter  
"Eren?"  
Eren was too afraid to speak. He certainly couldn't tell Levi now... not when the alpha had accepted things just the way they were... but Levi had a right to know... maybe the alpha would feel different after spending a heat with him... wait, no. He couldn't even fool himself into believing that in the slightest. Levi loved sex... the alpha would probably be in heaven thinking about a week of nothing but it... Eren swallowed hard and held his hand out for Levi to slide the band onto  
"Eren, I really do love you and I love the twins"  
All but falling forward onto Levi, Eren sobbed against the man's shoulder  
"Can we go home?"  
"Yeah, no worries. Mikasa and Armin volunteered to watch the twins for the night. Apparently they rented a hotel room... or Mikasa's family did. I'm not really sure, but if you want the boys to come home, that's fine too"  
"I want them"  
"Alright, can you walk?"  
Eren shook his head and Levi lifted him by his arse, his legs quickly wrapping around the alpha's waist   
"There aren't that many people left, so you don't have to worry about people staring"  
Fuck it. Why was Levi perfect? Why did the alpha insist on saying all the right things? On doing all the right things? 

Keeping his face buried against Levi's shoulder, he let his boyfriend carry him from the bathroom and back to the table  
"Sorry guys, Eren's not feeling to great. So I'm going to take him and the boys home"  
"Well he was in the bathroom forever"  
"Yeah... no one likes throwing up on their birthday"  
Pulling his face back, Eren smiled softly  
"Sorry, thanks guys. You have no idea how happy this made me"  
"It's alright. Hopefully you feel better soon"  
Sasha was unusually caring, and Eren nodded at her  
"Eren, we can give you a lift back to your unit"  
Reiner's voice was firm, yet full of worry and Eren nodded before he even meant to  
"It's me, Levi and the boys"  
"That's fine, we've got my SUV"  
"Thanks... and thanks again guys"  
Reiner and Bertholdt said their goodbyes, before rounding up Ren and Eli, and carrying them out in front of Levi and Eren. He hoped Levi's coworkers wouldn't kick up too much of a fuss over the alpha carrying him. He hadn't even thought about how it would reflect on him, that he'd been throwing up in the bathroom and come out an emotional wreck  
"Levi, if you want to slide in with Eren, we'll get the boys settled"  
Eren tried to detach, but Levi held him firmly against him. After the alpha had positioned himself in the back, with Eren still firmly in his lap, Eli slid over and grabbed at the omegas dress   
"Mummy?"  
"It's alright, mummy just isn't feeling too well. So we've got to take care of him until he feels better"  
"He can sleep with us. Mum always sleeps with us when we're sick or hurt"  
"Maybe not tonight, but tomorrow we can spend the whole day pampering him"  
Eren tried to block out the conversation between Levi and Eli. He didn't deserve the ring on his finger or to be treated so kindly. He was selfish and petty, he said it was all for the boys... but it was really all for him. He didn't want Levi to leave him again. He'd lie all over again it meant the alpha would be his.

Arriving at his building, Eren slid from Levi's lap silently before the alpha had a chance to object. He felt like he was drowning, having been swallowed by the never ending tide of self depreciating thoughts during the short drive. Levi took his right arm and Eren flinched, for a second his instincts screamed that the alpha was going to snap it   
"Hey, what's going on in that head of yours?"  
Eren shook his head, before clamping a hand to his mouth as vomit rose  
"Levi, why don't you take the twins? The it will probably be easier for me to carry Eren up"  
It took Levi a few seconds before granting Reiner permission to lift Eren   
"Bertholdt, why don't you go on ahead with Levi and get Eren's bed sorted out"  
Eren was once again grateful for Reiner saving him. The alpha lagged behind the others as they headed up the stairs   
"I notice the ring on your finger... does that mean?"  
Eren shook his head. It was somehow easier to breathe in Reiner's arms, perhaps as nothing was expected of him  
"Levi just promised me not to be like the twins father. Not to bond with me and split... Reiner. I don't know how to tell him... he accepts everything as it is now..."  
"Then don't. If he's happy and your happy"  
"But it's not fair. He's the boys biological father"  
"Because biological father's are all that great..."  
Eren let out a groan  
"What?"  
"My own dad's sick. Armin's grandfather told me when we were in the bathroom... it's just everything at once and I had a really shitty start to the morning"  
"And you've been hiding at home the last few days... Armin asked if we'd talked to you"  
"Great. I know he's concerned, but fuck..."  
"You know, out of everything you've ever said to me. You saying "fuck" is still the weirdest"  
"That's because I try really hard not to swear... I'm sorry you had to save me tonight, first with Sasha and then with this"  
"It's fine. But you guys really do look good together... if you don't want to tell Levi, then don't. But, I get the feeling you're only going to feel worse if you don't"  
"Probably. God. I'm such a fuck up. You all want to the trouble of organising tonight and I completely fell apart"  
"No, you're sick remember. You've been looking after the boys and you caught it from them"  
Eren snorted  
"Thanks Reiner. You've always been a really good friend"  
Reiner carried him all the way through to his bed, before sitting him on the edge  
"Now, one last thing. Bertholdt and I got you something. It's a birthday slash thank you present"  
"Thank you for what?"  
"For helping us get our act together"  
Eren sniffled as Reiner drew a long thin box out his pocket and passed it over to him. The teens hands shook as he slid the top off. He couldn't help but gasp  
"It's beautiful... guys, this is way too much"  
"No it's not. We're trust fund kids and all"  
Eren snorted  
"So you're telling me you only buy your friends cheap things"  
"If it makes you accept it. We did get it inscribed on the back, so you're definitely stuck with it"  
Lifting the delicate and dainty gold watch from the box, Eren carefully turned it over. Smiling at the blunt message  
"Eren. Thank you. The two idiots"  
"We didn't have a lot of space"  
"No. It's prefect... can you help me?"  
Reiner gently took the watch from him and placed it around Eren's left wrist. It was kind of funny watching the alpha's big hands negotiate the small clip. Wiping his eyes he carefully read "Dior" on the face. This watch was easily the most expensive thing he owned... and probably would ever own. He reached out and Reiner accepted his hug, before Bertholdt came over to give him one also  
"Thank you both so much"  
"It's alright. We're going to take off, but, once again, happy birthday Eren"  
The two alpha's said their goodbyes to Levi and the twins, before closing the door behind them. Levi moved to sit beside him and leant his head against his arm  
"Do you want me to put the boys to bed?"  
"No... I'll do it... thanks Levi"  
"You're welcome"

With the twins tucked in, Eren headed into the bathroom. He swapped the hoops back to the studs and then brushed his teeth and let his hair out. He didn't bother being careful with the dress, instead that fell to the bathroom floor covering up his flats. He then carefully took off his bangle and necklace, but left the watch and ring on. Feeling considerably more human, he padded out the room and across to his bed and curled up a little distance away from Levi   
"I can't cuddle you if you're over there"  
The alpha grabbed him and pulled him up close to him  
"You've had a long day, and probably have a million and one things on your mind. You can tell me when your ready, so just try and get some sleep"  
Eren nodded and Levi gently kissed his forehead   
"Happy 17th Birthday Princess"


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fucking freaking out over Eren in his latest chapter!

The first thing that Levi noticed upon waking was that his boyfriend had escaped his hold, the second thing was that Eren's spot held no residual heat. The omega had mentioned his upcoming heat, but surely he hadn't meant it was starting this morning. His boyfriend hadn't even asked him to spend it with him yet... the alpha had to admit he'd be more than a little disappointed if Eren didn't ask him. He'd happily spend a week buried between Eren's prefect legs and in the omegas pert and plump arse. Just the thought of Eren's legs had him groaning in want and he kind of hoped the kids were still asleep as he climbed out of Eren's bed to seek him out.

His boyfriend wasn't in the bathroom, which meant the kid's room. Levi opened the door carefully, sighing in both contentment and disappointment. Eren was fast asleep with Ren hugging him on one side and Eli on the other. He could happily wake up to this sight for the rest of his life, but that did mean he wasn't getting morning sex. Backtracking to Eren's bed, Levi grabbed his phone and flopped down on his stomach. He opened Facebook messenger, and sent his photos from Eren's birthday through to his account. He waited for them to send, before checking his Facebook feed. All of Eren's friends had contributed photos from last nights dinner... well, all except Jean and Levi didn't give two shits about him anyway. He pulled up the ones taken of Ren sitting in his lap, the four of them really did look like a proper family  
"Levi?"  
Eli's small voice had him quickly exiting Facebook and closing his phone, he sat up and looked to Eli   
"What's up kiddo?"  
"I'm thirsty"  
"What do you want to drink?"  
"Orange juice"  
Pushing himself up, he lifted Eli onto his hip and headed to the fridge. Giving his small companion a juice box, he carried Eli back to Eren's bed  
"Did you enjoy dinner last night?"  
Eli nodded quickly, before letting out a small sigh  
"It would have been better if mummy hadn't been sick"  
"Yeah. But I know he was really happy he could be with both of you"  
Pushing the straw into place for Eli, the boy let out another sigh. Apparently there was a lot on Eli's small mind this morning  
"What's wrong?"  
"Ren and I didn't get mum anything. We didn't even know it was his birthday"  
"Well that's alright, we can make him breakfast"  
"But mummy gets us the best presents"  
"And that just means we'll make him a super special breakfast. Do you want to go get Ren while I see what's in the fridge?"  
Eli nodded and slid down the bed, running happily into his room. Yeah. He could do this.

Rummaging through Eren's kitchen, both twins sat on the kitchen bench giving him some direction. He'd found a pancake recipe and the plan was pancakes, eggs and bacon... but he was nervous. He had the hopes of two small boys resting on his shoulders and he wanted to do a good job for them. It soon became a fiasco. The boys had evidently watched Eren in the kitchen hundreds of times, this seemed to mean they felt it was alright to be completely pull his prep work to shreds. Apparently he added too much milk in the scrambled eggs and then didn't mix the pancake batter for long enough. If the kids hadn't been so sure that they wanted to do this for Eren, he would have been certain they were making up things to fuck with his head. As it was, he was hanging for a cigarette and about ready to throw himself down on the floor in defeat. For Eren's sake, as well as the sake of the boys, he really should put more effort into cooking. It's probably be handy for living with Izzy and Farlan, though staying at Eren's felt more like home than living with his two best friends ever had.

Levi had managed to survive frying the bacon, he'd managed to survive scrambling the eggs... but pancakes... they were apparently his krytonite. The boys howled with laughter as he tried to flip them, Eren appeared from the twins room in obvious confusion  
"Do I want to know what's going on?"  
"Nooooo, mummy, go back to bed! Levi's making breakfast, but it's a surprise and you're ruining it!"  
Eli sounded thoroughly disappointed  
"Oh. Sorry. I'll just go away then"  
Ok... Eren didn't even bother sounding anything but hurt. It didn't take long for the door to close as he shut himself away and Levi looked to the boys. Both were staring at the door, and Eli looked like he'd just had his little heart broken   
"Alright. I'm murdering these pancakes. Tell me how your mum does this"  
Eli nodded and Levi moved the pan off the heat, crossing to hug both boys close   
"I... I didn't mean to upset mummy"  
"You didn't. He might not feel much better. You know how you sometimes get angry when you feel sick, and then you feel really bad about it after?"  
Both boys nodded   
"So he's not really mad?"  
"Nah, he could never be mad at you. So what am I doing wrong with these pancakes"  
Even with the boys guidance, they were more than a little rough... but to Levi it only added to the sweetness. The boys helped him served it all up, and then place it down on the table  
"I'll go get mummy"  
Both boys nodded and Levi braved the boys room.

Opening the door, he found Eren sitting on the edge of Eli's bed, his arms wrapped around a stuffed wolf and his face buried against it  
"The boys wanted to do something for you because it was your birthday yesterday and they didn't buy you a present... I hope you're not mad"  
"Only at myself..."  
"Eli and Ren are alright, my hugs cure everything... except for how bad breakfast might taste..."  
"I'm sure it'll be fine. Fuck... I don't know what's wrong with me... I don't want to be like my father... I don't want to take out my pain on them"  
"Eren. No. You are nothing like him. You're tired and you're stressed out, and you did say your heat was coming up. I have work tonight, so just let us look after everything"  
Eren sniffled and nodded, Levi gently pried the stuffed wolf from Eren's hold, before pulling his boyfriend up and wrapping his arms around him  
"I love you Eren, it'll all be alright"

 

*  
Waking up in Levi's arms, Eren had started to cry immediately. He couldn't stop himself. Not wanting to wake Levi, he'd slipped into the bathroom and ran himself a hot bubble bath. Unable to calm himself back down, he stayed in there until the water had long gone cold... mostly because he was avoiding his boyfriend. Levi had been so honest with him, so he had to be honest with the alpha. When Eren finally dragged himself out the cold bath, he dried, dressed and climbed into bed with Ren. Running away like a total coward.

Waking up to the boys gone, and obviously happy with Levi, Eren was hit with jealousy. The alpha obviously made them happy, but he'd been the one there from day one. He'd been the one to nurse them through their fevers, to clean their scrapes and deal with the tantrums... now Levi was getting to enjoy the boys without any of that hard work and he hated himself, but he was actually jealous that they were happy without him. He tried to put a smile on his face as he stumbled into his room, but the three of them just seemed so perfect together and he didn't have a place... before he knew what he'd done, he'd snapped at Eli and the promptly ran away. He couldn't take his issues out on the boys. They deserved better than that. Fuck. His head was a total mess, and he felt so damn sick.

Breakfast wasn't terrible, and he'd pulled Eli into his lap the moment he'd sat down. His sons seemed alright, but it still hurt that he'd them. He forced himself to eat everything on his plate, even though the food sat heavily and uncomfortably. The boys happily chatted away, and Eren slowly let himself remember how to breathe. Levi had work tonight, so the alpha would be going home, which would give him the time to figure out how to say what he needed.

After breakfast, he was sent to bed while Levi took care of the dishes. He hadn't expected to be able to fall back to sleep, but before he knew it Levi was waking him to tell him had to go. Forcing himself up, he walked the alpha to the door and kissed him goodbye. Levi seemed so concerned, even after he assured his boyfriend he'd be alright. He loved Levi so much that it physically hurt to close the door after they'd said their goodbyes.

By Monday, he'd pulled himself together enough to put everything in place. He'd called Armin's grandfather the previous night, organising for the boys to stay in Shinganshima for the next week or so. The stress had induced his heat. It was supposed to be the following week, but he couldn't exactly prevent or delay it without suppressants. Having explained to the twins that they'd be staying with uncle Armin until he felt better. It fucking sucked. He didn't want to be seperate from them. He wanted to cling to them, but it just wasn't possible.

Arriving back from daycare, he asked Levi to come around, he'd kind of brushed the fellow teen off since he left. He wasn't sure that the alpha would even want to see him, but Levi had messaged that he'd come straight round. With that taken care of, Eren found up his copies of the boys birth certificates, as well as photos from them growing up... once that was done, all that was left was to wait.

When Levi knocked on the unit door, Eren had walked over to open it on shaky legs. It was strange to see the alpha seem almost nervous as Eren let him in, but the shorter teen was doing a better job of keeping it together than he was  
"Hey, how you feeling?"  
Eren shook his head, he didn't want Levi to care... not until the alpha had been presented with the facts  
"We need to talk"  
Walking over to where he'd set up everything on the dining table and sat down heavily. His body was going crazy for Levi, the cramping need to be knotted was making it hard to even form words  
"Eren, I can tell you're in heat..."  
"It's not about that... look, can you please sit down"  
Tugging the ring off his finger, Eren played with the thin band as Levi sat across from him   
"You're kind of freaking me out"  
"I'm sorry... I'm really sorry... especially since you've been so good to me"  
Levi drew his brow, the alpha's eyes on the ring  
"Are you breaking up with me?"  
"No... maybe... it's up to you"  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"Do you remember when we were kids? When I nearly drowned?"  
"What's that got to do with anything?"  
Tears rushed to fill Eren's eyes, Levi already sounded angry, or at least to him. He let out a small whine, and the look he was given was almost cold. Unable to look at Levi any longer   
"Please..."  
"Of course I remember. I thought you were dead"  
"I was stupid... I wanted you to like me so badly, so I was showing off. Anything that would get your attention... but... more importantly do you remember where you grabbed me?"  
"On the scruff of the neck"  
Eren nodded   
"And do you remember what I said? About my dad?"  
"That he was an arsehole"  
"He lost himself in the bottle when mum died. The night I took the twins and left, he bashed me and broke my arm. He stood on it and pulled up until it snapped... after that, I had an issue with alpha's... after reuniting with you... you were basically a stranger. I mean, I can't blame you. You forgot about me, but I thought about you everyday"  
"Eren, I don't understand what you're trying to tell me"  
Rather than voicing the words, he slid the twins birth certificates over to Levi   
"Levi. The boys were born 37 weeks after you left... after we had sex. You didn't mean to, but when you bit my neck, you gave me your bonding mark and sent me into heat. The twins are your sons"

The room was deathly silent, but that didn't mean that Levi wasn't reacting. Eren was practically gagging on the stench of anger rolling off the alpha  
"Le..."  
"Don't. There's no fucking way"  
"It's true... didn't you wonder why Ren looked so much like you?"  
"But... I know you love me, but you don't need to lie to me"  
Jumping to his feet, Eren let his emotional state get the better of him  
"I'm not fucking lying! I wish I was! But I'm not. The boys are your sons. You got me pregnant! I know we were kids playing around, I know it probably meant nothing to you! But I'd never lie about this! They're your sons... I wanted you to get to know them without the pressure"  
Falling to the floor, Eren sobbed into his hands  
"Did you enjoy it? Did you enjoy having a good fucking laugh at my expense? You, Armin, Mikasa! All laughing at me for not having any idea, while making all the promises I made. Not to leave you! Not to get you pregnant and take off! Not to treat you like he did. God, I feel fucking sick just looking at you. I never had a chance did I? I bonded with you, and you knew it! You took advantage of it. Eren, you've had fucking months to tell me... fuck, you disgust me and telling me while you're in heat like you're trying to trap me... How fucking low can you get"  
The chair Levi occupied scraped against the floor, and Eren flinched at the sound of something shattering  
"I don't want to see you ever again. Stay away from me. Stay away from my friends. I can't be with someone who lied to my face so easily about something so important"  
"Levi... please"  
Levi ignored him, storming across the apartment and slamming the door closed so hard it hurt.

Throwing up across himself, Eren could care less. He slumped to the floor, not even flinching as he smacked his head hard against it. He'd known this would happen. Levi had every right to be mad. Things were over and he'd never see the alpha again. His eyes stared blankly across the room, Levi had thrown the chair so hard it had hit the wall and smashed, taking out something else with it... but none of that mattered.

The teen had no idea how long he stayed on the floor. His body was shocked and confused. But eventually he pulled himself up, and grabbed his phone off the table. His eyes landed on the ring, and he was sobbing all over again. His stomach rolled and his body tried to expel the nothingness in his stomach, leaving him heaving painfully, but that wasn't nothing to the pain he felt in his chest. He needed help. He nearly locked himself out his phone as he tried to unlock it, and could barely see the screen as he tried to call Reiner. The alpha would know what to do. He always did  
"Eren?"  
"I-I need help"  
"Are you at home?"  
"Y-yeah..."  
"I'll be there soon"  
Eren didn't even hang up, the phone fell to floor, landing in the mess he'd made. Reiner ended the call and Levi's smiling face appeared on the screen. Unable to take it, he let himself fall back down, shaking and screaming. But he soon fell silent. He just felt so heavy and tired.

 

*  
"Shit. Eren!"  
Eren stared blankly as Reiner came into his view, Reiner would make things better  
"Bertholdt, help me with him"  
Reiner lifted him easily but it barely registered the alpha's actions, he was carried into the bathroom and placed down in the bathtub  
"We need to get him cleaned up. Help me strip him down"  
"Reiner..."  
"Bertholdt, he's got a fever and no ones heard from him for days. We need to clean him up and get him eating"  
"Should I call anyone? Levi?"  
Just the mere mention of the alpha's name had him heaving again   
"I think he's the problem... Eren was struggling with telling Levi about him being the twins father, and with that reaction, I get the feeling it didn't go over too well"  
"So who do I call?"  
"No one. We'll get him cleaned up, dressed, and then take him with us"  
"What about Mikasa and Armin?"  
"I think he needs some space to sort his head out. Armin said the kids were staying with him because Eren was in heat. He's been rejected by his bonded alpha, and we have no idea when he told Levi, he could have been laying here for hours... He's so hurt that he probably doesn't even know which way is up"  
Reiner and Bertholdt's words registered, but he couldn't get his tongue to work. He could only sit there as Reiner began to strip him down  
"I'll let you clean him down, he'll probably be more comfortable if you do it..."  
"Alright babe, let me know if you need help"  
"Ok... Eren, I'll clean up your room..."  
Bertholdt's tone was as if he was talking to a small child, but he couldn't find the fucks to give.

Reiner stripped him down, and ran the shower while gently man handling his body as he cleaned him down   
"You don't have to talk to us, but we aren't leaving you here like this..."  
Once again, he wished his voice would work. He wanted to scream or cry, but he just stared ahead like a doll. His body was taxed beyond what he thought was possible in the way of human exhaustion, but even if he tried to close his eyes, they just wouldn't cooperate. Just like the rest of him  
"I don't know if you realise, but you've been out of touch for the last 5 days. You still have a hint of fever, and you've definitely been through heat"  
He didn't even realise he had. In his head it was Monday morning still. Oh well... It wasn't like it mattered. What the fuck was he supposed to now. Why had he asked for help? He could have just laid there and died. Levi might not want him or the boys, but Armin would take care of them. They didn't need a stupid, lying, slut mother like him  
"Close your eyes, I need to wash the vomit from your hair"  
When he didn't comply, Reiner covered his eyes for him  
"Eren please, you're freaking me out"  
Reiner's words were so close to Levi's and tears filled his eyes  
"I know it hurts, but we're hear for you. Talk to me... please?"  
As if lubricated by his tears, Eren's eyes finally slid shut.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the 23 confusion. It saved chapter 22 as a draft, so when I posted it, it came up as 23... yay for technology!
> 
> Anyway... who's read the latest chapter of SnK?!? I AM SHOOK!

Waking to find himself at Reiner's, and in the alpha's room. His whole body throbbed and the light in the room was blinding. He had no idea what he was doing there, but he felt revolting   
"Eren?"  
He winced at the sound of Reiner's voice, but nodded  
"Thank fuck. You gave us a total scare"  
"S-sorry..."  
His mouth felt furry, his tongue thick and awkward   
"How do you feel?"  
"Gross"  
Closing his eyes, he groaned as he curled around his stomach  
"You've been sick, but you'll be alright now. Do you remember?"  
Thinking hurt, but his breath caught as he remembered Levi's words. Trying to suck air into his lungs, he was moved to sit up and Reiner slid behind him  
"Eren, it's alright. We know what happened. Deep breaths, I don't want to call the doctor again"  
Doctor again? Just what had happened? Reiner's strong hands rubbed his back coaxing him to breathe  
"S-sorry..."  
He was causing so much trouble for everyone... he didn't understand why Reiner was even wasting his time on him   
"You don't need to apologise. I'm relieved you called"  
"I... called?"  
"You called and asked me for help yesterday"  
"Sorry"  
"Eren, you don't need to apologise. If anything, I should. I encouraged you to tell him, but I didn't think it would turn out like this"  
"I deserve it"  
"No you don't. But more importantly, how are you feeling physically? Bert and I cleaned you up and brought you here. But you were so dehydrated and pale, we called the family's private physician. You went through IV bags"  
That sounded like a fuck load of bother for something like him  
"Sorry"  
He must have pushed Reiner too far. The alpha lifted him as if he weighed nothing and manoeuvred him so they were facing each other  
"Eren, it's fine. I promise you. But I need to know if you're in pain"  
He shouldn't complain, but he didn't want Reiner getting madder at him  
"My head hurt"  
"Ok. When Bert comes back, I'll get you some painkillers"  
He caught himself before he said sorry again. Instead he closed his eyes and Reiner pulled him against his chest   
"What else do you need? I called Armin to let him know you were sick, but not what happened and I said you were staying with us"  
"I don't want them to know..."  
"I thought as much. Do you want me to call Armin again? Then you can talk to your boys"  
Eren shook his head, he was being selfish, but he didn't know how to tell them about Levi   
"No... Reiner... I don't know what to do?"  
"You can stay here as long as you need, or we can stay with you at your place"  
"I can't go back there... please don't make me go back there..."  
The hitch in his breathing showed a fraction of the terror that the idea of going home brought  
"Shhh. Ok. You don't have to go there"  
"I can't... I need to find somewhere new. Levi told me he never wanted to see me again... I need to be somewhere he doesn't know..."  
His words surprised him the moment he heard himself say them  
"So you need a new place?"  
He nodded quickly   
"I need to protect the boys... he was so angry..."  
"He didn't hit you did he?"  
"No..."  
"I saw the chair, was that him?"  
"Y-yes... he told me to stop lying and when he realised I wasn't, he lost it... Reiner. He hates me. He hates his own sons... what did I do?"  
Crying against the alpha, Reiner's large smooth hands rubbed his back as he hushed him  
"You were trying to protect everyone. You don't deserve this... I can make some calls if you're sure you want to move out"  
"I do..."  
"Ok. We'll store your things here until you get set up. It doesn't matter how long it takes, mum and dad won't be back for months, and we've got the space"  
"T-thank you..."  
The door to the room clicked as it opened, causing him to flinch and whine  
"It's alright, it's just Bert"  
"Yep, just me. How are you feeling?"  
"I'm... fine..."  
Reiner snorted and he flinched again  
"He's not fine. Can you sit with him? I need to make some calls and find him something for his headache"  
"Sure thing. You don't mind right?"  
Eren shook his head  
"I'm sorry..."  
"Bert, don't let him keep apologising. He must have said it a hundred times since he woke up"  
Reiner slid him into Bertholdt's hold, Eren laying limply against his friend. He heard the two alpha's kiss gently and he hated knowing he'd never share small happy kisses with Levi again  
"I'll be right back"  
Eren didn't reply, and Bertholdt's hands came to rest against his hip  
"Um... do you want to talk about it?"  
"N... no... I deserve it"  
"Eren..."  
"I did... please don't lie"  
"Maybe he'll come around?"  
"I don't think so. He was so angry..."  
"He hasn't been at school. Armin told us you were in heat, so we just thought he was with you"  
Eren shook his head, before burying his face against Bertholdt   
"I'm sorry. All I do is cause trouble"  
"No, you don't. You're one of the nicest and kindest people I know"  
"That's a lie. I'm not. I'm selfish..."  
Bertholdt sighed and shifted his hold on him  
"I was scared you know. Your door was unlocked and Reiner sounded terrified when he saw you laying on the floor. I couldn't even help you. He took over... it was like there was nothing going on inside your head. I know you feel like crap, but even if you can't pull yourself together for yourself... please, at least do it for him. He hasn't slept since we picked you up yesterday and he practically screamed at the doctor to help you. I've never seen him lose it like that. So can I ask you, completely selfishly, to let him help you?"  
Eren sighed sadly  
"I don't deserve it"  
"He thinks you do and I'm pretty sure you do to... I don't want my boyfriend to be angry or sad, not when we can help"  
"He's really lucky to have you and you're lucky to have him. I'm sorry I just can't deal with being helped at the moment... I probably don't even seem grateful, but honestly, I don't even know why I called for help. Everything hurts and I just want to die"  
"No you don't. You're the one always telling us to fight and live. Not to joke about that. You love life more than anyone else I know"  
Eren sniffled sadly as he nodded  
"It's just hurts so badly"  
Bertholdt didn't reply, the two teens remained silent and lost in their own thoughts as they waited for Reiner to return.

Reiner returned just as Eren was falling back to sleep, the bear of an alpha sat carefully on the edge of the bed and the teens hand moved to brush Eren's hair back from his face  
"I know you probably don't feel like eating, but I've got soup. It's pumpkin, you can't really go wrong with pumpkin soup"  
Eren started to shake his head, but Bertholdt tightened his hold just a fraction, causing Eren to stop. Right. No stressing Reiner further  
"I don't know if I can eat much"  
"Anythings fine. You need the nutrients and I've got panadol for you to"  
Turning in Bertholdt's hold, Reiner waited until he was fully settled before placing the breakfast tray in his lap. Eren felt like a fucking fool. His hands were shaking too badly to even hold the spoon and his face burnt with shame. Reiner said nothing as he picked the spoon up and stirred the soup, before gentle scooping some up from the side. This was how he ended up being fed a third of the bowl from his friend. Even that was hard to keep down. He must have paled or something, as Reiner stopped without prompting  
"Good job. Next the panadol and then you can go back to sleep. You look exhausted still"  
Eren nodded pathetically, and once again Reiner had to help him, the alpha holding the glass of water to he could drink down the pills   
"Eren, I've talked to the removalists. They'll be at your place tomorrow morning. Did anything come with the unit?"  
"The fridge and the shower curtain stay, everything else I've replaced or whatever. I can't remember..."  
"That's fine, and I assume you'll want your school stuff and clothes separate"  
"And the boys things... they'll be living with Armin for a while... so they'll need all their things there..."  
The edges of Reiner's lips turned downward   
"What about you? I mean, I did say you could stay here as long as you need..."  
"My dad's sick... I need to look after him... I mean, I hate him... but it's stupid... I don't want him to die"  
"So you'll be in Shinganshima for a while?"  
Eren nodded before letting out a small yawn  
"I think it's nap time for all of us"

Curled up between Reiner and Bertholdt, Eren felt warm and safe. Both alpha's would protect him from the outside world for as long as they could. He just needed to stop being a whiny little bitch. He'd brought this on himself.

 

*  
Eren stayed at Reiner's until all his things had been moved there and sorted. The food from his fridge, freezer and cupboards had been packed separately as it was going to be taken down to Shinganshima with the rest of his stuff he needed right away. Reiner and Bertholdt had packed everything personal for both him and the boys after their three way nap a few days ago. The teen was so grateful to have the pair of them. He just couldn't cope and process, it was as if he was still in shock, but at the same time he was feeling the crushing gravity of reality. 

The drive to Shinganshima was quiet. His phone was stuffed, but he honestly had no desire to replace it and Grandpa Arlert had no idea he was coming down, or about the storm clouds he was bringing with him. As they passed the turn off to his father's house, it was almost tempting to ask the two alpha's to make a slight detour, but the words stuck in his throat. First he'd see the boys, and explain things to them, and then he'd deal with how he was going to approach the Grisha issue. Reiner seemed to remember where he was going, which left Eren to continue mentally practicing the different ways the conversation was going to play out. He knew he wasn't going to be evicted and he knew he could tell the old man anything, but he also knew Armin's grandfather was going to give him a hard dose of rationality and he was feeling anything but rational. When they pulled into the drive way, Eren couldn't help but shake and pull his coat tighter around him for protection. His nerves were definitely getting the better of him, and he was still kind of recovering. Apparently lying on the floor for 5 days didn't do your body any favours and her definitely lost weight. It was strange that he couldn't remember it. Or at least he thought it was strange... Reiner and Bertholdt didn't really seem to think so, but then again, they'd seen him in whatever condition he was in...   
"Eren, do you need help?"  
Shaking his head, the omega unclipped his seat belt and forced himself to open the door. It seemed a small eternity from the car to the front door but it was maybe 10 metres, if that.

He'd made it to the front of the car by the time the door opened and both his sons bolted towards him   
"Mummy"  
Overwhelmed by how happy he was to see them, he sank to his knees and caught them as the launched themselves into his hold  
"Hey babies"  
"Mum! Are you better now? Uncle Armin and grandpa said you were sick?"  
Pressing kiss to both his sons cheeks, Eren nodded  
"Yeah babies, I'm sorry for being gone so long"  
"We missed you mummy"  
"I missed you too babies"  
Struggling to stand and lift his boys, he let out a sad whimper as Reiner lifted them both from his hold  
"One step at a time"  
Fuck this one step business, he wanted his boys. He wanted to curl up and hold them close and never let them go again. Instead Bertholdt moved to wrap an arm around his waist and guided him inside. The moment Armin's grandfather appeared Eren was in tears, he stumbled away from Bertholdt and into the old man's hold  
"Thanks for bringing him, but I get the feeling we need to talk?"  
"Yeah, shits gone down and it's not to good. Reiner, why don't you explain while I start unloading the car"  
"Th-thank you..."  
"It's alright Eren. Ren, Eli, do you think you can help me unload the car?"  
"Ok Ber! Mummy, will you be ok?"  
"Yeah babies, go help Bertholdt, mummy has a lot of stuff with him"  
Eren went to detach from Armin's grandfather, but the old man held him close  
"You look like you're about to fall over. Let's go into the living room"  
He let the old man guide him into the living room and stayed buried against him as he cried  
"Reiner, just what the hell happened? His heats passed, but then Armin said you said he was sick. Now he's turned up like this..."  
"He told Levi the truth and he Levi pretty much called him a liar. No ones heard from him since. This seems to have happened on the first day of his heat. He can't even remember having his heat, it seems his whole body shut down from the rejection"  
"I'm sorry..."  
"Shush, you've got nothing to be sorry for. I'm the one who said you should tell him. I didn't imagine it would end up like this"  
"He... he was so angry... he said he was disgusted at me and never wanted to see me again..."  
Armin's grandfather hushed him as he rocked him  
"I had the family physician take a look at him, he was dehydrated and covered in... well... when we found him. So he's been staying with both Bertholdt and myself since"  
"Thank you. I wish I'd known what was going on"  
"He didn't want anyone else to... and his phones dead too. Given the shape he was in, I have no idea how he was able to call me. He was basically catatonic when we got there"  
"It's alright. He's here now and that's the main thing. I hate to think of him alone in that unit for so long"  
"Well... about the unit... he said he couldn't go back there. So we've the stuff had and the kids need for now, in the car, and the rest of his stuffs being stored at mine. I don't know what you want to do about the lease, but then whole place smelt of Levi"  
"It's fine. I'll call the realestate agent. I think it's going to take some time to get him back on his feet"  
Eren sniffled and pulled back  
"I'm so sorry..."  
"He's been basically apologising for everything too"  
"Well, he really shouldn't. He knows he's welcome here any time and for as long as he needs"  
Eren shook his head and sniffled  
"I... I was thinking... about dad... I want to see him... and see if I can help him"  
Armin's grandfather let out a measured sigh  
"I wish I'd never told you now, it's the last thing you need to think about at the moment. You just focus on getting back on your own two feet, and then we'll talk about what to do about Grisha"  
Once again Eren shook his head   
"I don't want it to be like mum..."  
"Like his mum?"  
"His mother Carla died suddenly. He never got the chance to say goodbye properly and apparently they had a fight that morning. Eren's father basically threw him out of home, so I think he's scared that's how things will end"  
Eren sniffled again, his stomach felt revolting and his head was throbbing. He wanted to declare conversation over, especially as they were talking about him, not really too him. It seemed Armin's grandfather was thinking along similar lines  
"Reiner, why don't you help Eren up to the guest bedroom. Eren, I know you're blaming yourself, and I know that you are in some ways to blame, but you've got two sons who need you. No matter how bleak things look, don't forget that"  
Eren nodded slowly  
"I know... I brought this all on myself"  
Reiner lifted him from the sofa and carried him up to the spare room. The kids were currently playing on the bed, and Eren tried to smile as he was lowered down next to them  
"So, we're going to be staying here for a whole lot longer. I hope that's alright?"  
"Is it 'cause your sad?"  
"Yeah baby. But you and Eli are all I feel better"  
"What about Levi"  
There it was. The innocent question that shattered his broken heart further  
"Levi and I broke up"  
"Is that why you're sad?"  
"That and because I haven't seen you in so long"  
His two sons wrapped their arms around him and Eren tried not to cry as he nuzzled against their soft locks  
"I might be sad, but I love you babies. No matter what"  
"We know. Mum, you've lost weight"  
"Have I?"  
"Yep! But we'll get you fat again"  
He couldn't help but snort  
"Thanks. Now, why don't you two to play? I'm going to lay down for a bit, but I bet Reiner here would love to spend some time with you"  
"Nah. Sorry Ner, but we want our mum"  
Eren sighed, he didn't want his boys worrying, but holding them really was so nice   
"It's alright, you guys can go play, you don't have to stay with me"  
"But muuuuum we haven't seen you in forever"  
"I think I've been given my marching orders. I'll go check in Bertholdt and Armin's Grandfather. You don't need anything right now do you?"  
Eren shook his head  
"No. Thanks for this... thanks for everything. I don't know how I can ever repay you"  
"You already have. We'll come back up before we go"  
"If I'm asleep, make me up. It doesn't feel right not saying goodbye. I don't know when I'll be back in Trost again..."  
"I expect a Facebook message to let us know how you got on and don't be surprised when Armin asks how you are everyday. That'll be my fault"  
"You don't need to tell him to ask everyday"  
"But I still will"  
Reiner strode from the room and Eren let out a sigh. He'd eventually have to go back to school, but the thought of Levi being there scared the fuck out of him. He just couldn't do it. Not while he felt like this. Rising from the bed, he stripped his coat, shoes and socks off, and then finally his shirt. Both boys let out small gasps  
"Mum! You're to thin!"  
He didn't feel like he'd lost that much weight, maybe around his hips...  
"I know babies, but with everyone looking after me I'll soon be fat again"  
Both boys seemed to perk up at his words and he slid into the guest bed, before they rushed to join him  
"Mum"  
"Yes Ren?"  
"Did you and Levi break up because of us?"  
"No babies. Not because of you. You guys are did nothing wrong"  
"But we had to come stay with Uncle Armin..."  
"I thought you liked Uncle Armin?"  
"We do, but we like you better"  
Fuck... his kids were too adorable. Even though he hadn't sworn out loud, he still scolded himself. He needed to switch into mummy mode and forget how to swear again  
"I've missed you guys"  
He hugged boys as tightly as he could before loosening his hold  
"Tell me what you've been up to. Have you been going to daycare?"  
"Ren got confessed to and then he didn't want to go back"  
Ren got what? His son wasn't even 4! Trying not to be the nosy mum, but desperately needing details, he couldn't help himself  
"Really? Who confessed? And what did you say?"  
"Remember that boy that was picking on him? He told Ren he was the prettiest kid at daycare and he liked him best"  
That was kind of cute, but he still wanted to kick that kids arse  
"And what did you say Ren?"  
"I told him that I didn't like him, so he started crying"  
Eren couldn't help it. For the first time in what felt like forever he smiled properly at his son's words. It seemed he'd missed so much in their short time apart and he didn't want to miss anything else  
"Well, its important to tell the truth. Once you lie, people don't believe you again"  
Pot. Kettle. Black  
"But he cried"  
"But it's better than lying and being unhappy"  
"Is that what happened with Levi?"  
"Kind of. I know you both really liked him..."  
"It's alright. We have you"  
Shuffling slightly down, Eren closed his eyes. He let his boys warmth and comforting weight lull him to sleep.

Reiner woke him before they left. Both teens had waited until Armin got home, and it seemed his friend had been filled in on what happened. He was slightly annoyed, but that was only because Armin would want to talk about it and he didn't. Still, when Reiner and Bertholdt left, he couldn't deny he missed them the moment they did. He was really lucky to have them as friends and he had no idea how he was ever going to make it up to them. Dinner that night was quiet, and it was to eat with 4 worried people staring at him. He couldn't finish his meal thanks to his nerves, and both his sons had gone into protective mode. Armin had gone to hug him, but Eli and Ren both put themselves between Eren and his friend. It was adorable, but he didn't want the boys to be anything but themselves and they both loved Armin so much.


	24. Chapter 24

The first week was spent getting high in angry rut. The second week was spent in denial and the third... he was just a wreck. Levi felt sick. He felt sick, angry and betrayed. Betrayed because Eren had had so long to tell him. Angry because the teen hadn't and sick because he knew Eren wasn't lying and that meant he'd got a 12 year old kid pregnant.

Leaving Eren's unit, Levi's world had been dyed red with rage. He couldn't believe his boyfriend would think it is was alright to keep something this huge from him. Eren had lied to him over and over, he'd let Levi get angry at someone he through the was a piece of a shit, only for it to have been him all along. He was fucking 17... and had 2 fucking kids... it seemed like some kind of cosmic joke. He wasn't capable of taking care of anyone, let alone two tiny humans with half his DNA... he wanted everything Eren was saying to be a lie, he wanted it to have just been some kind of heat induced insanity. But it wasn't. And that didn't even take into account how he felt over the fact he'd given same shitty 12 year old kid a bonding mark. All the times he'd seen that mark, marring Eren's otherwise flawless body, all the hatred and jealousy he'd felt over it... but that was his too. Eren must have had a good laugh over it all. Probably Mikasa and Armin too... Fuck. Why couldn't Eren have just told him from the start? Was he really that untrustworthy? Is that why Eren had brought up all that shit about his dad? Did he think he was that bad? And fucking telling him while he was in heat! It'd been a struggle to keep his hands off Eren the moment he'd caught a whizz of the omegas intoxicating smell... did the teen want more kids? Or did Eren expect that he'd forgive him if he could spend a week buried dick deep? He was so hurt and angry, that he didn't even remember the walk home.

Opening the unit door, he snarled at the condition of Izzy's unit. Eren's place was always organised, yet three fucking teenagers couldn't get their shit together. Fuck Izzy and Fuck Farlan. Storming into the living room, he snatched up Farlan's crack pipe and a small clear baggy from the table. This was no where enough to calm him down. Carrying both items with him, Levi headed into Farlans room and promptly destroyed it in his search. He found a couple of buds and a few bags of resi, as well as a stashed bottle of tequila. It was definitely enough for the pity party he intended to throw himself. Fuck Eren Yeager.

He was well and truly fucked up by the time Izzy and Farlan got home. He'd made the mistake of telling the the pair he was going to see Eren... he didn't want to fucking see them, especially with his dick hanging out. He shouldn't be this fucking hard, but Eren's pheromones had started his rut and it was just something else to hate about his boyfriend... ex boyfriend. Stuffing himself back into his pants, he snarled as Izzy walked into his room. Farlan trailed behind her like a puppy and both of them stared down at him  
"Big Brother! How was Eren? Is he alright?"  
"He can fucking rot for all I care"  
His words dripped with anger, even getting them out his mouth had felt a feeling he likened to razor blades running up his throat  
"Oh no! You didn't say something and upset him did you?"  
Fixing Izzy with his best glare, the girl stepped back  
"Yeah. Because he's so fucking perfect. Can't do anything wrong now can he?"  
"Izzy, why don't you let me talk to Levi?"  
"But I..."  
"Fuck off Izzy. Leave me the fuck alone. We aren't even family. You know what. Family is fucking over rated"  
"That's enough. Izzy, leave"  
Izzy walked from the room crying, and Levi really didn't care. Farlan sank down on the edge of the bed  
"What the fuck is wrong with you? And is that my pipe?"  
"Yep. That was your tequila to. Let's get fucked up. I've got nearly 3 grand in my account, and it's been a while since we had fun"  
"Levi, I don't think you're thinking right"  
"What the fuck am I supposed to think!? Eren is a fucking lying arsehole and I'm a fucking pedophile!"  
Farlan blinked and pulled back  
"What?"  
"Guess who his baby daddy is! He didn't even have the balls to fucking tell me straight up"  
Farlan pinched the bridge of his nose  
"Levi, I don't think..."  
"What, you don't think getting high fucking solves anything? I'm in a fucking rut because of him! I'm a fucking father because of him!"  
"Ok. This is too much. You need to calm down and think about this. This is Eren. He wouldn't..."  
Farlan was silenced by the sound of the tequila bottle shattering against the wall  
"You don't know him Farlan and neither did I"  
Climbing off his bed, he ignored his aching and throbbing erection as he grabbed his things and left. If Farlan and Izzy didn't want to party, well fuck both of them.

He honestly couldn't remember screaming anything at Farlan, but apparently he did. He also couldn't remember how he ended up fucked up in some dirty fucking alley. He glared at the track marks on both his arms. He fucking hated needles. Now he'd have to have a fuck load of tests. He couldn't blame Eren for this act of stupidity. But he still did. He stalked home, nursing his throbbing head and aching body.

Farlan opened the door and looked him up and down  
"Well, at least you're not dead"  
"Thanks. Nice to see you too"  
"Whatever, get in here before Izzy has to see you. Fucking track marks... what the fuck were you thinking?"  
"I wasn't"  
Brushing past Farlan, he headed straight to bathroom. He felt thoroughly disgusted with himself. He stripped his stinking clothes and stuffed them in the laundry hamper, before eyeing himself in the mirror. His body was littered with bruises and grime, but what he really caught his attention was his own face. He couldn't possibly be a father. Eren had to be wrong... he couldn't be a father. It just wasn't him. The twins were cute, but no way could he have got pregnant. They were both kids. Even if he came, Eren hadn't presented at the time... but Eren had said something about being in heat... but they were kids. Climbing into the shower, he turned the water to as hot as he could handle, trying to wash away the shame he felt over his actions and wash away the pain he felt each time Eren's name ran through his mind. 

Izzy and Farlan were both waiting for him in the living room after he'd dried and dressed. Izzy had even prepared him a cup of tea and a sandwich, the simple action had him hating himself even more as he sank down   
"Levi, where have you been?"  
Picking up the cup, he cautiously took a sip, ignoring the pain from the needle marks  
"I don't know"  
Izzy frowned  
"You don't know?"  
"I don't remember"  
The girl's eyes welled with tears  
"I was so worried... you were so angry..."  
"I'm sorry Izzy. I shouldn't have taken it out on you"  
"You screamed at Farlan... he tried to stop you leaving..."  
Levi let out a long groan, sinking back with the cup of tea carefully  
"I don't remember that either"  
"You were pretty fucked up. You trashed my room looking for crack"  
"Fuck"  
"Pretty much. Levi, we aren't kicking you out. But you do need to explain what happened. You said you were the father of Eren's kids..."  
"Eren lied to me. He was probably lying about that too..."  
"Levi. Are you sure he was?"  
"He wasn't making sense... and he was in heat"  
"While you spent the week getting fucked up, we've spent the week thinking about it. There's some things you can't deny"  
"Like what? He lied to me from the moment we reconnected. He has had months to tell me the twins were mine, and that the bonding mark on his neck was from me saving him... and he picks when he goes into heat to tell me... yeah. What fuck am I supposed to think?"  
"Wait, you saved him?"  
"He's a wolf blood... we were kids and I upset him. He wasn't thinking and got himself into trouble. So I grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. I must have grabbed him too hard, because that's when I marked him"  
Izzy let out a half sigh/half weird squeak   
"Izzy. No. Aren't you listening?"  
"But you saved him"  
"I also got him pregnant. A fucking 12 year old kid! He nearly drowned and cried for his mother. That's the kind of kid Eren was"  
"You were a kid too... it's not like you were some dirty old man. But Levi. You keep saying they can't be yours and then you say they are"  
"I don't fucking know alright. I'm not fucking blind. Ren looks just like me. But what am I supposed to do?"  
"Talk to Eren?"  
"I can't. I lost it at him. I told him he was disgusting and to stay away from all of us"  
Izzy scowled at him  
"What do you expect. He lied to me for months"  
"And what do you expect. He hasn't seen you in years, and then you show back up and you don't even remember him. Of course he's going to be cautious. He had to think about the boys too"  
"He likened me to his father"  
"You said he hurt him before?"  
"He bashed Eren and broke his fucking arm. He wanted Eren to abort the boys to"  
Izzy sighed again, and Levi nodded. He had his moments, but he'd never broken a kid's arm just to hear it crack  
"So after being bashed by his father, you expect him to just open up to you"  
"I'm not going to fucking bash a kid"  
"How was he supposed to know that?"  
"He still had months to tell me"  
"And he did. Can you imaging how scared he must have been. Your his alpha. He wears your mark. He's the mother of your kids. And you freaked out in him. I'm so mad at you"  
Levi placed down the empty cup down on the table  
"I'm mad at me too... but fuck.. I feel like he's been laughing at me from the get go"  
"That's because you're a fucking idiot. Eren loved you. Think about it. How would you feel if some strange kid turned up and said he was your baby mumma. By not telling you, you got the chance to know him and the boys as Levi, not as their father. No pressure..."  
"How do I know I even loved him? He has my mark. I never had a chance"  
"You are a stubborn arsehole aren't you?"  
Levi didn't reply. He picked up the sandwich Izzy had made him. His head was throbbing harder and he didn't know what to make of anything anymore. He hated the fact the girl was making sense. But that didn't mean he was anywhere near ready to talk to Eren. 

Having retreated back to his room, Levi was laying on his stomach as he scrolled through his phone. His anger had come rushing back the moment his phone had turned on and he was greeted with Eren's beautiful smile. The smile that had hid so many lies... letting out a snarl, he unlocked his phone, first deleting Eren's number, followed by his messages, and then all the photos of him and the kids. The more he looked at Eren, the more it hurt. He deleted Eren's Facebook messages and went to block Eren on Facebook, but his attention went to the teens feed. Sasha had spammed his wall, asking where he was. He didn't know why the question had him feeling sick to his stomach, but it did. He told himself he'd leave Eren on his friends, but that was until he knew the teen wasn't dead somewhere... he'd tried to joke to himself mentally about it as he thought it, but the thought of Eren dead... of the teen not warm and laughing and smiling... what the fuck had he done?

He spent the week trying to ignore the empty feeling that had gripped him after his anger faded. He checked the omegas Facebook, but there was never anything on it. Though both Mikasa and Armin had defriended him... which meant that everyone probably knew he was an arsehole. He deserved it. Thanks to his attitude, well, more not showing up to work, Rico had fired him. With no job to distract himself, the only time he wasn't thinking about Eren was when he had to go get bloodtests thanks to the scabby track marks. His first tests would take a few days for results, but he had to come back for tests again at 4 weeks and then at 8. He was a fucking moron.

By the start of the third week, he was actually missing Eren... or at least he thought he was. Eren's Facebook hadn't updated, no one had posted on his wall, he had no idea where Eren was, but he wanted to see him. Izzy had talked him into coming back to school on Monday, assuring him that Eren hadn't been there all week. Part of him wanted to "accidentally" run into Eren, just to see how he was. He knew Eren probably wouldn't forgive him. He couldn't blame him, but maybe if they ran into each other everything would just fall back into place.

But Eren wasn't at school. Not Monday. Not Tuesday and definitely not Wednesday. His ex boyfriends friends all glared at him, and he couldn't take it. Yes he'd fucked up... but how was he supposed to change anything. Eren had disappeared off the face of the planet... or maybe he was just back at his unit, trying his hardest not to be seen... like he'd fucking asked like the arsehole he was. Breakups are never easy, but this was killing him. Unable to straighten out his feelings, he found himself walking to Eren's building after school. He took the stairs two at a time, his heart pounding as he did. He didn't know what to say... he couldn't even think ahead. It was hard enough not to turn and flee, but then finally he reached Eren's floor. His feet were heavy as he walked down the hall, his nerves caused him to stumble as he reached Eren's door, frowning when he found it open  
"Hello? Are you here for the inspection? I'm afraid you've missed the viewing time, but I can show you around"  
Backing up, he checked the unit number, it was definitely Eren's place  
"I'm looking for the guy who used to live here..."  
"I'm sorry, I don't know anything about that. If you aren't here to view the unit, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave"  
Levi staggered out of Eren's unit... what was Eren's unit and sank down next to the doorway. How was he supposed to forgive Eren if he wasn't around to forgive?  
He watched the woman lock the door behind her, and smacked his head back against the wall   
"Sorry, you said you knew the previous owner?"  
Levi's heart leapt as nodded  
"We go to school together"  
"Oh, that really helps me out. This was found on the bathroom floor today, can I trust you to returned it"  
She sounded completely disinterested, but Levi held his hand out, letting something small fall into it. Lowering it down so he could see, tears rushed to fill his eyes. The small gold band seemed to mock him. He'd made Eren so many promises, but he'd fucked up so badly. Closing his hand around the ring and held it close to his chest like it was the most precious item in the world.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last update for the night xxxxx

Eren was feeling somewhat human... maybe... actually, he still didn't know what he felt. He felt physically better, but his head was a complete mess. One minute he'd been "fine", but the next he was balling his eyes out. Having been back in Shinganshima for two weeks now, and Armin collecting and kind of doing his homework for him, he'd had more than enough time to think. Armin's grandfather had replaced his phone for him, but that was because he'd decided it was time to see his father. The old man didn't want him spending time with Grisha without a way to call for help. As it was, he was currently walking towards his old home for the first time in years. That was one thing he liked about Shinganshima, it'd been years but nothing about this place had changed. The same shops lined the main road, and he was sure they had the same displays as when he was the same age as the twins. He waved a few times at kids he went to school with. Not all of them had continued on with their education, instead working farms with their parents. It was funny, in Trost they'd be torn to shreds, but Eren was kind of jealous. They knew what they wanted to do with their lives... and he had no idea. 

Finally hitting the edge of the forest, Eren shifted and began to pad along slowly. The forest smells rushed to greet him like old friends and felt some of the tension sliding from his shoulders. That didn't mean he wasn't completely terrified, but it was just like tearing off a bandaid... over a red raw rotten wound... he shook his head nope. He'd come this far. Picking up his pace, he allowed himself a few moments of indulgence, it'd been so long since he could run like this. Grisha could wait a while longer. He ran towards his old spot, everything seemed so much smaller now he was so much bigger. Even the ledge was so much smaller, he padded across the outcrop and laid with his paws hanging over the edge while his tongue lolled from his mouth. This was where everything had started with Levi, he should hate this place, but he couldn't... just like he couldn't hate Levi. His heart broke every time he thought of the alpha, but he couldn't hate him. Shifting back to his human form, he pulled his phone out and opened up the camera. He snapped a dozen or so shots of the area, and opened Facebook. He had dozens and dozens of notifications, but ignored them all. As it was, he only had 6 numbers in his phone and he was fine with that. He uploaded the photos, figuring he should probably explain his extended absence for those who cared  
"Nothing beats sitting in the forest. As some of you know, my dad's sick, so I'll be taking care of him for a while xx"  
Yep, that would do. It seemed happy enough... no one else needed to know about the Levi issue. He stayed a little longer, enjoying the moment to himself. He knew everyone meant well, but with two constant shadows, sometimes it was a little suffocating. He pocketed his phone, and shifted again. Giving his spot one last look over before heading off.

 

*  
Sitting out the front of his old family home, hidden in the bushes, he couldn't help but feel like a stalker. The house was in a sad state, his mothers garden was dead and rubbish was stacked in black bags by the bin. It hurt to see the house like this. His mother had been so house proud, she'd fix things herself when Grisha refused to help... and now. It wasn't fucking fair. Why'd she have to leave him behind? 

Shifting back, he let out a deep sigh and pushed himself up, forcing himself to walk across to the front door. It started at him almost sadly. Worn white paint flaked and cracked away as he ran his fingers down it. Deciding against knocking, he left his fingers slide down to the door knob, which turned easily in his hand. There was no going back now.

The house stank. He had no other word for the putrid stench that assaulted and offended his senses. Leaving the door open, he plunged inside. Rubbish laid against the walls, and dust particles danced in his vision. This house had felt no love in years. He walked into the living room, and looked at the blank walls. Everything that might be called personal was gone, and now yellow staining ruined the once cheerful wall paper. His anger rose with every step. Fuck Grisha. It was like he didn't care about his mother at all, he didn't care how house proud she was, or about all the hard work she'd put into making this house feel warm and loving. Crossing to the kitchen, he ignored the mouldy plates and fetid water as he leant over and slid the kitchen windows open. The lace curtains were brown, the lace ruined beyond salvaging and mouse shit sat on the windowsills, mingling with enough dead flies to have him gagging. All of it would need to be binned, but first he needed to get everything out. He rummaged through the kitchen, finding a roll of garbage bags and began cleaning. His dad was obviously passed out somewhere, but that suited him fine and it was easier to tell himself that instead of admitting the man was dead and rotting. He filled 5 garbage bags from the kitchen alone, and another 3 from the living room, adding them to the front pile. He next swept the floors, wondering if his father had cleaned at all since he left. Everything was in the same spot as he'd left it. He bleached the sink, and left it soaking, while moving further into the house. Washing was piled so high, the washing machine was hidden beneath it. It was full, but it seemed none of it had been washed, so he put the load onto extra heavy duty. It obviously needed it. He also opened the window in the laundry, the breeze had done little to help with the stench and he was dying for a can of Glen 20. He needed more supplies, which meant heading into town. He slipped from the house quickly and quietly, way too chicken shit to check his father's room.

In town he stocked up on everything he could. White vinegar to kill the mould, scrubbing brushes, sponges, clothes, antibacterial wipes, rubbish bags, bleach for the bathroom and toilet, buckets, two mops... he went completely overboard, before finally turning his attention to grabbing a set of cutlery and crockery and food. By the end of it he had no idea how he was going to get everything back home, but as he was walking out, he walked straight into Mikasa's father. After the usual "I didn't know you were in town" conversation, Eren quickly filled him on the fact he was staying with the Artlert's until his father was back on his feet. It seemed everyone in town knew Grisha had become a lost cause as Mr Ackerman didn't seem terribly shocked, but then again, it could have been the trolley loaded with supplies. Mr Ackerman offered to drive him out to the house, which solved his distance dilemma. Leaving him with the car keys while the man ran in for his own shopping, Eren played the headlight game as he locked and unlocked the car in an attempt to find which one it was. Having finally located it, he loaded up the boot of the car, triple checking he had everything as he did. He'd finished by the time Mr Ackerman finally came out, shooting him a grin as he crossed over to the car  
"Sorry, the wife texted me the "few more things" she needed"  
"It's all good. Thanks so much for this. The house is kind of..."  
Mr Ackerman nodded   
"Eren, have you seen your father?"  
"No... we didn't part on good terms"  
"Just don't be surprised, he's really let himself go"  
"I kind of figured..."  
They chatted off an on as they made their way to Grisha's. Even though Eren had warned him, Mr Ackerman still seemed shocked  
"Carla would be heartbroken if she could see this"  
"Yeah... I'm not happy over it, but I'm working on what I can fix first"  
"Well, Mikasa and I can come round later with trailer, get rid of the garbage bags"  
"Sorry, I mean, that would be awesome, but I don't want Mikasa involved. I don't know how dad will react and I don't want anything happening to her"  
"Fair call. Do you think we'll be able to handle it?"  
"If we can't, I know a couple of guys in Trost who will help"  
Not that he would. He didn't want Reiner or Bertholdt to see this. Mr Ackerman slowed to a stop and Eren climbed out, before beginning to gather as much as he could and carry it to the front step. Piling the shopping up before taking the last of it from Mikasa's father  
"Thank you. I got a bit carried away"  
"It's fine"  
The man pulled his phone out  
"The tip shuts at 5, and it's just after 2 now. Would tomorrow be better?"  
"If it's not too much trouble"  
Mikasa's father laughed  
"It's fine, I offered remembered. I've got to head off, but give Mikasa a call if anything happens"  
"Thanks again. I'll see you tomorrow"  
"Take care of yourself, Eren"

Not watching Mr Ackerman leave, Eren began hauling everything inside, flinching when his fathers voice rang out  
"The prodigal son returns. What the fuck are you doing here?"  
At least it wasn't a fist to the face  
"I'm here because even though I hate you, I don't want you to drop dead and rot away in mums house"  
His words were cold, and he carried the bags to the kitchen counter  
"Seems you finally grew some balls"  
"And it seems everyone knows you're a pathetic mess now. So go fuck off while I clean the house"  
Wow... he was sounding so much braver than he felt. His father let out a harsh laugh  
"You're in my house. Get the fuck out"  
"No. Not until you get your shit together"  
His father rose from the sofa, and stagger over to him. Eren's eyes widened. The man was practically a walking skeleton. His hair and beard were long and matted with only god knew what, and his clothes hung off him like limp rags  
"What the fuck did you say to me?"  
"I said I'm not leaving until you get your shit together"  
His father stumbled, snarling as he moved to look Eren in the eyes  
"Get the fuck out of my house boy!"  
When Eren didn't move, his father shoved him, but he still didn't leave. He'd had enough of fucking alpha's pushing him around. When his father pushed him again, Eren pushed him back, causing the man to lose his balance and his father shifted as he fell. It was like a switch had been thrown, his father snapping at him as the wolf launched himself onto him. This time he was the one who fell backwards, his father's huge wolf form pinned him down easily, and Eren threw an arm up to protect himself from the snapping jaws. He yelped and kicked up as the man's teeth sank into his arm... why the fuck was he even trying to help this piece of shit? Continuing to kick, he finally got his father off of him, and the alpha smacked against the fridge with a whimper  
"You're a fucking arsehole and you ruined mums life, but she'd be heartbroken to see you acting so fucking pathetic. Get the fuck out. I don't want to see you. I don't care if you'd sulk to your room, but you can't get rid of me with a pissy little temper tantrum. I have two kids remember. This is nothing"  
Grisha's eyes narrowed as he pushed himself up, and began to hobble from the room. This was going to be a bloody battle of wills.

Having cleaned up how arm, he searched the bathroom for the first aid kit. Everything was out of date, but the bandage seemed alright, so he wiped the bite over with an antiseptic wipe and wrapped it tightly. Grisha wasn't going to win this round. He threw himself into cleaning, the washing machine on overdrive as he washed everything he could. He scrubbed and mopped the floors, stripped down the curtains, wasted a whole can of Glen 20 through the front of the house and hauled another 16 bags of trash out the bedrooms... well, mostly his old room. His father has destroyed everything. Including his old bed. It was heartbreaking, but only served to make him more determined. He hadn't even realised the sun was setting, and was confused as to why Armin was calling   
"Eren! Are you alright? Where are you?"  
"I'm fine Armin... but why are you calling?"  
"Because it's nearly 7pm, and we haven't heard from you"  
Pulling the phone back, Eren looked at the time. Fuck. Armin was right  
"Shit, sorry Armin. I'll be home in about an hour"  
"So I should go ahead and put the twins to bed?"  
"That would be awesome. Time just got away from me"  
"But you're alright, right?"  
"Yep. I'll see you soon"  
"Ok"  
Hanging up his phone, he stretched and yawned. Armin had interrupted his rhythm and now he was realising how fucking exhausted he was. Heading having back into the kitchen, he grabbed out a can of soup, dumping it into one of the new bowls and putting it into the microwave. He grabbed a spoon and buttered some bread. His father probably wouldn't be able to eat everything, but something was better than nothing. When he was done, he carried the lot into his father's room   
"Oi. Wake the fuck up. You need to eat this, and I'll be back tomorrow"  
His father glared at him as he placed the bowl on the nightstand. The room was fucking filthy and made his skin crawl  
"You better not make me more work"  
"When did you become such a fucking hard arse?"  
"Having kids will do that to you. Unlike you, I actually care enough for my children to make sure I'm there for them. That's why I'm leaving now. Eat and take a shower, you fucking stink"

Fleeing the house, all his bravery fell away. His arm was fucking throbbing and he was terrified that his father would rally himself before tomorrow. He started heading back to the Arlert's, limping as he did.

 

*  
The shower floor was puke brown as he scrubbed himself down. No matter how much he scrubbed, he still felt gross. His arm had started bleeding on the way home, so he'd headed straight up to shower and clean. The human mouth was disgusting and he wouldn't be surprised if the wound got infected. His father's breath had been rancid and then man's teeth yellow. He shuddered at thought it had probably been months since the man brushed his teeth.

Emerging from the shower, all he wanted to do was sleep, but he still had to redress his arm. He dried slowly, and then smothered his arm in antibacterial cream, before dressing it neatly and pulling his pyjamas on. He could hear his bed calling, but he still needed to check in with both Arlert's, though the didn't need to know his father attacked him. Cleaning and doing something had helped him forget his pain, and he wasn't prepared to feel... not yet. Making sure the bathroom was nice and clean, he headed down to the living room and flopped down onto the sofa with a groan   
"You look like shit"  
Smiling, he turned to look at Armin   
"Thanks. That's what happens when you leave the house and do the things"  
"I saw your Facebook post, did you really go and see your dad?"  
"Yep. The house is a mess. How were my boys?"  
Eren looked to Armin's grandfather   
"They were good. Wanted to know where you were, but at their dinner"  
"Thanks for that. I didn't even realise the sun had set"  
Letting out a sleepy yawn, Eren scrubbed his face  
"What happened to your arm?"  
"Oh, cleaning accident. It's alright though"  
The old man hummed skeptically  
"So how's Grisha"  
"Bad. I had to treat him like a kid and sent him to his room"  
"And he actually went?"  
"Yeah... I feel like he's not all there anymore"  
"What? Like he's crazy"  
"Not crazy. More like he doesn't realise how bad things around him are"  
"Fuck"  
"Pretty much. Oh, I ran into Mikasa's dad today, he gave me a lift out to house and is going to help me do a rubbish run tomorrow"  
"Do you want help?"  
"Nah, we'll be fine"  
The idea of Armin seeing the house in its current state was mortifying  
"Eren. Levi's back at school"  
Eren's chest tightened with the alpha's name and his hand came to rub his bonding mark without meaning to. He forced himself to remain calm  
"Yeah? Good for him"  
"That's it?"  
"Well, what am I suppose to say?"  
"I don't know... have you talked to him?"  
Eren snorted  
"I'm a disgusting liar remember, why would I?"  
"But..."  
"Armin. I've had a long day, and I don't want to think about Levi. I can't. I still can't. I want to focus on the family I do have, you guys and the twins and I want to try and get dad help. That's it. I don't want to think about Levi"  
"But you love him"  
"It doesn't matter how I feel. I told him the truth and he snapped. Even if I saw him, I don't think I could stomach it. So can we just drop it. I came down here to let you know that I was alright, and that I'll be with dad tomorrow..."  
Armin's heart was in the right place, but he couldn't... Levi had obviously gotten over it all if he was back at school. Maybe he never really meant anything to the alpha?   
"I'm going to bed, thanks taking care of the boys..."

Pushing himself up, he fled from the living room and up to the boys. Both boys were sleeping awkwardly across the bed and Eren lifted Eli up so he could slid in  
"Mummy?"  
"Shhh, baby. I'm here, go back to sleep"  
"I love you mummy"  
"I love you too"  
Eli was soon settled in his arms, and Eren buried his face in his hair. Tears rolled down his face silently, but he couldn't stop them. He really wasn't ok. 

That night, when he finally fell asleep, he dreamed of Levi. It was a stupid dream, they were together still and blissfully happy. It wasn't like they were doing much, just lying next to each other and sharing secret whispers and kisses. Making stupid plans about the further... everything was so real, he could feel Levi's warmth, smell the alpha's earth scent... it was the kind of dream that was so painfully sweet, and the kind of dream he never wanted to wake up from.


	26. Chapter 26

Waking with the boys, Eren enjoyed their kisses and cuddles, before forcing himself up. His arm was throbbing annoyingly, but there was no way he letting anyone find that out. After his dream the night before, he felt like his heart had broken all over again. He told himself he just had to keep it together until the boys were on the bus with Armin, and kept telling himself right up until they were. Today was fucking hard, and tears torrented down his face as he walked towards the forest. Levi would probably forget all about them all over again... it seemed like he already had.

Shifting into his wolf form, he ignored the pain in favour of running. He had to make sure the house wasn't too embarrassing for when Mr Ackerman arrived. Even when blood began to run down his arm... leg... he kept running. If only running would solve his problems, he'd run forever if it would. He didn't slow until he reached the house, the first thing he noticed was all the rubbish bags were still in the same place, so that was a win for the morning. He shifted back and left himself inside, cringing at the smell. He'd left the windows open, but the stink had probably soaked into the wallpaper. He wondered if he could find a similar pattern. He'd love to restore this house to how he remembered it. Quietly padding through the house, he opened his father's door. The bread and the soup were half eaten, so that was a win, but the alpha was curled around a bottle of bourbon and his heart fell. The sinking feeling only grew worse when he opened the bathroom door and found the room covered in piss and vomit. He was beyond furious, but he didn't dare wake the alpha in case he was still drunk.

With tears rolling down his face, he set about cleaning the bathroom. The bleach had his eyes watering and it hurt to breathe, even with the window open. He scrubbed ever inch of it, and then washed it down and did it all over again. Feeling dizzy from it all, he staggered outside and into fresh air. His nose began to bleed almost as soon as he'd sat down, and feeling too shitty to head back inside, he titled his head forwards and let it drip onto the gravel. He was still sitting like that when Mikasa's father pulled up. Eren waved a hand in greeting, but didn't raise his head. He waited on the step while the man reversed the trailer up to the rubbish pile and then finally looked up when the sound of boots hitting gravel reached his ears   
"Hey Eren"  
Looking up, he forced a smile, but Mr Ackerman's dropped   
"Your nose is bleeding"  
"Yeah. I got a bit carried away with the bleach"  
He rose shakily, taking a few deep breaths  
"Are you sure you're up for this?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine, I kind of need the smell inside to clear before I head back in"  
"Fair call"  
Opening the cage doors, Mr Ackerman soon ended the silence   
"So, how is he?"  
"Sick. Still drinking, but he's too sick to be any danger"  
"Still, it must be hard"  
"It's annoying. But if it gets him back on his feet..."  
They began piling the black bags into the trailer, followed by the rubbish bin   
"Is there anything inside that needs to go?"  
"Yeah. My old bed, it was too late to carry it out last night"  
Mikasa's father gestured to door, and Eren lead the way  
"I see what you mean about that bleach"  
"The bathroom was gross, it needed it"  
Walking into his old room, Mikasa's father let out a sigh  
"You do realise it all needs to go?"  
By all, the man meant his old desk and chair, as well as his chest of draws. All of which were broken  
"Yeah, but I didn't want to put you out any more than I already have"  
"It's better if we just get it all done at once"

And that's what they did. They completely emptied his whole room, given how much pain he was in already, both physically and mentally, emptying his room had him so close to breaking. But once again, he told himself to keep it together. On the drive to the tip, he chewed his lip so badly that it began to bleed, and then his nose started again. Thanks to this, Mikasa's father wouldn't let him help unload the trailer and he felt shitty as he watched from the car. Given how long it had taken them to load it, the man emptied it in next to no time, and it wasn't long before Eren was back at the house. Some how he'd been made to promise he'd come for dinner soon. He wasn't sure how it happened, and he felt he'd only agreed because he was so close to crying. He thanked the man for the upteenth time before Mr Ackerman left and Eren returned to cleaning. He washed the dishes and left them to dry, before heading into the bathroom and washing all the bleach down. The smell of piss had finally left the room completely, but that might have been because he really couldn't smell anything anymore.

Heading back into his room, he began to sweep the empty room. Tears were rolling down his face, but when he found a remnant of Levi, he truly fell apart. He couldn't remember carving Levi's name into his floor, but the fact it was there meant he had. He was still sobbing when his father staggered in  
"What the fuck are you doing here?"  
"Cleaning, what does it look like?"  
"It looks like my failure of a son had come running home because he ruined his life and spread his legs"  
His father laughed cruelly, staggering over to stand behind him   
"Go on, admit it. You're only here because you can't hack it on your own"  
Looking up, Eren glared the best he could  
"It looks to me you're the one who can't cope. Fucking drinking yourself to death like the sad..."  
His words were cut off by a harsh kick to his stomach  
"I should have beaten those bastard babies out of you"  
"And I wish every single day that it had been you instead of mum. But we can't change that now"  
"You have no right to talk about her"  
"No dad. You have no right. You made her fucking miserable"  
He hated how good the pain felt. He'd told himself he wouldn't let the man hurt him, but maybe... just maybe...this was what he'd wanted all along. Someone to punish him for what he'd done to Levi and his boys. His father stalked from the room and Eren let out a shaky breath. Once an arsehole, always an arsehole.

 

*  
By lunch time the following day, his arm was warm to the touch and a general feeling of sickness has set it. Standing in the spotlessly clean bathroom, he carefully rolled the bloodied dressing off and eyed the mess with annoyance. The wound was an angry red, weeping some kind of gunk mixed with blood. He glared in the direction of his father's room. Whether the alpha liked it or not, the alcohol to go. The man was never going to make any sort of improvement if he kept searching for salvation at the bottom of the bottle. Leaving the saturated dressing on the bench, Eren slipped into his father's room. Grisha was snoring loudly, and Eren grabbed the rubbish bin by the man's bed. He figured if he put it there, it might just save the bathroom from another episode, but as it was there were only tissues in it. Slowly eyeing the room, he had no idea where to begin. He'd love to drag everything out and clean it from head to toe. It was the only room that had escaped his wrath, though thanks to only god knew what, the walls were still stained and that gave the impression he hadn't accomplished much of everything. 

Moving to the window, he cracked it every so slightly. Enough to let the breeze in, but not enough that the alpha should notice. He then started his search by checking the dresser below the window. In the top sock draw, he found a bunch of, mostly empty, minibar sized bottles. He grimaced in disgust as he lowered them carefully into the bin. Fucking Grisha.

He ended up filling the bin 4 times over with the alcohol bottles. The ones that had nothing left went straight into the household bin, and the rest were emptied down the sink. He knew the dangers of alcohol withdrawal, but it wasn't like his father would just go to hospital. Once the man got bad enough, Eren could call an ambulance and his stupid father would be forced to accept help. Not wanting the be caught by the soon to be furious alpha, he locked the door the door and took the keys with him. The house keys were on the same keyring as the car keys. Without his car keys, Grisha would be forced to walk if he wanted to drink. This was his revenge for the clearly infected bite. 

By the time he reached the sad excuse that Shinganshima called a hospital, he was feeling dizzy and disgusting. Fine beads of sweat were running down his body, despite the fact a cold wind was blowing on the bright day. Eren all but staggered inside and up to the reception desk  
"Sir?"  
Sir... well, he was male, but he didn't think he made it anywhere near the sir category age wise  
"Hi, I need to see a doctor please"  
The woman frowned  
"I'm sorry, we only have 2 doctors on duty at the moment"  
Eren let out a deep breath and raised his arm so she could see the wound  
"I have an infected human bite. I just want to get it checked and cleaned up"  
He swayed slightly and she finally nodded   
"Take a seat to the left, I'll call through and see if someone can see you"  
Pushing a smile to his face, he thanked the obnoxious woman and stagger over to the nearest dated olive green chair. Letting his head loll back, he stared up at the water stained ceiling for a long moment before closing his eyes.

Being shaken awake wasn't welcome, even if it wasn't rough, he still felt like shit  
"Sir?"  
"Sorry. I guess I fell asleep"  
"If you'd like to come with me, Doctor Hannes will see you now"  
Hannes. That name took him back, the man used to be a friend of his parents, and Eren could vaguely recall having the man come to dinner more than once. Pushing himself up with a hiss, he followed the middle aged woman down a hallway and into a very basic and very dreary examination room. Hannes didn't even looked back towards him  
"Name?"  
Eren grinned as he replied   
"Eren Yeager"  
It was hilarious. Hannes span around on his chair so fast that he half fell off and then promptly scrambled to regain some of his composure  
"It's been a while"  
Hannes finally rose from the chair and cross to give him a somewhat awkward hug  
"You have a fever"  
"Yep, and an infect arm"  
Hannes pulled back and grabbed his arm, before letting out a sigh  
"You've been to see your father haven't you?"  
"Yep. I'll make you a deal. You tell me what's wrong with him, and I'll let you clean up my arm and give me antibiotics"  
Hannes raised an eyebrow at him   
"When did you become so grown up?"  
"I'm not really, it's all just an act. Now let me sit down before I fall down"  
Hannes laughed heartily and guided him over to the examination bed  
"Still got that same sense of humour"  
"Nah, being back homes turning me back into a country bumpkin"  
Hannes busied himself while Eren settled back, he was glad the man was still practicing. He jumped when the wound was wiped over and Hannes laughed  
"This takes me back. I remember one time, Grisha was away and you'd fallen out a tree, giving yourself a nasty bump to the head. Carla came in started raising hell. You got your first stitches before you even turned two"  
Eren snorted  
"That sounds about right. You should see the twins, I love the to death, but shit..."  
"Worse than you?"  
"According to Armin's grandfather we're on par. I don't know how mum did it"  
"Carla told me about them. How they were yours... did you ever meet their father again"  
Eren sighed  
"Let's not go there. How's my arm?"  
"Infected"  
"I do believe I told you that"  
"Well, I was hoping to keep you distracted long enough to give you a local. I need to drain it and stitch it"  
"Great. Local me up"

Hannes wasn't exactly gentle as he worked, and the anaesthetic wasn't that great, but the pain wasn't completely unwanted. He wondered how messed up he must be to be angry at his father for hurting him but to also feel like this was what he deserved. He was in a fucked up head space and he knew it  
"Hannes, what's wrong with dad?"  
"It was losing your mother. It broke something inside of him, and the alcoholism only made that worse. He was brought in a few weeks ago, he'd shown up at the store that used to be the clinic, demanding to know where Carla was. The new owners were terrified, and we had to sedate him"  
"So he's gone off the deep end?"  
Hannes nodded and Eren sighed  
"What can I do to help him?"  
"If you could get him in for tests, I could give you a more definitive answer"  
"Well... one of us might be back in there next few days"  
Hannes raised an eyebrow, and Eren winced as the man began prodding harder at him wound  
"Eren, what happened?"  
"I might have binned all the alcohol in the house"  
"Well that's not going to end well"  
"I've got his house keys and car keys..."  
"That's not what I meant and you know it"  
"Look. I get it. I really do. But he needs some tough love"  
"Eren, detoxing from alcohol can be dangerous"  
"And I'm prepared for that"  
They fell quiet again, until Hannes had finished cleaning his arm up   
"I'll give you a round of antibiotics, 3 a day for the next 7 days. Then I want you to come back and I'll take those stitches out"  
Eren nodded and looked down at his arm  
"Mouths are gross"  
"They are, you really shouldn't have left it this long"  
"Well it wasn't too bad..."  
"Wait here, I'll go get your prescription filled"  
Hannes took a few minutes and it was about half an hour later before he finally left. Hannes had made him promise to call when things got bad. He was honestly tired of people and their good intention. Everyone wanted to help him, but he just wanted to try and do it alone first.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rewrote this 4 times. And I still don't like it. Sorry. Please feel free to hate me.

Eren let out a shaky breath, as he pressed his hands against his bleeding stomach. He'd fucked up. He'd gotten too cocky about how much weaker his father was now, and the arsehole had fucking stabbed him for it. Fumbling for his phone, he snagged the device as he sank to the floor. Calling emergency services, he groaned as he tried to get comfortable   
"Fire, Police, or Ambulance?"  
"Police and ambulance"  
"Alright sir. Can I have your name and address please?"  
"Eren Yeager. I'm at the Yeager property just outside of Shinganshima"  
The woman tapped away  
"And what seems to be the problem?"  
"My father's an alpha Wolfblood and he's stabbed me"  
"Alright, Eren I need you to stay calm for me. Where were you stabbed?"  
"In the stomach, just up and left a bit of my belly button. He pulled the blade out"  
"And where is your father now?"  
"I don't know. He's an alcoholic and this is day three of his detox. His hallucinating, and could possibly be in his wolf form"  
"Does he had access to any weaponry?"  
"No. Just the knife. We don't have guns in the house as far as I know"  
"Thank you. You're going really good Eren. Police and ambulance had been dispatched and are expected to arrive within the next 10 minutes"  
"Thank you"  
Hanging up on the emergency service operator, his fingers shook as he tried to focus. He could literally die, and yet he didn't have anyone else in the world he wanted to talk to... other then Levi. He might have had 6 numbers in his phone, but he knew Levi's number off by heart and squinted down at his shaking phone. Fuck. This fucking sucked. He'd never thought to lock the knives up, even if his father had practically mauled him, it would have been a less of shock to waking up to the pain flooding his senses. He hadn't even meant to fall asleep, but it was his third day in a row awake. Placing the phone against his ear, he slid down slightly, letting out a whimper as he did. He didn't expect Levi to answer, and his heart hurt at the sound of the alpha's voice mail message  
"Hi. This is Levi. I'm either busy or with Eren, in which case I don't give two shits about your call"  
The alpha obviously had forgotten to update his message. He waited for the beep and let out a shaky breath  
"Hey Levi... it's Eren. You probably deleted my number..."  
Eren let out a shaky breath, pushing down harder on the wound. His body was starting to go numb, which was probably not a good thing  
"So it's a bit of a funny story. Dad kind of stabbed me, and I guess it's selfish, but I'm scared. I threw myself into trying to fix him, but honestly... I just didn't want to think about how much I miss you. It's funny don't you think, me, the disgusting liar coming to you when I'm laying on the kitchen floor bleeding. But I didn't want to talk to anyone else... does that make me a bad parent? Sorry... Levi, I know I hurt you. But I still love you and I know that if I die, you'll be a really good father... just make sure they don't stay up too late... and make sure they're happy..."  
Breaking down, he sobbed into the phone miserably  
"Find someone to make you happy... I'm sorry that it wasn't me"  
When his phone slid from his shoulder, he smiled at sounded of approaching sirens. His dad would have gotten help all those years ago if he hadn't lied, this was the least he could do for the alpha.

 

*  
Levi ignored the vibrating in his pocket, Eren wasn't at school... and once again he was blaming the teen. How was he supposed to forgive the omega if he didn't hear from him. He'd thought about catching the bus out to Shinganshima, but Mikasa and Armin would probably murder him the first chance they got. He'd thought about calling Eren, but he wanted to tell the omega face to face how fucking sorry he was. He'd silently promised he would when he slipped Eren's ring onto his finger. His boyfriend had looked so beautiful in that red dress, but it wasn't just Eren's appearance that was beautiful, it was all of him. Eren had loved him so completely, he'd taken him in, given him a taste of what it was like to be part of a real family. And yes he'd lied, but that was because Eren wanted to protect their boys... fuck. He missed them so badly. Letting out another sigh, he couldn't wait for his maths class to end. If he was talking to Eren, the teen would know what to say...

At first he was confused, but then he realised the wet spots across his page were tears and swallowed hard. Fuck. Wiping his face, he then gathered his things and stuffed them in his bag, before standing and rushing from the classroom. He was acting so pathetic. He was an alpha! He was supposed to be strong! Fishing his phone out his pocket, he eyed the notifications on the screen. He wished he didn't know that number off by heart. He but he did and his fingers shook as he unlocked his phone and opened the voicemail  
"Hey Levi... it's Eren. You probably deleted my number..."  
Something was wrong. Eren's voice sounded strained, he started running, he didn't know where he was going, but he needed to move  
"So it's a bit of a funny story. Dad kind of stabbed me, and I guess it's selfish, but I'm scared. I threw myself into trying to fix him, but honestly... I just didn't want to think about how much I miss you. It's funny don't you think, me, the disgusting liar coming to you when I'm laying on the kitchen floor bleeding. But I didn't want to talk to anyone else... does that make me a bad parent? Sorry... Levi, I know I hurt you. But I still love you and I know that if I die, you'll be a really good father... just make sure they don't stay up too late... and make sure they're happy..."  
Levi's knees folded beneath him, he landed hard, his phone flying out his hand and he scrambled across the linoleum floor to grab it  
"Find someone to make you happy... I'm sorry that it wasn't me"  
He want anyone else. He wanted Eren. He tried to call the omega back, but it wouldn't connect and he didn't know what to do. He didn't have anyone's numbers anymore... if it was lunch, he could find Eren's friends in the cafeteria. One of the had to have a car. Reiner had a car. But Reiner hated him... but this was Eren. Picking himself up, he started to run back in the direction he'd come from and towards the school office. 

The receptionist looked at him like he was crazy as he panted and struggled to get his breath   
"I need... to find... Reiner Braun..."  
The receptionist looked at him like he'd grown another head  
"I'm sorry, what?"  
"Reiner Braun... I need to find him... family emergency..."  
Eren considered all his friends family, so it wasn't really a lie   
"Please... I need to find him"  
Something on his face must have shown how desperate he was. The woman tapped away on her computer  
"He's in advanced physics. Room 43"  
Levi slammed his hands downon the counter, causing her to jump and flinch away  
"Thanks"  
He was off before she could ask him anything else. He was in the dumb kids science class, it wasn't even in the shiny new bit of the science wing. He threw himself up the stairs and along the hall, desperately searching for 43. He nearly fell face first against the door when he finally found the number. Ripping the door open, everyone stopped to look at him   
"Excuse me, were in the middle of an examination right"  
"Shut up"  
His eyes flicked around the room, finally finding Reiner down the back   
"Reiner. Its Eren. We need to go"  
The alpha rushed to stand, not even grabbing his work on the way  
"Mr Braun?"  
"My works done. I need to go"  
Levi wanted to scream at him as it was almost like the alpha was walking in slow motion. Finally Reiner reached him and slipped out the room, glaring down at him  
"What's this about Eren?"  
"He... he left me a message..."  
Fumbling out his phone, he started the message and pressed the phone into Reiner's hand. The alpha let out an angry growl and Levi nodded  
"I know you hate me... but I don't know who else to turn to"  
Reiner started to run, and Levi pushed himself to keep up. The teen seemed to have forgotten he was like his side  
"How long ago did he call?"  
"Maybe 20 minutes?"  
Reiner snarled  
"It's not my fucking fault. I was running around trying to find you"  
"I never said it was. Just shut up and let me think"

Levi wasn't sure what Reiner needed to think about. Step one: get to the fucking car. Step two: get in the fucking car. Step three: start the fucking car and get to Shinganshima. It wasn't rocket science or advanced physics... and then, once the alpha had him completely confused, Reiner just kept running until they reached the car. What the fuck?!

 

*  
Neither of them talked at all, Reiner broke almost every road law, the teens as worse than Kenny and Kenny didn't even believe in road rules. The hour long trip, was shortened to 40 minutes, and they had no idea where they were going. They probably would have still been confused if an ambulance hadn't turned onto the main road, the lights and sirens had them both looking behind them, so Reiner pulled off and let it pass, before pulling back on and following it all the way to the hospital.

Levi was out of the car before it'd even come to a complete stop. The building was so small that there only seemed to be one entrance and Levi didn't even look back to see if Reiner was following. The receptionist rose as he ran in   
"Eren Yeager... where is he?"  
"Sorry, who are you?"  
"I'm his alpha. I need to see him or see someone's who knows what's going on!"  
"Calm down or I'm going to have to ask you leave"  
"My omega fucking calls me! Convinced he's dying and you tell me to calm down! His piece of shit father stabbed him! And it's my fucking fault!"  
The woman finally gave him a sympathetic look  
"Just take a seat and I'll see if I can find out what's going on"  
The woman rushed off and a strong hand landed on his shoulder   
"Levi. Come sit down"  
Reiner propelled him forward to the empty chairs, and Levi let out a sad growl as he sat  
"This is all my fucking fault... Eren could die... and it would be my fault"  
"He's not going to die"  
"How can you say that, you heard the phone call!"  
"And how can you have such little faith in him? All he did was love you, and you turned around and kicked him to curb"  
"I fucking know alright. Don't you think I've regretted it since it happened?"  
"You dumped him during his heat. Your rejection left him broken, it was Bertholdt and I who got him back on his feet. You didn't even try to understand"  
"How was I supposed to react! I just found out I got a 12 year old fucking pregnant! Eren had months to tell me"  
"Because he was scared you'd flip out"  
Levi snarled   
"I know I fucked up! But I fucking love him more than anything. I want him. I want to wake up with him. With the boys. I want to be with him"  
The same receptionist returned, Levi rose as she approached  
"How is he?"  
"He's in surgery at the moment. Single stab wound to the abdomen. I'm sorry that's all I know"  
"What about his father?"  
The woman frowned, but Levi wasn't having it  
"He's my father-in-law"  
"Grisha was shot in the leg after resisting arrest. He's being transferred to Trost under police care"  
Levi sank down, feeling like he'd been gut punched. Eren should be the one going to Trost. This place was a backwards piece of shit and Eren deserved the best medical care  
"Thank you"  
Levi buried his face in his hands. What a shit fest.

When Reiner didn't sit, Levi looked up at him  
"What? What is it?"  
"Armin's grandfather. I'm going to need him know. Arrangements need to be made for the boys"  
The him "arrangements" was too close to "funeral arrangements" for Eren and then arrangements so he'd never see the boys again. His throat constricted painfully as he tried to swallow  
"Levi. Can I take your phone? It'll be easier to explain to Armin's grandfather if he hears the message"  
Levi nodded, he checked his pockets, but came up empty. It was hard to make his tongue work  
"It must be in the car... the pins 1225"  
"Ok. We'll be back soon"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It can only go back up now... right?


	28. Chapter 28

Levi was still sitting in the same olive green chair when Reiner returned with Armin's grandfather and both twins. The boys both looked at him in clear confusion and Levi wiped his tears away, trying to push a smile to his face. These were his boys, his sons... he sniffled and rubbed his face over   
"Hey boys"  
"Levi... what are you doing here?"  
He had to be strong. Eren was fighting to live, so the least he could do was push down his pain  
"Your mummy called me. He wanted me to make sure that you were alright"  
"Mummy did?"  
Levi nodded  
"Yep, so Reiner drove us down here..."  
Ren chewed on his lip, and Levi didn't know much the twins knew, so didn't know what to say. Armin's grandfather came towards him, so he pushed himself up and as the man came face to face with him, he couldn't help but wince in anticipation of the slap that never came. Instead he was pulled into a hug and promptly dissolved against the old man's shoulder  
"I'm so sorry... I hurt him so badly..."  
"I'm not the one who needs to hear that, but if he called you, then he's made up his mind that he still wants to be with you"  
"I... I was waiting... I wanted to tell him face to face... but now I'm so scared I'll never get the chance"  
"Don't think like that. You've got two boys that need you to be strong"  
Levi nodded and pulled back  
"I can't believe this has happened"  
"Neither can I. He said he was alright, that Grisha hadn't done anything..."  
"I want to kill him..."  
"Its in the hands of the law now and Eren is in good hands here. Can I trust the boys to you? I need to call Armin and Mikasa's family"  
"But they hate me"  
"No, they just love Eren"  
Sitting back down, Levi looked to Ren  
"Eli, Ren, I need you to stay with Levi for a minute"  
"But he and mum broke up"  
"That doesn't matter right now. Your mummy loves Levi still, and Levi loves your mummy. That's why he's here. I think he needs a big hug from both of you"  
The boys looked to Levi and Levi nodded. Eli was the first to come to him and Levi lifted the small boy into his lap. This was his son. His flesh and blood. He settled Eli on one leg and patted his free thigh. Ren looked to Eli and didn't move until Eli nodded. With both boys in his lap, he pulled them close and pressed kisses to the tops of the heads. These were his sons. He was filled with pride at the thought. Eren had birthed these two tiny humans from their fooling around and now he knew they were his, he never wanted to let them go. Keeping his full attention on the boys, he ignored whatever Reiner up to  
"Levi... do you really love mumma?"  
"I do. I love him and I love both of you"  
"Mumma got hurt"  
"That's right, but they're going to make him all better"  
Ren shook his head   
"Grandpa Arlert doesn't know, but mummy had the huge sore on his arm and had to take pills"  
"Don't tell him that"  
"But he loves mum"  
"So? Mum said we shouldn't tell anyone"  
"The bad person who hurt your mum can't hurt him ever again"  
"Really?"  
"Truly. The police caught him"  
Ren nodded and Eli sighed  
"Mums been going out a lot lately, and he always comes back new bruises..."  
Fucking Grisha. If the police didn't have him, Levi would have tracked him down himself and slaughtered him   
"It's alright. Mummy will be alright"  
"Are you sure?"  
"Well, your grandpa told me, and he's never lied before"  
"Yes he has... he took his shoes off and they really stank, so he blamed it on Armin"  
Fuck. He'd missed this.

Even when Mr Arlert returned, the boys stayed in Levi's lap. Silent tears ran down their faces, and he hated it  
"Armin's coming here after school, and Mikasa's parents will let her know"  
So the old man must have told Armin not to tell her... but he couldn't picture Armin not... maybe they got off at different bus stops?  
"Um. This is probably really selfish, but did you tell them why I was here?"  
"I did. The last thing these boys need is a fight"  
"That's what I was thinking. Though it's not like I don't deserve it. I've always kind of been amazed by Eren's friends, and grateful for them to"  
"Eren's a special kid"  
"I know. God. I wish I could see him already. I need to tell him how sorry I am"  
"Wishing isn't going to make the surgery go any faster"  
Reiner's voice made him jump, with nothing to say, Levi didn't reply.

It was maybe half an hour later that an older man emerged. It took Levi a moment to realise the man was actually a doctor. The alpha didn't know what it was, but the man gave him the impression he'd be more at home in a pub than an OR  
"Quite the gathering here. I know the twins, and I know Mr Arlert, but who are you two?"  
"Reiner Braun. A close friend of Eren's from school"  
"Levi Ackerman..."  
Hannes looked at him as if he had no idea who he was   
"Eren's alpha"  
Hannes let out a small "Oh" and Levi nodded. It was obvious the man had heard about him, just not his name   
"Eren's alright, he's stable, but critical. He did code in the ambulance, and we will need to monitor him closely"  
"And the wound?"  
"He's going to be out of action for a while to come. The angle of entry meant blade knicked his liver, but he's very lucky it didn't do more damage, especially considering how thin he is"  
"And the rest of his body? His arms and the bruises?"  
Both boys looked up at him  
"He would have seen them when was taking care of mummy"  
Both of them nodded and settled back against him  
"He'd got scratch and what seems to be bite marks in various stages of healing. I did tell him to come to me when he initially mentioned putting his dad through detox. But either things progressed faster than he expected, or he was trying to go it alone. Anyway, he doesn't need our judgment right now"  
This guy seemed to really understand Eren. Maybe this hospital wasn't so terrible after all  
"When can we see him?"  
"Hell be asleep for a few more hours, if you want to bring the boys in, that's fine. But some of the machines might scare them"  
Levi held them closer  
"Reiner and Mr Arlert, why don't you to go in first. I can look after the boys, and then visit with Eren when you take them home?"  
Mr Arlert nodded and looked to Reiner. Both of them moved to follow the doctor and Levi kicked himself for not asking the man's name  
"So we can't see mum?"  
"Not right now. Mummy would be upset if he thought you two were upset"  
"But we want to see mum..."  
"How about this, when Grandpa gets back, you ask him what he thinks?"  
"Fiiiiiine"  
Eli didn't sound impressed at all, but they both waited until the man returned. Rushing to climb off Levi's lap and run over  
"How's mum? Can we see him?"  
"Not today, he needs his rest, but tomorrow"  
"But we want to see him!"  
"I know you do, but you can't. He wouldn't want you to see him like that"  
When both boys began to cry, Levi rushed to lift them up and onto his hips  
"It's alight. Maybe uncle Armin can help you make mummy a card? Something really special that tells him how much you love him?"  
"But we want to see him"  
Levi looked to Hannes   
"Is it as bad as think it is?"  
"Its not great, but if they're anything like Eren, they won't stop until they get their way"  
"They're exactly like Eren"  
"God help us. Levi, you can bring them through, but make sure they don't touch anything"  
Levi swallowed as he nodded, he followed the man down the hall  
"I never caught your name"  
"Hannes. I was friends with Eren's parents when he was brat. Though to me, he'll always be a brat. Do the boys know?"  
Levi shook his head  
"I only just found out myself not that long ago"  
"Really? Well, they look good on your hips. Boys, I need to you to put some of this gel on your hands"  
Both boys held their hands out and Hannes squirted sanitiser onto them, and then Levi's hands   
"Now, I promise it isn't as bad as it looks"  
Hannes pushed the door open and Levi's steps were heavy as he carried the boys across to the only bed in the room. Eren was ghostly white, and the mask on his face was filled with bloody specks. Both boys began to cry and Levi hushed them  
"Mummy is going to be just fine"  
He nuzzled gently against them and carried them over to Eren   
"Is it alright if the give him a kiss on the cheek?"  
"Yeah, that's fine"  
"Ok, Eli, do you want to give mummy a kiss?"  
Eli went first, pressed the smallest of kisses to Eren's right cheek, Ren on the other hand pressed a hard kiss that left a red mark  
"And what do we tell mummy? Do we want to tell him to get better soon?"  
Both boys nodded, echoing his words as they told Eren to get well soon   
"Is it alright if I sit with him after everyone leaves?"  
"As long as you stay out the way"  
"Trust me, I don't want to do anything that would risk Eren's health"  
Hannes nodded, and lead them from the room. Levi felt slightly better as he passed the boys over to Reiner   
"I assume Armin will come and visit, so I'll be able to update him then if anything changes"  
"Thanks Hannes, and good luck Levi"  
"Thank you"  
He needed all the luck in the world. Eren might not feel the same now he'd survived... no. He couldn't think like that.

Returning to Eren's room, Levi pressed a gentle kiss to the omegas forehead  
"I don't know if you can hear me, but I am so sorry. I love you so much princess, and I hurt you so badly... but you still entrusted our sons to me... I can't do this without you. I don't know how to cook, I don't know how to get both boys ready for school or what they even need... Eren, please. I can't lose you"  
He nuzzled Eren's cheek, pressing another kiss to the sleeping omegas face, before settling down in the visitors chair. He hated the sound of the heart monitor, but at the same time welcomed the rhythmic beeping. It meant Eren was still alive and still fighting.

Hannes showed Armin and Mikasa's through to Eren's room, both teens disregarded his presence completely initially, both moving to Eren's side  
"How is he?"  
"He's stable, not out of the woods yet"  
"And Grisha?"  
"He's already been transferred to Trost. The bullet went straight through, so I expect he'll make a full recovery"  
"Thanks Hannes"  
"I'll leave you three in peace. Just hit the red button if anything happens"  
The pair immediately dissolved into a whispered argument   
"What the fuck was he thinking? Why didn't he call us?"  
"I knew he was staying with his father, but he told us that everything was alright?"  
"And you believed him?"  
"He gave us no reason not to. I don't think he knew he was going to be stabbed"  
"I can't believe this happened. At least Grisha's going to jail this time"  
"Yeah, but that's only if Eren testifies"  
"Why wouldn't he?"  
"Because it's his dad. He didn't last time, and we both know how badly Grisha fucked him up then"  
Both teens might have been blind to the ever so slight increase in the vitals displayed on the heart rate monitor, but Levi had been watching it for so long  
"Will both of you shut up, you're upsetting him"  
Both teens turned and glared at him  
"What the fuck would you know?"  
"I know because I've spent the last however many hours watching Eren's vitals. His heart rate has increased since you two started your little bitchfest"  
"Yeah, look at you, acting like you're some kind of Eren expert. What are you even doing here?"  
"He called me"  
"Bullshit"  
Levi didn't even remember getting the device back, but he still found it in his pocket when he searched. He opened his voicemail and put it on speaker phone, letting Eren's message play for Armin and Mikasa to hear. He tried not to feel as smug as he did over the fact both teens promptly clamped their mouths shut. But that silence only lasted half a minute   
"Why did he call him?"  
"Mikasa, you heard the message"  
"But what does he know about being a father"  
"They're his children"  
"You're more of a father to the twins than Levi! Blood isn't everything"  
"Will you two either shut up or get out!"  
His snarled whisper wasn't as dramatic as he'd hoped, both teens looked at him in annoyance   
"You have no right to be here. I don't care if Eren called you, you fucking hurt him"  
"Don't you think I know that? I've had the same damn lecture from Reiner"  
"Reiner's here?"  
"Who do you think drove me down? I couldn't think, I couldn't breathe. I had no way to get here, so I ran around the school like a moron trying to find Reiner. We were here in 40 minutes and I've been here since. So stop being so selfish. I fucked up. I know I did. But I won't get the chance to apologise if anything happens. I don't want to miss the chance and let what he had end with an argument"  
His words had Armin's eyes widened, before he looked down to Eren   
"What? What's wrong?"  
Mikasa's full attention was now on Armin  
"It's just what Levi said. Eren always felt like his mum didn't know how much he loved her because they had a fight that morning... he was probably scared he was going to put Levi through the same thing..."  
"He deserves it!"  
"It means Eren's forgive him. Its Eren's choice"  
Mikasa let out an unhappy sigh. And finally the pair fell silent.

Hannes returned around 7ish to tell Armin and Mikasa that Reiner was there to take them home. Both teens pressed a kiss to Eren's cheeks before leaving and promising to come back tomorrow. They ignored Levi on their way out, and Levi was fine with it. It was finally just the two of them again  
"How about you? Where are you staying?"  
Levi shook his head, he hadn't even heard Hannes return  
"I'm not exactly welcome around here..."  
"I noticed. Can I ask what happened?"  
"I'd been dating Eren for a few months and then he decided that on his first day of heat, he was going to tell me the twins were mine... I kind of lost my shit at him"  
Hannes sighed as he scratched the back of his head  
"Yep, that would explain it"  
"So now I need him to wake up so I can apologise"  
"He'll be asleep for a few more hours, and when he does wake up, he's going to be very groggy"  
"I know you're telling me to leave, but I've got no where to go and no way to get home... besides, I don't think I can't physically leave while he's like this"  
Hannes nodded at him  
"Well, you need to eat and you need to sleep. Eren will be fine, but you'll be no good to him if you're run down"  
Levi rose slowly, carrying his school bag with him like a safety blanket, before trudging behind Hannes and out the room.

Levi didn't know what he'd been expecting, but he was ushered into a small back office and Hannes gave him grin  
"This is my space. Thanks to a lack of funding, no one bothers coming down this end of the hospital"  
The alpha had the feeling this would be the perfect place to commit a murder and no one would know  
"Do you want a drink?"  
Sliding open the office draw, Hannes pulled out a pack of cigarettes with one hand, and a bottle of scotch with the other  
"Should you be drinking?"  
"I'm technically here after hours, there's no way I would be going home when Carla's kid's laying in there"  
Waving both items lightly, Levi nodded  
"What was Eren like as a kid?"  
Hannes passed the pack of cigarettes to him, and Levi slid one free before fishing out his own lighter. Hannes had poured two level shots into two specimen glasses. Hannes insisted on toasting to Eren, before they both downed the bitter liquid   
"Fuck..."  
"Yep. So you wanted to know about Eren?"  
Levi nodded quickly   
"I think the word people use is rambunctious. He was a force to be reckoned with. The moment he could walk, he was off. If he could escape it, he would and if he couldn't it didn't take him long to work out how. Carla was forever chasing after him"  
"I can picture it"  
Hannes nodded  
"He also always did what he thought was right. Young Armin there used to be bullied something chronic, but Eren always went in to battle for him, even if he got his arse handed to him, he never backed down. We all thought he'd present alpha, well I did at any rate"  
"I guess I mess that up"  
"Eren would presented as an omega even if you hadn't met him, it's not like you bit him and magically turned into an omega"  
Levi snorted  
"At least that's something"  
Hannes refilled their specimen glasses, before screwing the cap back on the bottle of scotch and sliding it away  
"How did you and Eren meet?"  
Levi downed his scotch in a single shot, before letting out a sigh  
"My uncles a bit of a con man. He was here on work, and given he was the only family I had, I was with him. I'm a Wolfblood too, and didn't really grow up with anywhere to run free, so when I saw all the trees, I just had to"  
Hannes nodded, showing he was still listening  
"I was sitting in this really nice spot, enjoying the sun, and then next thing this kid shows up and shifts like it's nothing. He had the most amazing green eyes... and I got the biggest crush on him. I'd never got to play with another wolf kid before, and Eren was always so happy"  
Hannes smiled  
"You obviously care about him. Mikasa and Armin will come round, but for now, I'd better actually feed you"

Dressed in a pair of scrubs, and having been feed some kind of stew slop, he was back by Eren's side. 

 

*  
It was around midnight when Eren started showing signs of rousing. The teen had been restless for the last half hour, so Hannes now sat next to Levi and the pair were waiting. Levi found himself silently praying, on repeat, that he'd see those beautiful green eyes soon. It was another long half hour before Eren's eyes finally opened and Levi rushed to be take the omegas hand  
"Shhh, you're alright. I'm here"  
Confused green eyes blinked up at him, before filling with tears   
"L..."  
"It's alright, you don't need to talk. You called me. Eren, I am so sorry... I was a total arsehole, but I love you, I love you so much"  
Hannes cleared his throat  
"As touching as all this is, I need to give Eren a quick examination"  
Levi looked at Hannes and looked towards the other side of the bed  
"You can go stand on the other side"  
No. Hannes was supposed to stand on Eren's other side, not him. He carefully let go of Eren's hand and moved out of Hannes's way  
"Eren, its Hannes. Nod if you can understand me"  
Eren nodded slowly   
"And do you know where you are?"  
Levi's smile grew as Eren "answered" each of Hannes's questions. God, even drugged to the gills, Eren was beautiful and perfect  
"Levi, you might want to look away, I need to take a quick peak at Eren's stomach"  
"N-no... Eren's my omega. I need to see this"  
Eren let out a soft whine as Hannes pulled the blanket back and slid the gown up. The kids stomach was a fucking mess and Levi snarled at the sight  
"Sorry Levi, you'll have to go if you can't control yourself"  
"It's just... Eren didn't deserve this"  
Eren looked at him so sadly, that Levi moved to nuzzle his cheek against the the teens  
"Eren, I love you. You're going to be alright, the twins are just fine. I'm so sorry I wasn't here when you needed me..."  
He continued to nuzzle against Eren's face until Hannes coughed   
"I'll be back later, Levi, you should get some sleep. I'll ask about having a bed moved in. It might just be an examination bed, but it's better than nothing"  
"Thank you... and thank you for saving him"  
Hannes looked a little uncomfortable and hastened to leave. Levi watched as Eren's eyes closed again, he had no idea how the kid must be feeling, but he wasn't about to let Eren go through this alone.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who!
> 
> I know, I left you all so long!

Levi was dozing lightly on the examination bed that Hannes had bossed some man into bringing into Eren's room. The stranger had grumbled the whole time as he positioned the bed, and Levi bit his lip trying not to laugh. The man's colourful language and mismatched expressions... it was just so unexpected. Levi didn't even get the chance to thank the man. The stranger dumped a blanket on the bed and stomped out the room. Literally. With his arms straight, hands clenched at his sides and knees high. Country people were so fucking weird and he wondered if maybe he'd hallucinated the whole thing. Leaving Eren's side. He cleared space around the left hand side of Eren's bed, and carefully dragged the bed into place, so he was practically laying next to the beautiful omega. The whole right side of Eren's bed was clear for medical staff, and he'd like to see Hannes try and make him head around the other side now. He settled into the less than comfortable bed, under the itchy blanket and retook Eren's hand  
"Yep. You're stuck with me"   
He pressed a kiss to the back of it and settled, curled around Eren's hand. He wanted to sleep properly, but he was just scared something would happen if he allowed himself to give in.

The sun still hadn't risen the second time Eren woke. Small whimpers and whines caught Levi's attention immediately. He gently squeezed Eren's hand and moved so he Eren could see him better   
"Hey you"  
"Levi..."  
Tears rolled down Eren's face, but Levi couldn't help but smile because Eren was awake  
"Yeah princess, I'm here"  
"I... I fucked up..."  
Eren's heart rate soared up and Levi reached past the omega to press the red button on the wall  
"It's alright. You're alright, but you've got to calm down for me baby"  
Taking Eren's right cheek into his hand, he gently wiped the tears away  
"Levi, It hurts..."  
"I know, but you're going to be just fine"  
"I... I'm sorry"  
Now wasn't the time for this  
"Noooo, you haven't done anything wrong"  
The sound of footsteps approaching elevated some of Levi's anxiety, but his chest was still tight up to the point Hannes had walked into the room  
"I thought you went home?"  
"This is my home, a warm bed and great drug, what more do I need? I see Eren's awake"  
"Yeah, he says it hurts"  
"I'm not surprised"  
Hannes shook his head as he headed around to the other side of Eren's bed, before sliding the mask off of Eren's face  
"Hey Eren, remember me?"  
"I wish I didn't"  
Levi snorted as Hannes beamed down happily   
"Yeah, yeah, I love you too. Now, Levi says you're in pain?"  
Eren nodded and Hannes played with one of the dials on some machine   
"Right, lets drug you up some more and take a look at your stomach"  
"Hannes, I really fucked up"  
"Just a little, but you gave me a chance to rock my mad skills"  
Eren groaned as he laughed the best he could   
"No one talks like that anymore... What happened to dad?"  
"He's been taken to Trost, so you only need to worry about yourself"  
"That's good. He'll get help now..."  
Hannes pulled back the blanket and Levi squirmed  
"Let's take a little look"  
Levi's stomach rolled at the look of the long red wound along Eren's stomach, inadvertently causing the omega to worry  
"Levi, what's wrong?"  
Looking to Eren, Levi shook his head, attempting to join in on the awkward humour  
"I was just thinking it would be a damn shame if you could never wear that tiny cheerleader outfit of yours again"  
Hannes let out a loud laugh, while Eren blushed   
"Have some faith in these hands of mine"  
Eren tried to laugh again, but it ended in a whimper  
"Stop trying to kill me off"  
Levi sobered immediately, he let out a sad sigh as he squeezed Eren's hand  
"I thought you were dead..."  
"I thought I was dead too, I didn't think you'd come"  
"How could I not?"  
"Because I'm disgusting..."  
"Tch. That was shitty of me"  
"It's ok, I deserved this"  
"No, you didn't"  
Hannes cleared his throat  
"Oooook. I don't need to see this touching reunion. Levi, make sure he doesn't get too worked up. Eren, make sure Levi doesn't get too worked up either, he has an ugly crying face that will completely hinder your recovery"  
Eren nodded as whimpered sadly, Levi noticed the teens eyes seemed less focused now  
"Ok, Hannes, you can go away now. The drugs are kicking in"  
"Thanks, nice to know I have my uses"  
After settling Eren back down, Hannes made a show of throwing his hands in the air  
"I'm off. I'll be back to do all the fun tests later"

The pair remained silent until Hannes closed the door, and Levi moved to curl against him  
"I am so sorry. I love you so much, and I was a complete arsehole"  
"I thought you wouldn't come... you didn't answer"  
"I was in maths class, and we both know how I feel about that"  
"Oh god..."  
"Yep. When I checked my messages I thought my heart stopped. You didn't answer when I called back"  
"I kind of passed out"  
"You kind of died. They said you coded in the ambulance"  
Levi felt his tears returning and rushed to wipe them away  
"Is that my ring?"  
Levi nodded, holding his hand up so Eren could see it better  
"I went to your unit to see you, but they were having an inspection. Someone has given it to realestate woman and she asked me to give it back to you"  
"You actually went to my unit?"  
"Yeah. It was about 3 weeks after I walked out. I couldn't stand not seeing you and being with you. I've basically been a complete wreck"  
"I have too... I couldn't live there... it's stupid, but it was kind of our place. I mean... you, me and the kids..."  
"Our kids"  
Eren nodded  
"I was so scared to tell you. I wanted to tell you before my heat hit, but it hit early"  
Eren's words were beginning to slur and the teens eyes were struggling to stay open   
"It's alright, I get it. Just get some sleep and I'll be right here when you wake up"  
Eren offered him the tiniest smile, and it didn't take long before the omega was snoring.

 

*  
Waking up to Levi's sleeping face, Eren sighed deeply. Levi was actually here. Trying to relieve the pain in hips he shuffled and let out a hiss   
"Eren?"  
Levi blinked at him as he yawned and Eren looked to his lap, suddenly feeling self conscious   
"I'm alright"  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yeah... um..."  
Levi laughed lightly  
"Pretty much. Do you remember waking up this morning?"  
"Kind of... I have the feeling Hannes was here"  
"Yep. He told you I had an ugly crying face and it would hinder your recovery"  
"That makes sense, he's got kind of a weird sense of humour. I think mum said he was a trauma surgeon before coming out here"  
"I have no idea, but he's certainly a character"  
Levi's smile was so beautiful and Eren felt himself beginning to cry. He had no clue what happened next between them  
"Hey, can you move your right hand?"  
"What?"  
"Give me your hand?"  
Ignoring the pull of the cannula, Eren moved his hand as far he could  
"So, I thought about what to say when I gave you this back. Best I came up with is "I promise I was an arsehole, and I promise I'll try and do better""  
Eren was confused right up until Levi slid the thin gold band onto his finger  
"Levi, I..."  
"It's doesn't matter. Not anymore. I was an arse, you lied to protect yourself and your kids, that doesn't matter"  
Eren groaned at Levi's words, he'd been literally stabbed, he didn't need to be figuratively stabbed on top of it  
"So romantic"  
"What can I say? I have a way with words"  
"I noticed"  
"Eren, can we be a family? I have no clue what I'm doing, so you'll have to be patient with me, but it want to get to know our boys as their father"  
The omega nodded quickly before Levi could change his mind, and Levi leant in to steal a kiss, sending his BP sky high  
"We better behave, or Hannes will evict me"  
"Mmmm, probably. Are you staying with Armin?"  
"No, I think Reiner did, but I'm not exactly their favourite person"  
"Reiner's here?"  
"I might have ran around the school like a crazy person because he's the only person I know with a car"  
"I bet that was fun"  
"I think he wanted to throw me out. But didn't want to upset you"  
"Yeah. Reiner's a good guy"  
Despite being ridiculously happy that he and Levi had awkwardly, kind of, made up, his happiness fell as he could picture his three friends sitting around and planning the demise of Levi  
"So yep, you're stuck with me bunking next to you"  
Eyeing Levi's bed, Eren scrunched up his nose  
"That doesn't look too comfy"  
"It does its job, and I've slept in worse"  
"That doesn't make me feel any better. You don't have to stay here..."  
Although Eren really wanted him too, he couldn't ignore the dark bags under the alpha's eyes  
"I don't want to leave you"  
"Look, how about this, will you take a nap for me this afternoon? You look exhausted"  
Levi snorted at his mummy tone and Eren shifted uncomfortably. His stomach was beginning to get really really sore  
"Are you alright?"  
"It hurts a bit"  
"Do you want me to get Hannes?"  
No. No, he really didn't... but it hurt, and he bit his lip guiltily   
"It's alright, you don't need to make that face"  
Levi leant over him an a shrill alarm made him jump  
"You'd think they'd install something more appealing"  
"What, you push the buzzer and it plays Greensleeves?"  
Levi grinned down at him  
"I could totally go for ice cream right now"  
"Oh god... don't tease me"  
"I would never"

A different doctor to Hannes came, one that Eren hadn't met before. She was short and cranky, and somewhat scary. She promptly lectured Levi and made him move the examination bed. Eren tried not to laugh as Levi rushed to obey. He promptly froze when the woman fixed him in her gaze  
"Where's the pain?"  
Where did she fucking think?  
"My stomach"  
The woman rolled her eyes and pulled down the blankets, before pulling a set of gloves from her shirt pocket  
"Alright, lets see what we've got going on here"  
Her fingers were rough as she poked around the site and tears formed in his eyes. Letting out a low whine, Levi looked to him and then glared at the woman  
"You're hurting him"  
"I assure you I'm not"  
"Then why is he fucking crying"  
The woman let out a huff and Levi stayed protectively close until she upped his painkillers and left  
"Thank you"  
"It's fine. I wonder where Hannes got to?"  
"I don't know, but I like him better than her"  
"Me to. Hey, do you think it'll hurt too much if I laid next to you?"  
"You're just scared she's going to yell at you over the bed"  
"Maybe"  
Eren nodded, though this was a terrible idea. He had to keep himself from crying as Levi climbed up and settled next to him  
"I love you Eren, so much"  
Levi gently kissed him before settling down next to him, both hands holding his firmly.

 

*  
Armin, Mr Arlert and the twins arrived a little after 9 and Levi slid from the bed to make room for their boys. His sons were extra careful as the presented him with two bright cards  
"Did you make these for me?"  
"Yep, Uncle Armin helped! Grandpa said we couldn't use the scissors so Uncle Armin cut the shapes out for us"  
Armin's cutting skills left a lot to be desired, but Eren couldn't care less  
"Does it hurt mummy?"  
"No babies, I feel so much better now you're here"  
Ignoring the glitter that fell off the card, Eren smiled down at them. As expected there was a wolf on Eli's and a lion on Ren's. The simple innocence of his boys had him in tears again. He nearly left them behind...   
"Mummy?"  
The cards were taken out his hands by Armin and Eren ignored his pain to hug his boys close  
"I love you both, you have no idea how much"  
"I love you mum"  
Ren echoed his brother's words and Eren nodded against them, before letting out a low whimper  
"Eren, you should lay back down properly"  
Nodding at Armin's grandfathers words, he bit his lip as he laid back with a sigh  
"Armin, do you mind lifting Ren to my other side?"  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yeah, its fine, they can lay down that way"  
"Levi said Reiner was here?"  
Eren was kind of curious where the alpha was, he wanted to thank his friend for bringing his alpha back to him  
"He's with Mikasa, they're doing the gift shopping"  
"I don't need anything"  
"It's not about you, just accept it"  
Eren smiled with a yawn, he'd been chatting off and on with Levi about what he'd missed at school. His alpha hasn't asked him what happened with Grisha that lead to this happening and he was grateful it  
"Are you sleepy mummy?"  
"A little baby, Levi was telling me about all the things I've missed at school"  
"Did you really call him?"  
"Yeah, I asked him to look after you for me"  
"Do you still love Levi?"  
"I do, I love him very much"  
"But he hurt you"  
"And I hurt him just as much"  
"That's not very nice"  
Eren snorted softly, he was definitely losing his battle to stay awake  
"I know. But Levi has forgiven me, and we're going to all live together someday soon"  
"We are?"  
"Yeah babies. The four of us a family"  
Yawning again, he let himself fall back to sleep.

The next time he woke up, both boys were still asleep and Armin was sitting on the bed Levi had been using, Mikasa and Reiner besides him. Armin's grandfather was in the visitors chair and Levi was sitting by his feet  
"Wow. I feel so popular right now"  
Mikasa was the first to move, walking over and gently hugging him  
"I am so fucking mad at you!"  
"I'm mad at me too. But I didn't think it would end up like this"  
"Why didn't you call us? Or tell us?"  
"Because detoxing an alcoholic isn't something you needed to see"  
"That's not what I mean! Aren't we friends?"  
Levi let out a warning growl  
"And why him? He broke your heart and called you disgusting! He shouldn't even be here!"  
"Mikasa, that's enough"  
Armin guided Mikasa away from Eren and the omega sighed   
"Because Levi is the boys father. Armin and Grandpa do an amazing job, but I want the boys to know their father too"  
"But..."  
"Mikasa, Armin, Reiner, I know you three love me, and I know you would do anything for me and the boys. But I didn't want Levi thinking that I didn't want him in the boys lives. I didn't want him to think I hated him, because I tried, but I have loved him for the last 4 years... ever since I met him"  
He was sure he heard Armin whisper "I told you" or something to that effect. Mikasa let out small sigh, and then Reiner asked the question he knew everyone wanted to know  
"I understand you were detoxing your father, but how did that end up with you getting stabbed?"  
"It's stupid. I didn't think about the fact there were knives in the house. Dad started hallucinating, like he didn't know who I was, and he wanted to know where mum was, so I'd been staying with him. Thanks to... well, stuff..."  
"What kind of stuff?"  
Eren didn't particularly want to explain to Mikasa, but everyone was staring at him like he couldn't get out of it  
"Mikasa. Dad's been an alcoholic for years... what do you think happens when he starts to sober up and his body doesn't know how to take it?"  
The girl opened and closed her mouth  
"Yeah... so forgive me for not wanting to go into the details. I hadn't slept since trying to get him sober and fell asleep on the sofa. I woke up to him plunging the blade down. I was scared the worse that happened would be I got mauled, but given how weak dad is, I could usually push him off once he ran out of steam... so it was a bit of a shock..."  
"You still could have called us"  
Eren sighed. He didn't blame them for being mad, but he didn't particularly want to keep thinking about it.

Hannes showed up in the afternoon, taking one look at him and sighing   
"You still look like shit"  
"I blame the lighting. Soooo, what's the news?"  
"You get to eat. But don't get too excited, it's clear liquids"  
"I don't care"  
He really didn't. He'd been allowed limited sips of water and he was kind of starving  
"You will when you try it. It's not that great"  
"Aren't you supposed to lie?"  
"No, no, you can't deny an old man his fun. Though, I am going to kick you all out. I promised you the fun tests"  
"I feel like they aren't going to be fun at all"  
"They are for me"  
Eren let out a dramatic groan as Reiner moved to rouse the boys  
"Mum?"  
"Mummy got to have the doctor look at him, but only if you behave"  
Both boys looked up at him completely unimpressed   
"Don't give me those faces. Now, give me a kiss"  
Ignoring the boys pressing down on his chest, he got kisses from the pair of them   
"Much better. Thanks for coming on guys"  
He didn't really give them any option other to leave. They'd been stuck in an awkward silence for a while now, and it was doing his head in  
"Do you need a lift anywhere?"  
Eren knew how hard it must be for Reiner to ask Levi that, but the alpha shook his head  
"I've kind of got nowhere to go, and I really don't want to leave him"  
"Alright. We'll see you tomorrow Eren"  
Plastering a smile on his face, he nodded and watched them all leave, letting out a huge sigh of relief once they were out of sight  
"I thought you liked being the centre of attention"  
Eren rolled his eyes   
"There's popular and there's being silently judged over everything"  
"It's only because they love you"  
"Well they can love me somewhere else"  
If they were going to yell, they should just yell. Yelling was so much better than disappointed looks and whispers  
"Does that include me?"  
"Yes... well, you're better than they are, but you need some sleep, and to eat and shower"  
"I'm fine"  
"You're not fine. Hannes, have the cops cleared the house yet?"  
"Yeah. They've been waiting to see you, but I told them I'd call them when you were up for visitors... I may have not called them back yet"  
"Hannes..."  
Hannes shrugged before looking to Levi   
"Eren's probably right, you could use some real food and a hot shower"  
"I'm fine"  
Letting out a measured breath, Eren held his hand out of Levi to take, he tried to keep his voice even  
"Levi, I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to have some bad food, get poked at and then nap"  
He didn't want the alpha to leave, but he did... he was tired and his nerves were shattered. He needed some time to comprehend just what had happened  
"Are you sure?"  
"I'm sure. Go use the house, it's empty and it's clean, and the forest is there so you can run 'til you drop"  
No... please don't leave me...  
"Alright. But I might just go for a walk around town first, and I've got to check in with Farlan and Izzy"  
Levi leant and kissed him so deeply that his heart rate machine beeped  
"Alright, that's enough. I'll let them know to just let you come and go"  
"Thanks Hannes, and thank you for all you've done for Eren"

 

*  
Levi didn't want to leave Eren, his omegas eyes begged him not to, but he also supposed the omega needed some time to himself. Walking out the front door, he took a deep breath. Nope. He couldn't turn back. To his right was the forest that would lead to Eren's, and on the left was town. He forced himself left and pulled his cigarettes. This was probably why he was over thinking everything, there was too much blood in his nicotine stream. Setting a slow pace, he cast a final look back over his shoulder. Fuck.

Having finally reached what was the Main Street, Levi tried to take it all in. Shinganshima was nice in its own way. It was certainly quieter than Trost and the air was so much cleaner out here. It was like the walls had fallen and he could finally breathe. Stumbling upon the supermarket, he wandered inside. Eren would be bored... he was already probably bored of bring fawned over, so the plan was to find him a book, or a charger. He also had to out do the bouquet of flowers Mikasa and Reiner had brought. Levi had been secretly furious when the pair had moved the twins cards like they were nothing. Eren wouldn't expect a card from him, so he opted to skip them, instead moving to where the books and magazines were. There range of books sucked, and their magazines were just as bad. Right fuck that. Phone charger, food and the out to Eren's. He'd have a better idea of what had happened and how Eren must feel after seeing where it happened. Grabbing a few microwave meals and a few bottles of water, he walked up to the counter and tried not to be offended by the look the teen gave him. It was like he was a T-bone in front of a bloodhound  
"You're not from around here?"  
"Nope. I might be soon though"  
"Oh really? Got family here then?"  
"Yeah, something like that"  
"Ooooh, who is it? I basically know like everyone in town"  
Levi waited until she scanned the last item and his card had been accepted   
"My boyfriends Eren Yeager"  
Her eyes widened comically  
"Why are all the good ones gay!"  
Levi snorted  
"I'll take that as a compliment. What's the fastest way out to the Yeager house from here?"  
The girls smile fell slightly  
"It's about 3kms out of town on the main road"  
"Isn't this the main road?"  
The girl sighed  
"Go back to where it says Main and Shinganshima West, and then follow the road until you get there"  
Levi nodded purely to get from the girl. At least he had a road name now.

Heading towards the forest made more sense, he used that to find Shinganshima West, apparently the concept of Rd or St didn't exist out here. He followed the road out of town, ducking into the woods to shift and then take his bag into his mouth. It was so much easier to cover ground, and by keeping the road to his right, he was able to follow it until he came to a dirty road that smelt a little like Eren. He traced it down the way until he hit a house that was vaguely familiar. He couldn't really tell, the house just looked so sad. Padding up to the door, he took a deep sniff. Yep. This was the place. He could smell Eren, but he could also smell blood. Shifting back, he backed up a few steps and ran his fingers down the door. The whole house needed a whole lot of love.

A whole new plan began to emerge in his mind as he opened the door. He'd need to find out if money was owing on the house, or if it went to Eren now Grisha was in jail... the house still had a lot of potential and Eren always seemed so happy when he talked about his mum. His plans came to a crashing halt when he came across the dried blood leading from then living area to the kitchen. His knees went weak and he scrambled over to the sink, throwing up the little bit of nothing that had been left in his stomach. How had Eren managed to survive... let alone drag himself over and call for him. Sinking to the floor, the true reality of how scared and alone Eren must have felt set in and tears rushed to run down his face. He very nearly could have lost Eren... no. He couldn't cry. Eren was safe with Hannes, Grisha was in custody, and he needed to pull himself together. Eren couldn't come home to blood everywhere. 

Leaving his bag on the kitchen counter, he put his phone on charge and began checking the kitchen cupboards. Eren must have stocked up. He grabbed out the scrubbing brush, bucket and bleach. He filled the bucket in the sink, after washing his own mess down, and took a deep breath. His stomach rolled as he looked at the blood again. The sofa was ruined, it would have to go. Leaving the bucket where it was, he set about disassembling the sofa and carrying it outside to dumping it in a pile out the front. His intention was to burn it the first chance he got. With the offending item out of the way, he set about scrubbing the floor within an inch of its life. Every time he thought he was done, he'd find more of Eren's spilt blood and in the end the whole are was scrubbed from floor to ceiling. The wall paper would have to go, and the fireplace was revolting, but should clean up just fine. Being in Eren's old house brought back so many memories, like laying in bed with the beautiful omega. Half curious and half hopefully he moved to check out the bedrooms. The first room he tried must have been Grisha's. Repugnant didn't come close describing the state of the room. He wanted to... well, he didn't know what he wanted, but he wanted everything gone.

Retreating from the room, he tried the one a little further down. It was empty, bar piles of stacked washing. Backing out the room, he tried the last door, confining the suspicion he had. Eren's room had been striped completely. He felt so fucking angry, seen was such an amazing person and Grisha should be proud to have a kid like him, not pretending Eren never existed.


	30. Chapter 30

Levi had called in reinforcements in the form of Izzy and Farlan. After sitting through Izzy's lecture about how worried she was when he'd just up and disappeared again, Levi finally got a chance to explain what had happened. Both his friends promised to borrow a car and drive down in the afternoon, but not before Levi gave them a long list of things he wanted brought down. Izzy was totally confused by it all, so he wound up repeating it all for Farlan. At least he seemed to know what half of it was. He told them to look for the Yeager mailbox on the side of the road and ended the call. 

Returning to Eren's room, he brushed his boyfriends hair out of his face and gently nuzzled his cheek. Eren had had a rough night, his precious omega had woken up sobbing and it had taken Levi hours to calm him down. Hannes had been scared that Eren might have torn his stitches and this lead to a rather awkward ultrasound with Eren crying against him  
"Hey..."  
Eren sounded exhausted and Levi sighed as he sank down on the edge of the bed  
"Feeling better?"  
"Not really... who were you talking to?"  
"Farlan and Izzy are going to come down"  
"Levi, they don't have to"  
"They kind of do. I mean, I'm more than happy to walk around naked, but I don't know how Hannes would feel about it"  
Eren closed his eyes and Levi knew his humour wasn't helping   
"I'm sorry. Do you want me to get you anything?"  
"No, it's alright, I'll just go back to sleep"  
Seeing his omega struggling to pretend he was alright fucking hurt, he wanted to hold Eren close and kiss away all his pain, but until his boyfriends body had healed, he could only love him from afar. Settling down next to him, Levi gently laid his arm across Eren's chest and nuzzled against his shoulder   
"When you get out of here, let's give it a real go. You and me, raising the boys together... I'll find another job and you'll teach me how to be a father..."  
"Do you even want me still"  
"Of course I do"  
"But I feel so broken"  
"No baby, a little dented maybe, but you aren't broken. And even if you were, I'd love you all the same"  
Eren sniffled quietly   
"Really?  
"Yeah. I was thinking, when you're up to it, I'd be honoured if you'd give me your mark. I want the world to know your mind and I'm yours"  
"... but..."  
"But nothing. I want to be with you. I want to raise our kids together, even one day have more kids and we'll all live together"  
"Where? I got rid of the unit..."  
"There's your family home... you loved that house"  
"Levi, it's a mess, you know it's a mess"  
"It just needs some love, just like you do"  
"I don't know anything about fixing it up"  
"Ah, but I do. We can turn it into a palace for my princess and our princes. The boys can have your old room, and we can use the guest room as a nursery when the times right..."  
"I want everything to be how it was before, but it never will be"  
"One day. I promise it will be perfect"  
"Levi?"  
"Eren"  
"I love you so much... I've been so lonely without you"  
"Me too princess, me too"  
"Thank you for coming back"  
"I'll always come when you call"  
The air of gloom around Eren slowly began to lift and when Eren fell back to sleep, Levi let his mind wander to what he could do with Eren's house in the week his omega would be stuck here. He needed to get in touch with Reiner and get Eren's things delivered to the house. There was a shit ton to do.

When Izzy called that afternoon, he left Eren in the care of Armin and the twins. He hated leaving, but his friends had no idea what to do now they were actually there. He hoped Izzy would have Reiner's number, or even Sasha's. He was sure the loud mouthed girl would help him out as it was for Eren. Promising to be there soon, he slipped into the forest and began towards the road that would take him home. The idea of living with Eren in there small corner of the world left him stupidly happy. A place where they could be theirselves... yeah. That was as close to heaven that he'd ever be.

Farlan and Izzy were sitting out the front of Eren's house when he arrived, his two friends rushed over to him and Izzy spent him sprawling as she attempted to give him an over enthusiastic hug. The pair ending up tangled on the gravel   
"Big Brother! You should have called us sooner"  
"Settle down Iz, it's been hectic"  
"I bet. How's Eren?"  
"Not great, but then again, his father did stab him"  
"I can't believe it. We saw the couch..."  
"I cleaned the rest up... there was so much of it... I don't know how he's still alive..."  
Biting his lip, Levi detangled from Izzy, as Farlan pulled her up  
"Did you bring what I asked?"  
"Including the 12 long stem roses"  
"Awesome. We'll go see Eren later, but for now I need a hand getting stuff outside"

It took them the majority of the afternoon to get everything from the spare room and Grisha's room outside to be sorted. Both beds had to go. The stains on Grisha's mattress had him vomiting in his mouth, but with the objects out of the house, he swore it smelt better. As requested, Izzy and Farlan had brought all their bedding, and they set up in the living room as he knew that Eren didn't have a sofa or any other furniture for the room   
"Iz, do you have Reiner's number?"  
"Maybe... why?"  
"Because all of Eren's things are stored with Reiner"  
"But isn't he going to be living with Armin?"  
"That's the thing... I kind of want to get as much as I can done inside before Eren comes back. He loved this house, and he thinks it's too far gone"  
"It is pretty shit"  
"Nah. It's solid stone, so its structurally sound. It's just in need of some love"  
"So that's why you had me bring down those power tools"  
"Yep. If you give me your bank details, I'll transfer the money across"  
"You'll have to talk to Farlan about that, but first, can we go get fooooood. I'm starving"  
"Sure. I don't really know my way around town, but I do know how to get to the hospital and the Main Street"  
"We can explore later or something"  
Levi shook his head  
"I can't. Eren had nightmares last night"  
"Aw... I don't blame him. Alright. Let me go get Farlan, he's probably lost"  
"Iz, he went to the bathroom. You can't really get lost between here and there"  
"Have you met Farlan"  
"Why are we talking about me?"  
"Iz was complaining how long it took you to take a shit"  
Izzy smacked his arm and pouted  
"We were going to get food and then go see Eren"  
"And you need a driver. Sure. Levi, I think the bathroom sinks leaking"  
"I'll take a look at it when I get back"  
"He says he's going to stay with Eren tonight"  
"Can you blame him? His omega nearly died"  
"He technically did"  
He'd managed to block that fact out until he blurted it out without thinking  
"He did?"  
"Coded in the Ambulance"  
"Then why's he here and not in Trost?"  
"Because Hannes saved his life. I think the man thinks of Eren as a son"  
"Who's Hannes?"  
"You'll meet him when we see Eren"  
Izzy nodded and gathered her things.

Dinner was toasted sandwiches from the bakery. Levi felt like shit as he enjoyed the melted cheesy goodness of his ham and cheese toasty. Eren was drinking what he described as piss in a bowl for breakfast, lunch and dinner. He wasn't even allowed to drink water as he liked, and the teen was mortified he had a catheter in. For such a proud omega, it must be a bitter pill to swallow. Once done with their dinner, Levi directed to them to hospital. The receptionist barely paid him a second glance as he headed through to Eren's room. He didn't bother to knock as he walked in. Eren was awake and staring at the wall  
"Hey babe, I brought visitors"  
Eren was visibly shaken as he turned his head and looked to them, but recovered quickly as his eyes came to the roses  
"Levi..."  
"I had them bring them down. I wanted the best for my princess"  
Crossing to Eren, he handed his omega the bouquet   
"They're beautiful"  
"Not as beautiful as you"  
"Hey Eren, I would ask how you've been, but yeah. I hope you don't mind us being at your house"  
"It's fine, but it's not much"  
"Trust me, it's great compared to some of the places we've been. Sooo, when do you get out?"  
"Hannes said it'd be another week or so"  
"Lame. Levi got us to bring some books down. Well, it's mostly trashy magazines"  
"Thanks Isabel. I'm glad you guys are here for Levi"  
"We're here for you to! I mean, your big brothers omega, so that means your like my other big brother"  
Eren looked to Levi and Levi shrugged  
"It's easier if you just go with it. What time did Armin leave?"  
"Not that long ago. Ren and Eli were sad you didn't stay longer"  
"Aw! That's so cute! I still can't believe you have such cute sons. I always thought Levi's babies would come out glaring"  
Eren snorted as Izzy pulled a face, the girl seemed exceptionally pleased with herself  
"So, what else is there to do in this place?"  
"The cops gave me my phone back yesterday. They have my clothes though... they would have had to be binned anyway"  
"I saw the sofa, it's amazing you survived! It was soaked!"  
"Izzy, that's enough. He doesn't need to be reminded"  
"I didn't even think of that. Were you alright there Levi?"  
No... not to begin with, but he couldn't say that  
"Yeah. I cleaned up, so you don't have to worry about that. Izzy and Farlan are staying there tonight so I can stay with you"  
"It's alright. Hannes said he was worried about a repeat of last night and is going to give me something so I don't dream"  
Levi didn't like the sound of that. He knew how addictive those sorts of drugs could be. But Hannes was the medical expert on Eren, so he had no choice but to trust the man  
"Well, we can at least stay with you until he comes back round. I can take your phone back with me and charge it so you'll have it tomorrow"  
"That would be awesome. I haven't changed the pin"  
"Iz, do you want to grab his phone, it's probably in the stand beside the bed"  
Izzy moved to grab Eren's phone and passed it over. The device had dried blood crusted onto the case. That was getting cleaned the first chance he got. Also by having Eren's phone, it meant he could contact Reiner himself.

Hannes came around about an hour later. Izzy had spent her time trying to cheer Eren up. The later it got, the sadder Eren got, he really didn't want to leave, but Hannes promised Eren would be out for a good 12 hours and he sadly kissed his love goodnight, waiting until Eren was snoring softly before leaving with his friends.

 

*  
Starting that night, Levi took the front door down, and carried it out to the gravel. It was solid wood, which was relieving. He didn't have to worry about accidentally breaking it. While Izzy and Farlan settled inside, Levi spent the night sanding both sides of it back. He'd asked his friends to bring down a drill, a sander, a spanner and screwdriver set, as well as white exterior paint, and good quality brushes and rollers... amongst other things. He would paint it tomorrow before he headed off to see Eren, as it was, the moths drawn to the front light were bugging the fuck out of him. The work helped distract him from how much he missed Eren. He took the backdoor of its hinges, causing Farlan to yell at him to go the fuck to sleep. He didn't. He gave the back door the same treatment. Kenny might be a total drop kick, but Levi was grateful the man had thought him how do at least this much and he'd have Farlan for the jobs he couldn't do alone. It was nearing on 4 am before he finally called it a night... morning... and took a long hot shower before climbing into the mess of blankets and passing out.

The following morning saw Izzy anxious to help. Farlan on the other hand, not so much. Levi left his friend to do as he pleased, while giving Izzy a quick guide in painting the doors. The girl was extremely careful as she did, and then wanted to keep painting, so Levi set her onto the doorframe, while he mustered up all his courage. He used his own phone to call Reiner, the alpha sounded sleepy and he cringed as he vomited out his words in a total mess. Smooth Levi. Smooth. Taking a breath, he slowed down and tried again, explaining how Eren loved the house, and because Grisha wasn't around, they intended to use it. Unexpectedly, the alpha wanted to help with the repairs. But Levi shot him down as politely as he could. He needed to do this for Eren, he wanted to prove that he was serious, not just to Eren, but to everyone. Reiner promised to have Eren's stuff sent down and Levi let out a sigh of relief. Baby steps.

Eren was still sleeping when they arrived. Hannes was kicked back in the visitors chair, snoring his head off and Izzy snapped a photo. It was kind of nice that Eren hadn't been alone after all. His sleeping princess woke a little after 10, which was about 20 minutes after Hannes. Hannes promptly pretended he'd been awake for hours and Izzy giggled quietly in the corner over everything. Both she and Farlan had been sworn to secrecy over the house thing. His friends hung around for an hour or so, before heading off and the moment they did, he climbed into bed next to Eren   
"You smell like paint"  
"No I don't, the drugs must be messing with your sense of smell"  
Eren sighed, and they settled into a comfortable silence. Once again, he left when Armin arrived, this time the twins weren't with him, and he hung in the doorway until he heard they were at day care. That was alright then, he didn't want to think about either boy being sick or hurt. If he could have had them with him at the house, he would have... but he wasn't about to have both boys going missing on his first dad watch. This reminded him that he should probably find whatever passed for a hardware shop in town, and find a latch for the front and back door. It would probably help to make Eren feel safer too. Grisha might be physically gone, but the fear most definitely wasn't.

Over the next few days, he was pretty proud of the job he'd done. He'd pulled up the carpet in Grisha's room, and sanded back the floor boards. Given the age of the house, they were actually in great condition. Eren's things were delivered the day after he'd called Reiner, and even though they were practically lost in the space of the house, it was nice to have Eren's presence being felt. Izzy took over setting up twins beds in Eren's old room, while Farlan helped him rehang the painted doors. Yeah. He could do this. When his friends finally left, he was sad to see them go. It wasn't like he was leaving them forever, but eventually they'd go their own way and he'd go his. Izzy promised she wouldn't touch his things until he was ready to sort them himself and Levi promised to check in with her everyday.

Having completed all he could. He was faced with one final problem. The huge pile of crap out the front of the house that needed to go. He was forced to finally clue Armin in on what was happening. The blonde was skeptical at first, and Levi wanted to smack his head against the wall as the teen repeatedly told him that Eren would be staying with them when he was released. He may have wanted to take Eren straight home and be the one to look after him, but the house wasn't comfortable enough for that to happen. He just wanted to show Eren the house, try and help him process that everything would be alright... but Armin just didn't seem to get it. In the end, he borrowed Eren's phone and called the annoying blondes Grandfather and asked if he could come talk to him. Unlike Armin, the old man agreed to actually listen to what he had to say. 

It took him an hour to find the house. It would have been so much easier if he could have just shifted and sniffed out Eren's scent, but it was unfortunately day time and people seemed to think it was their right to be in the their yards. Fucking wankers. Ignoring the nerves and sinking feeling, the alpha crossed the small patch of lawn and knocked on then front door almost timidly. When Mr Arlert answered the door, he was too scared to move and practically stuttered   
"Thank you for seeing me"  
"Come now, I'm not that scary. Let's have a cup of tea and you can tell me what this is all about"  
Tea. He fucking missed it, and damn the man made a good cup  
"Levi?"  
He jumped as he realised Mr Arlert was looking at him  
"Sorry... I don't know why I'm so nervous"  
"Probably because you're waiting for Armin to come home?"  
"No. I tried to talk to him at the hospital, but either he didn't understand what I was trying to say, or he was playing ignorant... so I was hoping you might listen to me"  
"Well I did tell you to come over. Now, you said this was about Eren?"  
"I would love to take Eren home when he's discharged, but I think we both know that he's in better hands here. However, Eren and I have talked about moving into his house and making a go of things as a family..."  
"So you want to ask if Eren can live with you? He's his own person"  
"No, that's not what I'm getting at. My uncle was a piece of shit, but he also taught me a lot about basic house repairs. I've been working on getting Eren's house back to its original glory. I've promised him we'll turn it into a house fit for a princess and I've made a start. What I would like to do is show him, and I think it would help his mental state to know Grisha isn't lurking in there. I don't know if you know, but he's had nightmares about Grisha..."  
"So what do you want me to do?"  
"I was kind of hoping you'd know how to arrange to get rubbish collected. I don't want him to see the sofa, or his father's bed..."  
Mr Arlert nodded  
"I can give Mikasa's father a call. He's pretty handy himself"  
"Um. No offence. But this is something I want to do for Eren myself. I've funded everything with my own money, so it wouldn't be right to ask for help..."  
Well, he'd funded what he could. His work had kind of come to a halt thanks to him shooting up nearly $1500 worth of stuff during his blank week. He was lucky that Trost had the discount hardware warehouses that Shinganshima didn't. Latches that would cost maybe $5 there were nearly $20 here  
"That's very admirable, but you can't do it all on your own"  
"I don't intend to. I intend to do what I can by myself and then do everything else with Eren by my side. It's his house and I want it to be how he envisions it"  
"Good. It's no use taking over completely. It would be just the same as if Grisha was still around"  
Ouch. Alright. Message received. Back off until Eren gives the green light  
"Do you know what's happening legally with it?"  
"Given Grisha's going to Jail, it will probably be passed to Eren"  
"And if it's not?"  
"Then I'll get onto the council and see what I can do. It's one of the advantages of living here for your whole life, you know everyone and everyone's dirty little secrets"  
Levi was shocked for a moment, before a wide grin appeared   
"You know, you're actually a really decent man. I thought it before, but I can definitely see why Eren loves you"  
"Flattery will get you everywhere. Now, you wait here and I'll make those calls"

Levi played on his phone while Mr Arlert was out of the room. He'd gone through Eren's Facebook and found a heap of photos he'd love to print and hang for his boyfriend. Ones of the boys as babies, ones of all the days of the lives he'd missed. It was only next month that the boys would be four... fuck. He needed to tell them... or maybe they could wait? In a few more years they wouldn't remember that he wasn't their father... but hearing their voices call for him as "daddy"... fuck... that would be so adorable. He was lost in that day dream. Eren barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, cooking dinner with that beautiful smile on his face. Levi coming home from work. The twins doing their homework. Most people would probably find it boring, and Eren would probably smack him, but to him, that's what he wanted.

Mr Arlert's return snapped him out of it  
"So?"  
"Grisha borrowed against the house. It's only $10,000 so it's not as bad as it could be and the ownership depends on how long Grisha is sentenced for. As for Mr Ackerman helping out, he'll be around shortly to pick us up"  
"Us? As in both of us?"  
"You think I'm going to let Eren into that house without making sure it's safe for him and the boys"  
"No. That's perfectly reasonable"

*  
Mikasa's father really wasn't what he'd expected. He'd expected Mikasa to take after her father, but obviously not. After drilling him on his non-existent knowledge of his family history, the man declared they must be cousins some how and Levi had no reply. He didn't know if he'd ever get used to country people. Still, the man had kept him distracted during the drive and they were at Eren's before he knew. Carefully he climbed from the car, and moved to let Mr Arlert in. The man seemed impressed by the door, which was a small win  
"I've redone the floors... and the doors and window frames. I also pulled up the carpet in what will be Eren's room"  
He wanted to say "our" but didn't want to upset the old man   
"What else do you plan to do?"  
"I'd like to strip the wallpaper down next, and try and find something similar..."  
"Good, good. Show me the bedrooms"  
Levi lead the man down the hall, showing him Eren's first   
"I packed all Grisha's things and they're in the guest room. I was hoping to find family photos but I didn't come across any"  
When the man didn't reply, they moved to the twins  
"My sister Isabel did the twins room. She's better with the creative things than I am"  
She also roped Farlan into painting the boys walls white with him... Farlan had lost the paint lid, so they'd tried to use the last of it up. They'd found the lid out in the gravel once they were done   
"She did a good job"  
"Well she was told she'd have two angry boys if she didn't"  
Half the room was lions and the other half wolves, like it had been in Trost. Hopefully it would ease the boys transition into the house  
"What about the rest of the furniture"  
"That's for Eren to choose, well preferably both of us together, but I want him to be a little selfish"  
"Don't let him get away with too much. You're both still kids"  
Levi nodded. He was very much aware that they were both only 17. He followed Mr Ackerman back through the house  
"There's latches on the front and back doors, and in time the windows. I thought it might help him feel safer if the twins couldn't escape through the two routes, and if he could lock the outside world out"  
"I must say, you're more considerate that I expected"  
"That's because I lost Eren's love and trust once and I don't ever want to put him through that again..."  
Well, more like he didn't want to go through that again. He was well aware he was bordering on appearing as a kiss arse, but he really just wanted everyone to know he was serious.


	31. Chapter 31

Eren was bored. The kind of mind numbingly, soul draining boredom that left him only to be haunted by the trauma and reality of what had happened. It was alright when Levi was there, it was alright when Armin and the twins were there, or even when Hannes was around, but they all had their own lives and he was stuck at standstill with his. 7 days had passed since he'd been admitted and while his body was healing, it was much to slow. He wasn't used to standing still. He wasn't used to having time to himself and it just left him bored and lonely. Hell, he'd even take dealing with tantrums if it meant he was no longer counting the ceiling panels. There were 47. That was including the halves... this was what his life had been reduced to and he fucking hated it. Yet, even with his phone within his reach, he didn't reach for it. Levi would be there an instant if he did, and lately the alpha had always looked so tired. He'd sent his boyfriend away so he could rest, but it looked like Levi had found something better to do with the time they were apart. Stupid thoughts filled his head, like maybe the alpha didn't really want him, that he was just waiting until Eren was dismissed and then would leave again... or even worse, maybe Levi had found someone else. He wanted to be selfish and demand to know what was going on, but each time he saw Levi, the words stuck in his throat like poisonous thorns and their tendrils only served to pull him down further into the abyss of depression he was drowning in. He didn't know how to be ok again. 

When the door creaked open, he jumped almost guiltily. The alpha that he'd just been mentally berating was there in the flesh and he hated himself just that little bit more. Of course Levi loved him. His alpha had even bought him the most gorgeous red roses he'd ever seen. They'd finally begun to droop, but the vivid image of them remained fresh in his mind. He watched as Levi crossed to him, placing his usual sweet greeting kiss to his lips and moving to nuzzle his neck  
"Hey princess. How are you feeling?"  
If he told Levi the truth, the alpha would probably head for the hills  
"Alright, it doesn't hurt that much anymore"  
Levi pulled back and offered him a happy smile. His boyfriend didn't look as exhausted, and as relieving as that was, it just rose more questions  
"Mmm, that means you'll be out of here in no time"  
Out of here and to where. He didn't want to be a burden to the Arlert's. he couldn't thank them enough as it was. Despite Armin's grandfather insisting he didn't have to contribute to the cost of having him and both boys there, he still did and even then, that didn't feel like enough. He'd inconvenienced them for far to long, but it wasn't like he had anywhere to go...  
"What's wrong?"  
Levi's voice was soft and gentle, it made his heart hurt to hear it, and he shook his head  
"Nothing, I was just bored..."  
"Well, I'm here now and I'm all yours"  
He offered his boyfriend a small smile. He needed to pull himself together and fast  
"So, how's the outside world? No zombie apocalypse or invading nations?"  
"Not that I know of? But out here, I think we'd be pretty safe"  
"I don't know about that"  
Levi mocked gasped  
"You doubt my ability to keep you safe? I would kill any zombies who even thought about having you breakfast. That my privilege"  
Safe... feeling safe would be nice. He didn't really feel safe. His dad was no in a detox centre, not really in police custody and would be there until his sentencing date... or that's what the police had told him while giving him looks of clear pity. Levi didn't know what they'd told him...  
"I wouldn't call it a privilege"  
"Fine, an honour then. Had Hannes been around this morning?"  
"No, he was here last night though"  
"Damn, I had something I wanted to ask him"  
"You could always go find him, you probably know this place better than I do"  
"Will you be alright? I won't be very long..."  
"I'm not going anywhere"  
Which was true. He still had the stupid catheter in, he'd lost the IV bags, but had the cannula and his stomach... yeah. No. He really wasn't going far. Levi kissed him happily enough  
"Alright. I'll be right back"  
With that, he was once again alone.

It felt like a lifetime before Levi returned, the alpha grinning mischievously as he did  
"I've got good news"  
"Really?"  
He tried not to get his hopes up  
"Yep! Hannes my good man, if you be so kind"  
Hannes appeared behind Levi and Eren eyed the wheelchair sceptically  
"Given how nicely you're healing, and the fact you're becoming one with the bed, it's time we got you up and moving"  
His heart soared and then promptly fell. What if he tore something? What if something went wrong? What if he started bleeding and they couldn't save him  
"Now. This means no more bags, and taking things really really slow. We won't get you walking just yet, but that's because I know you won't settle for 5 minutes at a time. That's why I've tried to keep you in bed as long as possible. Levi's going to distract you while I disconnect you. And then, he's going to take you for a spin in your shiny new wheels"  
Eren nodded, though he really wasn't sure about all of this, but they both looked so damn happy.

His boyfriend cradled him against him in an attempt to ease some of the embarrassment he felt about certain areas lying bare before Hannes. He gently stroked his hair and pressed kisses to the top of his head like it was the most natural thing to do. The relief he felt when the catheter was gone was enormous, those things fucking sucked. It didn't take Hannes that long to have him almost completely free. The cannula had to stay, but as long as he was carefully with his hand, it wasn't completely horrible. When Hannes finally gave Levi the green light, the alpha carefully lifted him off the bed and down into the chair  
"No getting carried away"  
"We will"  
Those were Levi's parting words as the alpha began to push him out the room.

After being trapped inside for so long, the outside world was blinding. The sun felt incredible, and it felt like his whole body was defrosting. Levi pushed him over to a bench in the park area next to the hospital, not caring about the obvious struggle with the grass. He'd expected to stay in the chair, but Levi gently lifted him out of it and settled down on the bench with him in his lap  
"Surprised?"  
"Very"  
"And it doesn't hurt?"  
There was the expected amount of twinge, but he shook his head, before burying it against Levi's neck  
"No, it feels really good"  
"Good. You seemed so down, and I wanted to make you smile, this was the only thing I could think of that might have Hannes agreeing"  
"Thank you... I'm sorry I worried you"  
"Eren, I'd be more concerned if you didn't. You're allowed to be upset"  
"It's just..."  
"You don't always have to be so goddamn strong. I want you to tell me what you're thinking and feeling"  
"Even if you won't like it"  
"Especially then. Because that would mean I fucked up and I want you to tell me when I do"  
Eren sighed sadly  
"I don't deserve you"  
"No, you're completely out of my league, hell, you're in a completely different sport. So it's me who doesn't deserve you"  
Tears began to roll down his cheeks at Levi's words. Was it possible to be this happy and feel so miserable at the same time?  
"Levi... why have you looked so exhausted? Are you sick of me? You can tell me if you are"  
"Eren, no. I am in no way, shape or form sick of you. As for why I'm tired, you'll find out shortly. I promise"  
"Really?"  
"Of course, I don't want to keep secrets from you anymore"  
He should tell him. He should tell him why he was scared... but he didn't want to ruin Levi's happiness and being held felt so nice. He let himself doze in Levi's arms, but found himself jumping at the sound of a car door and two small familiar voices  
"I thought maybe we could watch the boys play? Do something tooth-rottingly domestic?"  
Eren smiled as their sons rushed over, followed by Grandpa Arlert and Mikasa's father  
"Nice to see you again Levi"  
"Wait you know each other?"  
"Yep, I've gotten to know everyone around here"  
Alright. That was unexpected, as far as he knew Mikasa still thought Levi the devil incarnate   
"Yep, Levi's an Ackerman after all"  
"We have no idea how it all works out, but we settled for distant cousins"  
Armin's grandfather sat on Eren's side and Mr Ackerman sat on Levi's, while both boys immediately began to gush over something silly that had happened at daycare. It was a good 20 minutes before they decided it was time to play and Eren watched them run off  
"Don't worry, you'll be chasing after them soon enough"  
"Hannes said I'm not allowed to do anything strenuous for the next 6 weeks to be on the safe side"  
"It's a good thing you'll be staying with us then"  
Right. Staying with the Arlert's... he forced himself to nod  
"And Levi's going to be staying in town"  
Eren moved to look at Levi and his boyfriend nodded  
"For most of it. I've got to head back to Trost as some point"  
"Levi, you don't have to stay"  
"We both know I want to, and that you want me to. Besides, we have two little boys who will be 4 soon and I was kind of hoping I'd be invited to their birthday party"  
Eren groaned, he was supposed to have sent invites and stuff out by now and he didn't even know where to have it... maybe they could just have a party at daycare and then continue that when they got home...  
"We'll talk about it once you're finally free from Hannes"  
"I don't think anyone could be free from Hannes"  
The four of them chatted off and on, until Hannes finally came to find them and he was sentenced back to his hospital bed. Both his sons gave him big sloppy kisses and hugs. It was nice to have a real hug after so many days and he really didn't want to let them go. Levi stayed with him all night. His boyfriend even sampling the stupid soup that he was so very over. One look at Levi's face had him laughing and his alpha shot him the most brilliant smile. The alpha had no idea how grateful he was to have him in his life.

 

*  
Freedom! After 10 days of being stuck laying around the hospital, the day had finally come and he was soon to be free. Armin had brought him a change of clothes the day before, and Levi helped him dress. The alpha seemed to really love the wheelchair, and they'd had a couple of adventures with it over the last 2 days, but fuck he was so damn happy be getting out. Hannes had also been completely awesome and given him a shot of suppressants and contraceptives so he didn't need to worry about his heat that would hit come the start of July. He just had to worry about the twins birthdays and having a real shower. That's what he was thinking about as he tried not to blush while Levi helped him dress. Hannes had made him promise no sex until he was completely healed and he felt bad for making Levi wait even longer, though the alpha didn't seem to care. Settling him down in the wheel chair Eren let out sigh and Levi kissed the top of his head  
"Let's get you home"  
Home meant the Arlert's and Levi wouldn't be with him... he already knew Armin would be rushing to do everything for him, and was already tired of it  
"Eren, next time you decided you want to spend time with me, you don't need to get stabbed to do it"  
Hannes usually welcome humour left him feeling worse, he nodded silently and chewed on his lip  
"You've got everything right?"  
"Armin took almost everything yesterday"  
His friend had binned the dead roses and Eren was sad his friend hadn't even offered to let him keep one to press... it was a gift from Levi and now it was gone... he kept his head low as Levi pushed him from the hospital room and out the front where Mikasa's father was waiting   
"Hey Eren, today's the day. You excited?"  
He nodded his head again, and realised how pathetic he must seem  
"Yeah, just a little tired"  
"Well, we have to make a quick stop on the way home, but it won't take long"  
Couldn't they just drop him off? He left Levi lift him into the back of the car, before clipping him in  
"Armin's got all your pills, and you just need to follow the directions. I want to see you back here in two weeks, just make sure things are still healing nicely"  
"Thanks Hannes, sorry for being so much trouble"  
"It's fine, you gave me some actual work to do! All we get around here is scraped knees and drunken brawls"  
Levi closed the car door, and a few seconds later, the alpha slid into the back seat beside him  
"I'm so happy you're finally out of there"  
"Yeah..."  
He didn't sound enthused at all, so he closed his eyes and leant back. He wanted to go already  
"Why don't you take a little nap? Mr Ackerman said he had an errand to run, and I'll wake you up"  
"There's no point"  
"Then tell me what the first thing you want to do when we get home is?"  
"I want to shower and wash my hair"  
"Mmmm, I love your hair long, it really suits you"  
Eren snorted  
"Yeah, sure. Thanks"  
"You don't sound terribly convinced"  
The driver's door opened and Mr Ackerman climbed in  
"You two ready?"  
"Yep"  
Eren let himself lean against Levi as his boyfriend took his hand  
"I love you"

Eren must have dozed off, as he woke to Levi gently waking him  
"Hey sleepy head, I've got a bit of a surprise for you"  
Eren blinked in confusion and then his chest tightened  
"L-Levi?"  
"I know you're scared, but just trust me?"  
He didn't want to trust Levi, he wanted to get out of there  
"Levi... I..."  
He what. He was scared? That didn't seem to sum it up   
"Princess, please. I promise you you're safe and I'll be right here with you"  
"Where's Mikasa's dad?"  
"He's waiting inside. Let me carry you in?"  
"A-alright"  
Levi slid from the car and came to his side, lifting him easily out the vehicle  
"The door?"  
"What about the door?"  
"It's been repainted..."  
"Yep, now hold still"

Levi opened the door and Eren's breath caught in his throat. The house smelt like paint, but more importantly it didn't stink. He was carried the short distant into the living area   
"Welcome Home!"  
He didn't expect all his friends and his kids to be standing in his living room. The sofa was done, and table was covered with food and flowers  
"Hi guys..."  
He didn't know what to say with everyone staring at him  
"Levi's been cleaning the place up"  
Eren looked to his alpha and Levi smiled down at him   
"Do you want to say hi first? Or do you want the tour?"  
"Um... tour?"  
He didn't know what to feel, but he was relieved he wasn't looking at his own blood  
"You guys heard him! Sasha, you can start eating now"  
"Fooooooood!"  
His friend lunged for the closest plate which happened to have party pies on it. He didn't see the twins, but assumed they must be at daycare as Armin also wasn't there. Levi set off down the hall  
"Levi, did you really start fixing the house up?"  
"I told you I would. I didn't get rid of anything personal of your father's though. But..."  
Opening the door to room that had been his parents, Eren's eyes widened. The worn and patchy carpet was gone, and the floor boards shined so cleanly  
"Reiner had your things brought down, and I thought you might like to use this room as your own... or ours..."  
"Levi..."  
Everything was just so perfect. His bed was made with his favourite blanket over the top and all his pillows positioned against it  
"I couldn't do everything, but I did what I could. I thought we could make a god of it, and we could turn this into our family home together"  
Burying his face against Levi's neck, he cried  
"I was so scared he was going to be waiting inside"  
"I've put latches at the top of the front and back doors, and we can put chains on the windows. I wanted you to feel safe"  
"I don't deserve this"  
"No. You didn't deserve what happened. Now, let's continue?"  
He wasn't sure he could take much more.

Levi carried him into the guest room, explaining he'd moved all the Grisha's stuff here for the mean time. Then it was time for the twins room. Both boys were sitting in there with Armin, and Levi placed him down on Eli's bed  
"This is why you were so tired wasn't it?"  
"Yeah. Even though I knew you were asleep, I couldn't sleep. I started by cleaning up, and kind of got all these plans. Izzy did the boys room, I wanted to try and get it as close to the boys room back at the unit"  
"It's perfect"  
Eli and Ren came to sit carefully by him, Armin must have warned them to be gentle, but he missed the boys usual loud and crazy antics   
"Hey babies, do you like it?"  
Ren nodded, as Eli spoke  
"It's so cool, it's like the room we used to have"  
"Well it kind of is. You were born in this house and we used to live here until we moved to Trost"  
"Really?"  
"Yep. This was my room when I was your age"  
"So we're gonna live here now?"  
"Not just yet, mummy needs to get better first "  
"And is Levi going to live with us?"  
"That's up to Levi"  
Levi grinned as they all looked at him   
"It might take me a little while to get everything organised, but that's the plan"  
"Cool! This place is so much cooler than our old one"  
"And when you're bigger, we can go running in the forest, and I can show you all the best spots"  
Mikasa stuck her head in the room  
"Guys, Izzy and Farlan just got here"  
"I think she means we need to go join everyone else"  
Eren looked around the bedroom and nodded, he honestly couldn't believe how much Levi had done  
"I... thank you Levi, you have no idea how much this means to me"  
Levi beamed happily   
"The surprises aren't quite over, but these might not be as impressive as the house is"  
"There's more?"  
Levi nodded as he lifted Eren off the bed. Eren honestly didn't think he could take anything else. The twins were still quiet as they followed the pair out   
"Hey Eren! You look great!"  
"I don't know about that, I don't feel great..."  
Isabel giggled happily  
"So modest! Do you like the house?"  
"It's amazing... thank you for helping"  
"It was no trouble. Now, Levi, did you tell him?"  
"No, I thought we could show him"  
Everyone else seemed just as curious and Levi cleared his throat  
"Armin and Mr Arlert are to blame for this one. One thing I noticed when packing your father's things, was that there wasn't many family photos. So, we got together and chose our favourites ones and Izzy got them printed and framed"  
That was the finally straw, he dissolved into tears and Levi hushed him gently   
"I love you princess"  
"Thank you. Thank all of you..."

Given the lack of seating, they all settled down on the floor. Levi sat with his arms around him, and the twins quietly between his legs. They chatted about school for a bit, but then Sasha asked the question he knew the others were wondering about   
"So, you're back with Levi?"  
Sasha was still munching away, while Connie sat next to her, letting her steal the food off his plate. Reiner and Bertholdt were next to him, and Mikasa and Armin on their other side. Jean had opted to sit at the table with Mr Ackerman and Armin's grandfather   
"Yep. Well, he is the twins father... and I already have his bonding mark"  
Sasha choked and spluttered spectacularly and the twins looked at him in confusion. Levi whispered in his ear  
"I didn't tell them, I didn't know if you'd be ready"  
"It's fine. It's past time"  
"He's what!"  
"He's Eren's baby daddy!"  
Isabel's words had the room silent  
"Well, that explains a few things..."  
"Probably... Ren and Eli have his looks because they are biologically his"  
Sasha wrinkled her nose  
"So I was right"  
"Yeah... sorry, Levi didn't know at the time"  
"That's so crazy"  
"The boys were actually born where you're sitting"  
"Ew!! I don't need to think about that bit"  
Sasha continued to eat like she wasn't nearly as disturbed as she was pretending to be. But he was worried about the boys lack of reply. He reached out to put his hand on Eli's head, but his son smacked away. Fuck... he thought the boys would be alright with this  
"Eli..."  
"Why didn't you tell us"  
"Because I wanted you to get to know Levi first..."  
Ren scowled at him, before bluntly scolding him  
"Not cool mum"  
"I'm sorry... it's just... I didn't know Levi very well when I got pregnant, and then meeting him again..."  
Digging the heels of palms against his hands, he took a shaky breath  
"Are you alright Eren?"  
"Sorry... Levi, can you help me up. I need a minute"  
Armin and Reiner took the two boys, and Levi slid out behind him, before lifting him up and carrying him into what would be his room. The alpha settled him down on his bed, before climbing in next to him and carefully pulling him close  
"They're just in shock. It'll be alright once they process it"  
"No... I've fucked up... I thought they'd be alright, I wanted them to know now that you did... when they were younger, the used to ask who their father was..."  
"And now they know"  
"But... I thought they'd be happy because its you and you make me happy... and..."  
"They're still mad at me for upsetting you, but it'll be alright"  
Eren didn't feel like it would be alright, he felt miserable, even if he hadn't done anything physical, he was mentally exhausted  
"Do you want to take a nap, you feel a little warm"  
"Everyone came all the way out here to see me..."  
"And they're all going to understand. You're still recovering"  
"I'm sorry... you guys went to all this effort and I don't de..."  
"Eren. No. We all love you. You're always there for everyone, no matter what the situation is. I must admit though, I do want to kick them all out so I can have you all to myself"  
"But I'm meant to be staying with the Arlert's"  
"So? That doesn't mean you can't nap here. I unpacked all your clothes from storage too..."  
"Thank you... Levi. I don't understand why you'd do all this. I hurt you, and I got myself stabbed, all I've done is cause everyone trouble"  
Burying his face further into the crook of Levi's neck, he cried and cried until he finally fell asleep.

 

*  
Levi waited until Eren was finally asleep, before gently covering him with the blankets and making sure he was tucked in. The twins reactions had hurt, but it had shattered Eren. He knew his omega was trying his hardest and he'd hoped their friends would help ease some of the teens depression, but it was just too much at once. Pressing a kiss to Eren's forehead, he brushed the teens long chocolate locks back. Eren truely was beautiful.

The moment he left the bedroom and reached the living room, Mikasa was hounding him  
"How is he?"  
"He's asleep"  
"But he's supposed to be staying with Armin"  
"He's just taking a nap. As nice as all this has been, it's a lot for him to take in"  
Mikasa frowned  
"How are the twins?"  
"Armin and Reiner are playing with them out the front"  
"That's good. He was pretty upset over the boys"  
"They calmed down, are you sure he's alright? Maybe..."  
"Mikasa, I know your hearts in the right place. But he needs a some rest right now. He was scared about coming into the house, like he expected Grisha to be waiting"  
"Why couldn't he just tell us that"  
"Because he thinks he's bothering you all, and he feels like an idiot for getting stabbed"  
Mikasa sighed  
"So what do we do now?"  
"Well, I want to go check on the boys, so you guys can do what you want"

Fleeing from the awkwardness of the room, Levi headed out to where Reiner and Armin were kicking a soccer ball around with the boys. Both twins stopped and looked at him as he walked over   
"How's Eren?"  
"He cried himself to sleep. He's been in a bad head space, and today was a bit much at once..."  
Ren and Eli moved to stand behind Reiner and both boys peaked out  
"Levi... is mummy mad?"  
"No, he's not mad. He's having a nap"  
"Are you really our daddy?"  
"Yeah, I am. Is that alright?"  
"I don't know. Do you want to be our daddy?"  
"I do. I want to live with both of you and with mummy"  
"And you won't fight with him again?"  
"I can't promise that, but I didn't like it when he cries, so I want to make him happy"  
"Didn't you promise you would before?"  
"I didn't know you were my kids at the time... your mummy hadn't told me, but trust me when I say things will be better now"  
"Really?"  
"I promise"  
He raised his little finger and both boys hung off Reiner's legs and linked their fingers  
"This is your last chance. If you make mummy cry, we'll tell on you"  
Levi wasn't sure exactly who'd they'd tell, but he nodded quickly. He was now officially their father in their eyes  
"Levi. Do we call you daddy now?"  
"Dad, daddy, Levi, whichever you want"  
Ren looked at Eli and both boys shrugged  
"We can't make any promises"  
"That's fine. But can I ask you boys to do one thing for me?"  
"Maybe"  
"Well, mummy is a bit sad, and you two make him the happiest when you're being your normal selves, so you've got to treat mummy like he isn't sick. He still wants kisses and cuddles, and snuggles at night. Do you think you can do that?"  
Eli nodded  
"We missed him..."  
"Then you should tell him that when he wakes up. It'll make him feel so much better"  
"Alright, dad?"  
Levi smiled and nodded, Eli was hesitant, but he couldn't deny the flutter he felt at being called dad.


	32. Chapter 32

Around 5pm, the teens decided it was time to head back to Trost, so Levi headed into Eren's room to wake him. The first thing he realised was Eren was covered in a fine sheet of sweat, the second thing he realised was his boyfriend was amidst what seemed to be a particularly nasty nightmare. Climbing up next to the sleeping teen, Levi shook his gently until Eren finally roused. His boyfriend shot up as he drew in a deep breath and then promptly threw himself at Levi   
"Hey, shhh, it was just a dream"  
Eren's whole body was trembling and the omega was letting out small whines as he fought to breathe  
"Eren, come on. Deep breaths for me, in... and out"  
Fuck. He should have checked on Eren sooner, but had gotten caught up with explaining the whole "daddy" thing to Eren's friends. Sasha was positively fangirling over it all, or at least that was what Izzy had said. He felt like shit for enjoying himself when Eren was suffering and he hadn't even realised. It was a few tense moments before Eren finally pulled back to look at him  
"S-sorry..."  
"It's alright, you can't help it. Do you want anything?"  
Eren bit his lip as he shook his head  
"N-no..."  
His boyfriend sounded like a kid who'd just been scolded for doing something incredibly bad and Levi ached to take his pain away  
"Reiner, Bertholdt, Sasha, Connie and Jean are going to head back to Trost now, I thought you might want to say goodbye?"  
Eren nodded, and Levi slid to the edge of the bed. He fully expected Eren to allow him to carry him, but when he went to try he got snapped it  
"I can fucking walk..."  
Eren looked shocked at his own words  
"I know, I just like having you in my arms"  
Hannes said it was alright for Eren to be walking as he wouldn't be walking far, but Levi was still feeling incredibly protective and didn't feel Eren was truly safe and sound unless he was holding him. He let the omega carefully walk, but didn't like the way Eren held his stomach as he moved.

The five teens all took their time with goodbyes, well, Reiner, Bertholdt and Sasha did. Jean seemed a little indifferent and Connie was just his usual self. Eren insisted he was fine to walk to them out, so Levi trailed behind ready just in case. As it was, Eren made it all the way out and back just fine, but winced when he sank down to sit at the dining table  
"Are you alright?"  
Armin was hovering far to close and Levi tried to feel like he hadn't just had his nose put out of joint over such a small thing  
"Yeah... pain meds have worn off, but it's not too bad"  
"Grandpa, we should probably take him home now, his meds are all there"  
"No... its fine..."  
Once again Eren snapped, so Levi moved between Armin and Eren, squatting down and looking up at his boyfriend   
"Eren, its fine. I can come and see you tomorrow?"  
His boyfriends eyes filled with tears and Levi brushed his hair back gently  
"I know you want to hurry up and feel better, but I don't want you to be in pain"  
"It's just..."  
Eren bit his lip. Obviously whatever it was, he didn't want everyone else hearing, leaning in, he made sure that he was close enough for Eren to whisper it to him  
"I don't know if I can shower by myself and I don't want to have to ask for help"  
"I can help, or you can shower here?"  
"No... I don't want to cause trouble"  
"It's no trouble, you should remember how much I love your beautiful body"  
Eren sniffled sadly   
"I don't feel very beautiful"  
"I love you, no matter what. I've seen the wound and I haven't run away have I?"  
"But..."  
"It's fine"  
Eren really didn't seem convinced  
"Hey, is it alright if I steal a shower at your place tonight? Izzy and Farlan can pick me up..."  
"That's fine, are you going to come with us?"  
"Farlan can drive us over, it saves two trips given the lack of seating"  
"Eren, is that alright?"  
"Yeah... I kind of want to grab some more clothes from here"  
Without a leg to stand on, Armin's protests were brought to a halt. Ren and Eli both decided they wanted to stay with them, so Izzy went ahead with them while Eren enjoyed a few moments of alone time with the boys. So as to not raise suspicion, Levi grabbed a few of Eren's things and a change of clothes for himself. Once everything from the party had been cleaned up, they finally headed over to the Arlert's.

 

*  
Eren couldn't help but blush as Levi took his time to gently help him undress. The twins were playing with Armin and Izzy, so they didn't need to worry about how long it took. Still, he did. He couldn't stop worrying and he hated it. He was sure Levi was going to up and leave him the moment he looked at his stomach. The wound was so ugly, and it hadn't helped he'd had a nightmare about being stabbed again  
"Are you ready?"  
Pulling off the dressing, Eren waited for the disgusted look to appear, but it never did. Instead Levi pressed a kiss to the edge near it  
"Levi..."  
"I know, hold on, I'll get the water right first"  
Eren was shivering by the time Levi had stripped and helped him into the shower. He'd wanted to try alone, but Levi took charge and he was honestly kind of grateful  
"If we shampoo your hair first and get that out of the way, we can leave the conditioner in while I was the rest of you"  
Hot water was a magical thing, but so was the feel of Levi's hands across his body. His boyfriend was treating him so lovingly as he cleaned every inch of him down. Given the weeks of separation, his body completely betrayed him and he was feeling thoroughly embarrassed as he started to slick in response. Levi must have smelt his distress, the alpha rose from washing his legs and wrapped his arms around him  
"It's fine, I don't mind waiting..."  
"But..."  
"But nothing Eren, I'm serious. I don't want to hurt you again"  
God. Why was Levi so perfect?  
"Levi... can we kiss a little?"  
Pulling back with a smirk, the alpha moved to claim his lips and it wasn't long before their small kisses turned more desperate and hungry. His body was demanding Levi's knot, and needy whines mixed with their moans  
"Eren, I want you so badly, but we can't"  
It hurt. It was stupid that it hurt. He wasn't being rejected, but that's what it felt like  
"No, it's alright, you don't need to get upset. Just because we can't do that, doesn't mean I can't make you feel good"

With his hands on Levi's shoulders for support, Eren was in heaven. Levi's mouth was so warm and wet, and his boyfriend had him so close to cuming. He wanted to cum so badly, but the firm grip on his erection was stopping that and he felt his toes curling with need  
"Levi... I need..."  
Sliding a finger up to rub and toy with his slickened opening, Eren's breath caught. Levi continued to tease him until his legs began to shake. It was only then that Levi let him cum, Eren slumped forward as his orgasm tore through him, he had no strength left at all, and Levi swallowed every drop. He had no idea how badly he'd needed that, and now all he wanted was curl up and sleep  
"Mmmm, I missed your taste. I'm sorry this is all we can do right now"  
Lifting him easily, Eren wrapped his legs around the alpha and let Levi carry him over to the bathroom counter, he placing him down gently and then retrieved his towel   
"What about you?"  
"I don't..."  
"But I want you to feel good too"  
He felt his face reddening further, but Levi was looking at him so hungrily. Spreading his legs wider, he pulled Levi between them and ignored the twinge as he shuffled to the edge and took his alpha's erection in his hand  
"Eren, you don't have to"  
He really wanted to, Levi was surely just as stressed as he was, and it would be a while before they could be more intimate. Also, his boyfriend was already painfully hard and leaking, as he predicted it didn't take long before Levi snarled and came across his stomach and hand  
"Fuck that was hot"  
Releasing Levi's erection, he raised his hand and lapped at it, causing Levi to growl   
"When your body is healed, we're definitely locking ourselves away and practicing for our future children"  
The words sent a wave of warmth through his body. Levi really wanted a future with him.

It was another 30 minutes before they made it out the bathroom. His alpha had taken the time to clean him down, shower, make sure the wound was cleaned and redressed, and that he was dressed comfortably and warmly. This was so much better than the hospital. He allowed Levi to carry him into the guest bedroom and sit him down on the edge of the bed  
"Is your blow dryer here?"  
"I don't know... why?"  
"Because I don't want you falling asleep with wet hair"  
"I think Armin has one..."  
He couldn't imagine Levi wielding a blow dryer, but his boyfriend disappeared and reappeared brandishing one happily  
"Levi, have you done this before?"  
"Nope. But your hairs so beautiful, I just want to touch it"  
Alright, now the alpha was bordering on creepy. There was love and then there was tooooooo much love. His boyfriend set about finding a powerpoint, before settling behind him  
"Let me know if I hurt you?"  
He was practically purring as Levi's fingers carefully detangled and dried his hair. His boyfriend was always good with his hands, but damn. This was nice. Once done, Levi even braided it loosely   
"Thank you"  
"It's fine. Now, do you feel up for heading down for dinner?"  
"No, not really. Can we just cuddle for a bit?"  
"Yeah, Farlan's getting dinner, though I have no idea why. There's still food left from the party"

Laying in Levi's arms, Eren wasn't completely sure why he was whispering. No one could hear them, everyone was down on the first floor  
"I feel like I owe everyone an apology"  
"What for?"  
"For falling asleep?"  
"Nah, its fine. They all understand you're still healing"  
"But they came all this way"  
"And its fine. There was cake, their was gossip, I got called dad"  
"You did?"  
"Yep!"  
Eren smiled at that bit of news, he couldn't wait to hear their sons calling Levi dad  
"You sound happy"  
"I am. You're healing, I'm the father of two amazing boys, we have a huge forest to go running in and I love you"  
"Who knew you were such a romantic"  
"I know right, I'm shocked"  
Laughing lightly, Eren's eyes filled with tears  
"I need to tell you something..."  
"Something good or something bad"  
"It's about when I was looking after dad..."  
"Alright..."  
There was clear uncertainty in Levi's voice  
"I... I let him hurt me... some of the time..."  
Levi let out a groan and Eren tensed in response   
"Why...?"  
"Because I felt like I deserved to be punished. I hurt you and I felt like I didn't deserve to be happy"  
"Eren..."  
"I know I'm stupid. I know it! Dad wouldn't have gotten so bad if I'd told the truth when he broke my arm. He could have gotten help, but I just wanted to get away... I did this to him"  
"No. No you didn't. And you weren't the only one who did something stupid after we broke up..."  
Levi took a long deep breath  
"I was so angry... I got completely smashed. I had a go at Farlan and Izzy, before taking off. I have no idea what happened that first week, but I woke up in an alley with track marks up both arms"  
Eren felt like he wanted to vomit. He was responsible for that too  
"I've been having tests, and it's one of the reasons I've got to back to Trost, but everything's been clean"  
"Levi... I don't want drugs around my kids"  
"I know, and I have zero intention of doing them near the kids... smoking might take me a while to kick"  
"I'm not going to tell you to quit because I know these things take time..."  
"All these stupid things I was doing, it was like I was trying to fill up the void I felt, but I don't feel it when I'm with you... you make me feel so stupidly happy"  
"You make me happy too... I wish you didn't have to go tonight"  
"I know and to warn you, I've got my next test in a few days. I was going to tell you once you were all settled and in a better headspace"  
Biting down a sad sigh, he trembled slightly as he kept his voice even. Levi was only going to to Trost. It wasn't the end of the world and he needed these tests...  
"Thank you... I'm sorry I kept it from you... um... there's something else I need to tell you"  
"Anything"  
"Dads in a detox facility, rather than like police custody or whatever. I don't really know how it works, but he can't leave... and they're keeping him there until he's sentenced... its stupid but I'm terrified he's going to come back and finish the job"  
Whimpering at the sudden rush of anger he smelt, Eren couldn't help but shy back  
"Sorry. I-I don't know what to say"  
He didn't expect Levi to say anything, but having the alpha know had eased some of his fear.

A light knock landed on the door and Levi growled, causing Eren to snort  
"It's alright. Armin, come in"  
The blonde teen poked his head into the bedroom   
"Oh good, I was hoping you'd be dressed. It's dinner time"  
Levi slid from his hold   
"I guess that means it's time for me to go"  
"You can stay. There's enough"  
"No, Eren needs to sleep"  
"Oh, should I bring your dinner up for you"  
Eren didn't want to eat, but Levi nodded on his behalf   
"That'd be great Armin"  
Giving them a thumbs up, Armin disappeared   
"I know you don't want to eat, but the more you eat, the stronger you'll get and the sooner we'll be living together"  
"I don't think it works that way"  
"That'd because you think too much. Now, I want another kiss before I go, and I want a pinky promise"  
A what now? What for? Levi moved to kiss him goodbye and hooked his finger before he could question the alpha's actions   
"I want you to call me. Any time. It doesn't matter. Even if you think it's stupid, or to just complain"  
Levi shook their fingers  
"Good. I love you, and I'll be back tomorrow"  
"Levi, I love you to"

 

*  
Levi felt physically sick as he said goodbye to his boyfriend and their kids. Eren looked so lonely already, and he hadn't even left. His boyfriend was stuck back in bed thanks to the twins accidentally causing the stitches so pull. They were just about ready to come out, but apparently Eli had tackled Ren and they'd both fallen hard onto Eren's stomach while he was asleep... nuzzling against Eren's neck, he let out a sigh   
"I'll be back as soon as I can"  
"I know... it's just... I feel so clingy and I don't know why"  
"Probably because I'm irresistible? I'll text and call, and I'll let you know when everything's organised"  
"I know... I still think you should just stay in Trost for the next two weeks. I don't want to take up all your time"  
"Nope. I want to be here, besides, we already decided I'm irresistible"  
"Please stop it. It hurts to laugh"  
Levi sobered further  
"Are you sure you're alright?"  
"Yeah... I scared the fuck out of the boys... I woke up thinking I was getting stabbed again"  
This all had happened yesterday and Eren had been to upset to talk to him properly. They'd spent the day in bed cuddling after Hannes had checked him out  
"I wish you weren't going through all of this"  
"I... I brought it on myself... you should go. Izzy and Farlan will be waiting"  
"Alright... I love you princess"  
Eren sniffled sadly and nodded, Levi had to resist the urge to comfort the omega, they both knew Eren was just going to dissolve into tears over saying goodbye all over again if he did.

Ren and Eli were sitting on the stairs, both boys stared at him glumly and Levi stopped to squat down in front of them  
"What's up?"  
"We don't want you to go"  
"Well, I kind of have to, but I'll be back"  
"But mummy is upset and we can't make him feel better"  
Ren's eyes filled with tears  
"We hurt him and he was so upset that he screamed"  
Great. He wished the boys were older and could fully comprehend what had happened, but at the same time he was exceptionally glad they weren't and didn't   
"Mummy just had a shock. He feels bad for scaring you"  
"But... Uncle Armin said we can't cuddle him because we might hurt him again"  
Fuck Armin. He really couldn't figure the blonde kid out. One minute he was the best friend that Eren loved. The next minute he was doing stupid shit like telling the boys no hugging  
"Your mummy is really upset right now, and I think your cuddles are the perfect thing. Uncle Armin is just being cautious, but mummy will tell you if you do something wrong"  
Both boys launched themselves on him and before he could react, Levi was lying on the floor with both boys grinning down at him  
"Thanks dad"  
Levi wasn't particularly ticklish, but both boys didn't know that and he struggled against them. Kids were so weird. He had no idea how they'd gotten from the boys being upset, to this. Fighting half heartedly, he got the upper hand and hefted both boys up onto his hips  
"Mwahahaha, what are you going to do now!"  
Carrying the boys into the guest room, he stood them on the edge of the bed  
"I do believe this victory goes to me"  
Nope. The twins looked at each other, before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his cheeks. Levi stood stock still, a silly smile on his face  
"I think we broke him... bye dad!"  
"Bye dad"  
Fuck... that was adorable.

The same stupid smile was on his face as he climbed into the back of the car. Dad... and kisses... maybe he's was asleep...? God. He was completely whipped.


	33. Chapter 33

Given he'd missed his 6 weeks test due to everything happening in with Eren, he put that down to why the woman taking his blood samples looked so damn sour. He fucking hated needles, yet the woman seemed almost determined to put it right through his arm. If Izzy was here, she'd be giggling her arse off at the scowl on his face  
"Press here"  
He pressed the cotton wool ball as the woman set about writing his name on the tubes, just the sight of blood had his stomach rolling as the mental image of Eren's blood everywhere came rushing back unwelcomely. He bit his lip as he looked away. Eren was fine. His boys were fine. He didn't need to worry... but he did.

It'd been two days since he'd come back to Trost and he was sick of it already. Most of his things had been organised to pack, and Izzy was going to get some boxes from work for him. As much as he was going to miss the convenience of Trost, and his two friends, he couldn't wait to have Eren all to himself, he'd even started making a list of everything they needed for their home, with a sofa and TV being up the top of it. They had a bed, they had all Eren's pots and pans, the fridge wasn't great, but it'd do... he figured if they had the living room set up, they'd actually be able to sit and watch TV with the boys, instead of having to lay in bed... but that might have just been him being selfish... he wanted to completely monopolise Eren when they were in their room together  
"Sign here"  
Jumping from the woman's unwanted interruption of his inner musing, he signed the form and slid out the hard plastic chair  
"You'll get a call in 2-3 days with your results"  
"Thanks"  
He hastened from her office without a backwards glance. He knew her job couldn't be easy, but he hoped she wasn't like this with every client... maybe she just thought he was some useless druggie? Sighing deeply, he made his way out the building and slid his phone from his pocket. The walk home was maybe 20 minutes, and he fully intended to spend it talking to Eren.

Holding his phone to his ear, his eyes narrowed and a cold shiver ran down his spine... Eren hadn't answered. There were any number of reasons his boyfriend might not have been able to, for instance he could he showering, but he couldn't help but panic. Rushing to try again, he was rewarded with a sleepy "hello", and all his fear drained away. Eren was just sleeping, he probably hadn't reached the phone in time. Fuck, he was such an idiot  
"Hello to you to. Did I wake you?"  
"Yeah... but it's alright. What's up?"  
"Nothing much, just walking home and I wanted to hear your voice"  
"Walking home?"  
"Well, back to Izzy's. It's a bit far to walk to Shinganshima"  
"Fair..."  
Eren yawned loudly, before continuing  
"... point. Did you get your bloods done?"  
"Yep, that's what I'm walking home from. The woman was a total bitch"  
"Sounds fun"  
"How's your stomach?"  
Eren sighed  
"Fine... I'm just tired of being treated like I'm made of glass. Armin's still trying to do everything for me. He followed me into the shower yesterday"  
Levi let out a small involuntary growl  
"Yeah. Pretty much. It took throwing the handwash at him to get him out"  
"Do I need to come down there and teach him a lesson"  
"No... I just wish he'd go out and have fun or something..."  
"You mean you wish he'd back off and let you have time with the boys"  
"Yeah... he's got them acting on their very best behaviours and I hate it. I want them to just be themselves. Ren was curled up against me and Eli was asleep, but Armin came in and pulled Ren back..."  
"Eren, you need to tell him that that's not alright"  
"But I don't want to hurt his feelings. I know his hearts in the right place, but I..."  
"I know. But just think, in a few more weeks we'll be living together"  
He didn't expect Eren to let out such a sad sigh, followed by a sniffle  
"Eren?"  
"There's some shit going down... because I'm not legally an adult and Armin's grandfather is too old to be put down on the paperwork as my legal guardian... I tried to tell them I'm Wolfblood, because you know how that works differently, but because I can't shift, they won't believe me"  
"What the fuck"  
"Hannes said he was going to try and apply... but I'm scared they'll reject him as well. They wouldn't even listen when he confirmed I'm Wolfblood but can't shift until I'm healed..."  
Levi couldn't believe this. Eren had been through so fucking much and this was like the nail in the coffin. He knew his boyfriend would be worrying himself sick over it all, and then there was the issue with the boys...  
"Eren, hang tight for me. I'll be there as soon as I can"  
"No... please... I'll be fine, you don't have to drop everything and come running"  
Oh for fucks sake. When was his boyfriend going to realise he wasn't forcing him to do anything?  
"Babe, I want to be there with you and maybe it will help having me there as your alpha, and the twins father"  
Eren sniffled and Levi knew the omega wasn't going to keep it together much longer  
"Look, I need to get home and organise a lift, but I should be there by tonight at latest"  
Eren was silent for a moment  
"T-thank you..."  
"You're welcome. I would tell you to try not to worry, but we both know you will. I love you"  
"I love you so much Levi... thank you"  
Eren ended the call and Levi began to jog as he dialled Farlan. His friend answered with an sigh  
"Hey Levi, what's up?"  
"I was kind of hoping for a favour. I need to get to Shinganshima today"  
"No can do. My friend headed out of town and he's the only one willing to lend me a car"  
Fuck. Right  
"Is everything alright with Eren?"  
"No, not really. There some kind of custody shit going on, because he's not 18 yet"  
"Fuuuuck"  
"Pretty much. Thanks anyway"  
Levi ended the call and slowed as the apartment building came into view. He could always catch the bus, but he didn't know how regular the times were now it was school holidays... the third option was Reiner and he really didn't want to play that card.

Checking the bus time tables on line was a head ache and a half. He kept getting linked back to the main page and it was a good half hour before he finally made some headway. There was a bus this afternoon at 6, and then the next one was in three days. Given that it was pretty much his only option, as he definitely wasn't breaking his promise to be there, he booked and paid for his ticket online and then grabbed his school bag and began to stuff it full of clothes. He has a few things down in Shinganshima, but he wasn't sure exactly what. Farlan was sitting in he living room smoking a joint when Levi walked out and all he could do was raise an eyebrow   
"You could have told me you were home"  
"Nah, you're busy with Eren... it's gonna be weird without you around"  
"You mean without someone to do the dishes"  
Farlan wrinkled his nose  
"Yeah, that too. How are you getting to Shinganshima?"  
"Bus. It leaves at 6, but I wanted to grab a few things before I go"  
"Damn dude, Eren's got you wrapped around his little finger"  
Levi couldn't help but frown  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"It's just, at school he was always so independent and nothing held him back, now he's curled up at home all the time with you chasing after him"  
Telling himself Farlan didn't mean it as harshly as it sounded, Levi ignored the urge to punch his friend in the face  
"That'd because he was stabbed and he's going through a lot"  
"I know, but still. I don't want him taking you for granted and thinking you'll always be happy running after him"  
"I love him. I don't care what it takes to be with him..."  
"Even ignoring everyone else and just leaving us behind?"  
"I'm not just leaving you behind. We'll still hang out, and we'll still see each other at school and I can come and stay over whenever..."  
"Sure..."  
"Farlan. You and Isabel are my family. We both know blood doesn't make a family"  
"Yeah... make sure you tell Izzy that too. She's thrilled for you and Eren, but she's terrified you're just going to abandon her"  
"That will never happen. Who's going to be the awesome aunt if it isn't Izzy"  
Farlan finally relaxed back onto the sofa with a smile   
"Good... well, we'll see ya when we see ya"  
Giving Farlan a nod, Levi headed out the apartment with sigh. He wasn't turning his back on them, or abandoning them, he was just trying to build a life with Eren and stand on his own two feet.

Levi stopped by the supermarket on his way to the bus station. He wanted to buy some treats for Eren and the boys, and he was also running low on cigarettes. Maybe it was the scowl on his face, or the look in his eyes, but he was never asked for ID. He wandered the isles, grabbing a box of chocolates for Eren, some m&m's for the twins and then some general junk food for himself. Walking down the stationary isle, he found a sketch book with a lion on it, and chucked it in for Ren, as well as some pencils. He couldn't find a wolf one for Eli, but he did find a magazine with wolves in it, so that went in. On his way to the counter, he grabbed a bunch of bright flowers for Eren, and then moved to the counter to get his smokes and pay. The guy behind the counter barely gave him a second look and it was only a few minutes before his side mission was over and he was off to see his princess.

The bus left half an hour late, and the other people on it all seemed to be teens. Given how empty it was, he chose a seat towards the back and pulled his phone out, calling Eren. He waited impatiently until Eren finally answered with a soft sob  
"Hey princess, I'm on my way"  
He wanted to be there already, Eren was obviously upset, and he hated it  
"H-how...?"  
"How am I getting there, I'm catching the bus. So it'll be a little while before I'm there. What's got you so upset?"  
"I... I didn't think you were coming..."  
"Of course I am. I got carried away with organising my ticket and packing, I'm sorry, but yes, I'm coming"  
In the background Levi could Armin talking to Eren, and he hoped the boy wasn't making things worse  
"What does Armin want?"  
"He wanted to know who I was talking to... have you had dinner yet?"  
"No, I figured I'd have something later"  
"I'll ask Armin's grandfather to make you up a plate"  
"You don't have to"  
"It's fine, you're coming all the way out here"  
"Eren, you're making it sound like a you're all the way on the other side of the world"  
"It might as well be"  
"I'm losing reception, but I'll be there soon. I love you"  
Eren didn't reply as the call ended and Levi sighed. Maybe he could take his omega out for a walk or something? Something to get Eren out the house and moving around... provided they didn't push it too hard, Eren should be just fine. He settled down and let himself nap during the bus trip, it wasn't like there was a whole lot to do.

It was dark by the time they reached Shinganshima, and Levi yawned as he gathered his stuff and made his way from bus, the night wasn't too cool and was pretty clear, only cementing his desire to go walking with Eren later. Pulling his cigarettes out, he lift one before beginning to walk through town. It took him a good 15 minutes to finally get to the Arlert's and took a deep breath before knocking on the door. It was hard visiting Eren and their boys when Armin made him feel such an outsider. He mentally prayed it would be the teens grandfather and let out a sigh of relief when it was  
"Hey Levi, Eren said you were coming"  
"How's he been?"  
"Not great. But it is what it is"  
Levi nodded and stepped into the house  
"Where is everyone?"  
"Dining table, we decided to wait until you got here"  
Oh yay. Awkward family dinner time. Whoo hoo... bracing himself he headed down the corridor and into the dining room   
"Hey Levi"  
Ok... so no "dad" for him it seemed  
"Hey boys..."  
Walking over to Eren, Levi dropped a kiss on the top of his head  
"Hey beautiful, these are for you"  
Placing the flowers into Eren's hands, he was rewarded with a small smile  
"Is it alright if I put my stuff down, and wash my hands?"  
He didn't want to keep them waiting any longer  
"I'll find you a vase after dinner, they're nice flowers"  
"My princess deserves nice things"  
Placing his bag and bag of shopping down against the wall, Levi washed his hands before taking his seat beside Eren   
"They're beautiful. Thank you"  
"You're welcome"  
Eren carefully laid the flowers in his lap and his left hand moved to sit on Levi's thigh  
"Levi, why do you call mum princess?  
Looking across the table to Ren, he looked back to Eren   
"Because he's beautiful and I want to spoil him"  
"Fair enough... does that make you a prince?"  
"No, I'm the knight in shining armour and you two are the princes"  
"I don't know if I want to be a prince... it sounds like hard work"  
Eli was confused as to why everyone laughed at his input into the conversation, but the boy just shrugged it off  
"Grandpa, now Levi's here, can we eat?"  
"We sure can"

When dinner was done, Armin's grandfather evicted them both from the kitchen, so they settled down in the living room. The twins were "carefully" helping with the dishes  
"Soooo, I'm back to being Levi"  
Eren let out a sad sigh, his boyfriend burying his face against Levi's neck as he nodded  
"They called me Eren yesterday, I think this is really getting to them and I hate it"  
"I wish I could take you away. But, I was thinking maybe you'd like to go for a walk?"  
"I don't know..."  
Levi sighed and tightened his hold on Eren   
"I think the air would do you good, and you can take a break from all of this"  
"But the boys..."  
"Will be fine. Please?"  
Eren finally nodded against him  
"Alright, you'll need a jumper, its not cold cold, but it's a little cold"  
"Your grasp of the English language leaves me in awe"  
Eren slid from his grasp, and Levi watched his boyfriend disappear, assuming he was going to grab a jumper. This gave him time to push himself up and head into the kitchen  
"Hey guys, Eren and I are going for a walk"  
"I don't think..."  
Oh god Armin. Hush it  
"Look, I don't know how to say this without being a dick, but you need to back off a bit. We both know Eren's depressed, but he doesn't know how to tell you that even though you want to help, it's not helping him mentally. He appreciates everything you're doing, but he wants things to go back to being normal. The boys have even called him Eren, not mum..."  
Armin looked not quite mortified, but shocked and upset weren't the words either   
"I didn't..."  
"I know. Anyway, we'll be back later"  
"Ok, don't let Eren push himself too far or shift"  
Grandpa Arlert was taking this way better than Armin and it still looked that the kid wanted to object.

Eren was waiting for him by the doorway, his boyfriend now had loose sweat and a hoodie on  
"You ready?"  
"Yep... do I want to know what that was about?"  
"Probably not, but it's fine. Where do you want to go?"  
"We can go to the park? It's really the school oval, but no one cares"  
The idea he could see another aspect of Eren's life here without him was secretly exciting, it was stupid small things like this that made him scold himself for being a love sick fool. He'd never thought being in love would turn into such a dope. Stealing a kiss, he took Eren's hand into his, before leading Eren from the house and into the night  
"I'm so happy you're here"  
"Mmm, me to, Trost is nice and all, but you're not there"  
They fell back into silence and Levi let Eren lead the way, the school wasn't that far from Armin's house. The ducked through the wire fencing, which was in a sad state and barely even hanging off the frame and made their way across the oval. About halfway across Eren finally came to a stop and stripped his hoodie off, before laying on it  
"Well someone's prepared"  
"Maybe, now come give me cuddles"  
With a smile on his face, Levi sank down and snaked his arm across Eren's stomach. He didn't ask permission, and when Eren didn't react he figured it must be alright  
"Admit it, I have great ideas"  
"Yeah... this in nice"  
Nuzzling against Eren's neck, Levi peppered kisses against the smooth skin, he didn't stop until Eren let a small giggle   
"It's tickles"  
"It was supposed to feel nice"  
"It does feel nice, but your hairs tickling my shoulder"  
Leaning over Eren's face, he left the tips of his hair drag over the omegas skin  
"Nooooo, stop"  
Eren giggled again and Levi didn't want it to stop. His boyfriend was finally relaxing  
"I missed your laughter"  
Eren sobered immediately and Levi bit down a sigh  
"There isn't much to laugh about at the moment..."  
"Have you heard from Hannes?"  
"Not today, he said he'd call when he knows more. It's stupid. I've been on my own for years, but that means nothing in the eyes of the law"  
"Yeah..."  
Being a street kid, Levi knew exactly what Eren meant. He'd broken the law more than a few times, but hadn't been caught. He wondered if the police would even try and find Kenny if he did, or if he would just be shipped off to some group home  
"Well, I'll be 18 in December"  
"That's still 6 months away... as it is, I haven't even had time to organise anything for the boys birthday..."  
"What did you want to do?"  
"I want to have a party for them. But not being able to do much sucks... I was thinking of sending them to day care with cake or something, but I haven't even had the chance to buy them anything"  
"Maybe we can head up to Trost for a weekend?"  
"Mmm, that would be nice, but I don't know if I'll be allowed"  
"Maybe I'll just have to steal you away then  
Despite the joking tone, Levi was deadly serious  
"Yeah. Maybe"  
Eren fell silent and Levi didn't know what to say, so he curled back into his omegas side, once again nuzzling and pressing kisses to Eren's neck  
"Levi... everything will work out right?"  
"Yep. It might take a little time, but we'll get there"  
"How can you be so confident?"  
"Because I know you. I know everything sucks at the moment, but I know that's because you just want things to hurry up and be back to normal. You're just not used to taking things so slow"  
"Is it bad that I really want to have sex with you"  
Levi snorted, hadn't he just been talking about taking things slow  
"Eren, it hasn't even been three weeks"  
"I know... but I feel so clingy... I want to feel safe again, I want to feel connected to you again"  
How was he supposed to say no when Eren was speaking so... slowly sliding from his boyfriend, Levi moved to sit on Eren's legs and looked down at Eren   
"You're really, really pretty"  
Eren giggled before covering his face  
"You sound like the boys"  
"Mmm I'll take that as a compliment, they're good kids because of you"  
Peaking from between his fingers Eren took a shaky breath  
"Do you really want more kids?"  
"Some day, when the times right"  
"Really?"  
"Yep. A whole brood of little Eren's"  
"Oh god. The world would be screwed"  
"Really? I think the world would be a lot better if there were more people like you in it"  
Sliding his hands carefully under Eren's shirt, the pad of his thumb gently ran over the wound dressing  
"D...please don't. It's ugly"  
"It's not ugly"  
"Levi... please. Just not there"  
When the wound was healed, he was going to shower love onto the scar. He wanted Eren to love all of himself like he loved him  
"Eren, are you sure you want this? I might not even be clean..."  
"I don't care... please Levi... I just want to be normal"

Sliding back along Eren's legs, Levi gently slid the omegas sweat pants and underwear down as he went. The musky smell of Eren's sex and the sweet scent of slick as intoxicating. Levi shimmied out of his own pants and slid up before gently guiding Eren onto his side. This was probably a very bad idea, but he was only human... mostly. Gently rocking his hips against Eren's arse, he licked and nippled against the bonding mark, causing Eren to mew so lewdly that he nearly came on the spot   
"Levi... don't tease"  
The angle was a little awkward and his alpha was screaming at him to just take the omega and ravish him until he screamed, but he pushed himself ever so carefully, growling as Eren's twitched and pulsed around him. He took his time until he was buried completely inside and they were both shaking messes   
"Are you alright?"  
"Mmm... you can move..."  
He kept his rhythm slow jerking Eren off carefully, while pulling out nearly completely before driving back in, each time he did Eren mewed unashamedly, never telling him to stop. As his knot began to flare, Levi bit down over the mark he'd left as a kid. His teeth sank in deeply enough to draw blood and Eren screamed his name as cum splattered across his stomach and hand. He rode out his own orgasm, before slowly sliding his teeth from Eren's flesh and licking the mark lovingly  
"Sorry... I got a bit carried away"  
Eren sniffled softly in his arms and Levi wiped his hand off on the grass before pulling Eren impossibly closer  
"Are you alright? Does it hurt?"  
"No... it feels really good... felt really good... I don't want to go back"  
"We don't have to for a while yet"  
"I want to go home... to our home. You, me and the boys... but I don't want to put everyone out"  
"Well, I was kind of thinking about that too. Do you know if your dads car works?"  
"I think so, why?"  
"Because Farlan can drive, and having a car we can use will make moving down here so much sooner easier"  
"I don't know... we can go find out?"  
Eren sounded so hopeful, but a 3km after a round of sex would probably end up hurting Eren more than he realised  
"Not tonight. But my things are Armin's, so I can maybe stay the night. How are the nightmares?"  
"Scary. I had a dream I was cheerleading and my guts all fell out"  
And there went the mood. His hand slid up to make sure the wound pad was still there  
"Well, they are nice guts, but let's keep them in there"  
Eren snorted lightly  
"That's kind of the plan"  
Eren let out a small yawn and Levi buried his face against Eren's back. It didn't take long before the omega was snoring softly and Levi had to bite down a laugh. His knot hadn't even gone down and the omega was fast asleep. 

Given Eren was so sleepy, he carried his boyfriend home. Armin let them in, and Eren gave him a sleepy wave  
"We were talking and he fell asleep. I'll take him up and get him ready for bed"  
"The twins are already asleep"  
"That's good. Thanks Armin"  
Skipping the shower, Levi cleaned off Eren's hands and stomach, before helping him into his pyjamas and then into bed.

 

*  
Leaving Eren at Armin's, Levi headed over to their house to check out Grisha's car. Eren wasn't exactly happy this morning, but he hadn't had any nightmares so that was a win. If the alpha was honest, he really didn't know much about cars, let alone manuals. Adopting the "why the fuck not" attitude, he turned the key and it the damn thing actually started. He had no real clue what he was doing, but over the next hour he slowly got the hang of it... kind of. Kudos to Farlan for having the patience for this. Parking up, he let out a long breath, a wide smile on his face. He'd actually survived his first driving experience. Now to clean the car and call Farlan. 

With Farlan and Izzy promising to be catch the next bus down, Levi gave the house a quick clean through, before hanging his clothes up next to Eren's in the wardrobe. Once again he was getting stupidly happy, so promptly had to scold himself. Baby steps. Eren still had to recover both physically and mentally. Last night had been nice, how could sex under a brilliantly clear and starry night not be, but it wasn't like he'd been blind to how slowly Eren was moving and the small winces he gave as he did. His boyfriend had showered and gone back to bed, so he figured he had enough time to start on the wallpaper in the living room. He started by first taking a photo of it, gently scoring through it and then mixing up warm water, detergent and vinegar. He didn't have a spray bottle that was empty, so he used a sponge to throughly soak the walls. His mind returned to what Farlan had said. He still didn't understand why Isabel would think he was abandoned them. Shouldn't they be happy he had something good in his life? His musings stayed as he worked at the wall until his phone began to ring and he was forced to abandon his work as Eren was awake and wondering where he was.


	34. Chapter 34

Levi was given the medication talk more than once, and Eren looked about ready to drive himself to Trost. Farlan and Izzy had come down on the Friday afternoon bus, and with the gentle persuasion of cash, they were heading back to Trost that same afternoon, or they would be if they could get out of the Arlert's house. Aside from the medication talk, he'd also been made to promise that Eren wouldn't push himself too hard, and if anything at all seemed wrong, he was take him to emergency immediately. Despite all these promises, and saying goodbye to the boys twice, they'd only got as far as the doorway before receiving the "are you sure you have everything talk". Eren's hold on his hand was bordering on painful, his omega was also shaking slightly and Levi tugged him closer to the outside world  
"Well, we have to go, but we'll be back Monday morning"  
Armin insisted on giving Eren yet another hug and the boys looked up at the sadly, it's not like they wanted to leave them at there, but with Izzy and Farlan's recreational drug use, it wasn't the right environment for them... even if it was just for a few days.

It wasn't until they have finally climbed back into the car that Eren finally let out a long relieved sigh  
"Thank fuck... I thought we were stuck there forever"  
Levi snort, while Izzy giggled  
"It couldn't have been that bad"  
"You would think I would know how to follow the directions on a bottle of painkillers..."  
"Now, now, they were just concerned"  
"Well I like their concern a whole lot better now I don't have to hear it"  
Levi smirked as he made to lay in Eren's lap, he stared up at his boyfriend happily   
"It's a good thing this car still works"  
"I was kind of wondering, but then I figured it was too much effort for dad to walk to town whenever the bottle was empty"  
"Fair point. Farlan, can we get out of here now?"  
"Yeah, yeah, now kids, no fighting in the back"  
"I don't think there's any danger of that"  
"I don't know, Levi's staring at me..."  
He hadn't expected Eren to join in with the teasing so readily   
"You have my permission to poke him in the eyes if he keeps it up"  
"Izzy, I thought you loved me?"  
The girl hummed noncommittally  
"But I like his eyes..."  
"Then what are you complaining about?"  
"I don't remember... I blame isolation from reality"  
"Reality is over rated"

The playful banter continued for the first half hour or so of the drive, after that Izzy sang along to the radio while Eren stared out the window and Levi just enjoyed being with Eren. He had so many things planned, his boyfriend was all his until Monday! Sitting up, Levi noticed they were on the outskirts of Trost, and that Eren didn't look terribly happy about it, his heart sank a little and moved to rest his head against his boyfriend shoulder as he took his left hand into his  
"Are you alright?"  
"Hmmm, what? Oh, yeah... it just feels weird coming back after so long"  
Well, that's what happens when your gone from a place for 2 and a bit months... not that he voiced that particular thought  
"Well, we still have plenty of time before school starts back..."  
Eren nodded slowly, before pulling out his phone   
"Whatcha doing?"  
"I told Armin I'd let him know when we got here"  
"What, he didn't trust Farlan's driving?"  
"More the car... to be honest I don't even know what I want to do with it"  
It wasn't like either of them really had the cash to keep up with the registration for it, or to get it looked at properly  
"We'll talk about it later. What do you want to do first?"  
"Shopping... or at least window shopping. I don't really have a clear idea what to get the boys"  
"What about DVD's they're always good"  
"Yeah, but that means they'll have to use my laptop, we don't exactly have a TV"  
Izzy turned around to look at them both in clear shock   
"You don't have a TV?"  
"We didn't have space for one at the unit and I didn't particularly want to wake up and find the boys had pulled it down"  
"Kids can be so fun"  
"You have no idea. I love them to bits and I wouldn't change them, but sometimes..."  
Eren ended his sentence with a shake of his head  
"At least you've got Big Brother now"  
"Yep, and Aunty Isabel and Uncle Farlan"  
Izzy gave an excited squeal to which Eren offered a small smile  
"Hear that Farlan, you're an uncle"  
"I don't remember signing up for that"  
"Ignore him Eren, he's grinning like an idiot right now. So, if we're going shopping, is there anywhere in particular you want to go?"  
"Nah, all the shopping centres look the same here"  
"You heard the man Farlan! To the shopping centre!"

Farlan and Izzy ditched them almost immediately, not that Levi minded, he was happy that Eren had managed to settle all Izzy's worries without knowing anything about them. Holding Eren's hand confidently, he let his omega guide him around the shops as they chatted about gift ideas for the boys. He'd thought they were headed into one store, but next thing he knew, Eren was dragging him into another and he soon saw why. Children's onesies, in particular wolf ones in brown and black   
"The boys are going to go crazy over these"  
Eren nodded   
"We'll have to get four. Two in black and two in brown in the next size up and the one after that, or I'll never be forgiven when they wear out"  
"Why don't I buy them for them? I have no idea what a father is supposed to buy his kids"  
Eren's eyes widened and he nodded quickly   
"That's a perfect idea. The boys are sad they can't shift yet, but they probably could if they knew how"  
"So you've never seen them shift?"  
He kind of expected they'd be more pup like at birth, but apparently not  
"No, they were born with their ears and tails showing, Eli's furs brown and shaggy like mine, but Ren's got your beautiful pelt"  
Levi didn't know if Eren meant to be so damn sweet, but his heart was racing at his boyfriends words and he ducked his head to hide his smile. Eren grabbed 4 onesies off the rack and passed them over to him   
"There we go daddy"  
He wasn't going to be getting tired of that any time soon  
"Do you want to look around some more?"  
"Sure"  
Eren grabbed a few printed towels for the boys, and Levi began to realise just how many things were marketed towards children. He didn't have all these nice things growing up, so he was damned if his sons were going without  
"Oh, I have to find another wolf magazine, Eli had the worst dilemma ever, he wanted to cut all the photos of the wolves out, but he didn't want to damage his "book""  
Levi snorted  
"That's adorable"  
"Yeah, it kind of was. But standing here isn't going to solve the mummy present problem"  
"Well, Izzy said DVD's and I was thinking we could get a TV, even if it's not that big... we can watch movies and that as a family..."  
Eren turned to him and pressed a kiss to his cheek  
"That's sounds perfect. But let's not gift it to the boys, I want mummy and daddy movie time too"  
Levi swallowed hard as he nodded  
"Sometimes I feel like this is a dream. I didn't know it possible to be this happy"  
"Just wait until the twins have a screaming match... the dream will shatter in a heartbeat"  
"Shhhh, I'm enjoying being a dad"  
Paying for their purchases, they resumed shopping, heading into the nearest department store.

 

*  
Eren was stupidly happy, yes he missed the boys like crazy, but Levi was really embracing this whole dad thing and it was so sweet. Holding his alpha's hand, he felt like he could do anything... until they started clothes shopping. Shopping for the boys was easy. They just needed things for winter, Levi said he didn't need anything and they wandered into the women's section. Moving over to the clearance rack, he picked up half a dozen things and put them back. The main problem was he just didn't feel comfortable wearing anything that would show his stomach anymore, one hand came to the wound and he let out a small whine without even realising  
"Hey, what's wrong?"  
"N-nothing..."  
"If you like it, why don't you get it?"  
Levi was terribly sweet about the wound site, but Eren had seen how red and angry it looked, he knew how badly it would scar...  
"Eren, you shouldn't be ashamed of the scar"  
His voice dropped to a mumble as he replied   
"But I am... what kind of an idiot lets a hallucinating alpha near knives"  
"You didn't let him"  
"I didn't stop him..."  
Fuck. He was going to cry...  
"Levi, please, can we just go look at the toy section?"  
His alpha sighed deeply, causing him to chew his lip as if he'd been scolded  
"Alright, but Eren, you're perfect the way you are"  
Pulling away from Levi, Eren made his way towards the toy section, he didn't feel very perfect.

By the end of their quest, the boys were getting 3 books each, a DVD of the wolf movie they'd gone to see, two big packs of Lego and a new blanket each. He didn't want the boys to be video game addicts just yet, he's seen parents giving their 2 year olds their own iPads and just couldn't understand why. There was a whole world out there to explore and now the boys would have the woods and once they shifted... oh god. He shook his head quickly to dispel the thoughts before panic could set in, the pair were bad enough with supervision, but anything could happen when they weren't.

Meeting back up with Farlan and Izzy, they had dinner at the food court, before finally heading to Izzy's  
"Welcome to chez Izzy, Levi will give you the tour though there's not much to the place"  
Eren smiled as he nodded  
"It's bigger than where I used to live"  
"It is?"  
"Yep. The living area was my bedroom and the twins had the actual bedroom so we usually just sat in bed to eat dinner or watch movies on the laptop"  
"Oh wow, that sounds fun"  
"Sometimes, it was alright when it was just the three of us, but it also meant the only privacy I got was then the boys were sleeping"  
Izzy nodded at his words and Farlan disappeared through a door   
"We'll be in Farlan's room if you need anything. Oh and help yourself to whatever you want from the fridge"  
"Thanks Izzy"  
"No worries"  
The girl gave a wave and disappeared off through the same door as Farlan, while Levi took his hand and pulled him towards one on the opposite side of the entry  
"It's not much"  
"I'm sure it's fine"  
He didn't know why he was so nervous. It wasn't like Levi hadn't been in his room before, both at Armin's and at the unit... oh, and the house... squashing down his nerves, he let himself be lead into the alpha's room and let out a happy sigh, he felt safe in this room  
"What?"  
"It smells like you. I like it"  
"It smells like me?"  
"Yeah. The boys smell like you too, like the forest... I love it..."  
Letting go of Levi's hand, Eren placed the bags of shopping on the floor before toeing off his shoes and moving to flip down on Levi's bed, there was a slight twinge, but he ignoring it in favour of burying his face against Levi's blanket and breathing in deeply   
"Are you alright? Do you want me to leave the two of you alone?"  
Snorting lightly, he pulled back to look up at Levi   
"Worried I'm going to cheat on you?"  
"Well, the way you were nuzzling against that blanket... you can't blame me"  
"It is a nice blanket, but you're nicer"  
Pulling back, Eren crawled across Levi's bed and settled down with his head against the alpha's pillow, before pulling his phone out  
"Come lay up here with me"  
Levi took his time, before making a grand show of climbing onto the bed and pulling him close  
"Good, now stay like that"  
"Why?"  
"Because it's time to call the boys and check in"

Armin answered his FaceTime request almost immediately   
"Hey Armin, how's our babies?"  
"Washed and fed, they're up in the guest room"  
Armin began to make his way through the house and Levi's hand slid into his free one  
"What about you? Were there tears after we left?"  
"No tears from me, but Eli was a little upset"  
"Well, we've done some of their shopping. We still need to organise the whole cake and balloon thing"  
Armin still and switched the camera view, before cracking the door ever so slightly. The light was on and the boys were quite happily jumping on the bed, completely oblivious to the fact they'd just been sprung. Armin pulled back and swapped the camera view back to him  
"What do you want to do?"  
Eren knew exactly what he wanted to do, it was the first time in weeks he'd seen his boys acting normally, but he couldn't ignore the disrespect they were showing   
"You can go bust them, we'll wait"  
"What do you think you're doing?!"  
Ok, there's was busting the boys and there was yelling at them, and this was yelling. Levi frowned at him and they listened to Armin scold their sons  
"Armin! That's enough now, or you risk a tantrum"  
Armin obviously couldn't hear him and finished his rant before passing his phone down to the boys  
"Hey babies"  
"Hey mum... Eren, Levi"  
And they were back to that  
"Tell uncle Armin to come back soon"  
"Uncle Armin, mums says you can go away now"  
"Eren! I'll be back!"  
Eren rolled his eyes, there was no need for Armin to yell. It took his sons a few moments before they announced Armin was gone  
"Alright, let's try this again. Hey babies"  
"Hey mum, hey dad!"  
Levi's hand tightened its hold on his  
"Hey kids, what's been happening?"  
"Nothing... grandpa made us all eat our peas... but uncle Armin piled them on the and it took aaaaaaaaaages"  
"Peas are good for you"  
"But we're wolves! We need meat!"  
Levi snorted  
"I'm with you on that one"  
"Oh, not you to"  
Levi shrugged and Eren shook his head   
"What else had happened?"  
"Umm... we were jumping on the bed and Uncle Armin told us off"  
"I saw that, you know you're not supposed to do that"  
"But we were playing quietly"  
Technically he couldn't argue with that  
"I think what mum means is that it's good you were playing quietly, but maybe next time don't get caught"  
Both boys grinned at Levi's words and Eren let out an internal sigh  
"No jumping on the bed, I don't want to come home and find you've broken the bed or your arm"  
Eli looked at the Ren  
"No! No breaking your brothers arm"  
"But mum..."  
"Don't but me, I've broken my arm before and it hurts... besides, we can't have cake at your birthday if your arms broken"  
"What! Nooooo, you can't"  
"I can and I will"  
"Fiiiiiiiine"  
The faces of both boys fell, before perking up  
"No breaking any bones. At all"  
"But..."  
"Didn't I just say no buts"  
Both boys giggled and Eren rolled his eyes again  
"Levi, when are you coming back?"  
"On Monday with mum"  
"That's so long away"  
"It's not that far"  
"Yes it is... what if we have to eat peas again"  
"How about we bring you back something better than peas?"  
"Like what?"  
"I don't know, but we'll know if you don't behave and don't eat all of your vegetables"  
"Mum, dad's being mean"  
"I know. Now give us kisses and then go give the phone back to Armin"  
Both boys blew them kisses which they both returned and Eren ended the call  
"Peas of all things"  
"We've had the same talk over broccoli and corn"  
"So are there vegetables they actually like?"  
"It's not so much that they don't like them, it's just Armin goes tend to get a bit carried away when serving"  
"Oh, he's one of those"  
"Yep"  
Throwing his phone lightly behind him, Eren wrapped his arm around Levi and snuggled into him  
"This is nice"  
"Yeah, no kids, no responsibilities, no set bedtimes"  
"We should probably get to sleep early though, I want to go shopping for the party tomorrrow"  
"Eren, we have all weekend"  
"Call it the curse of knowing I'll forget something and unlike Trost, I can't just head out to the supermarket every time I do"  
"We can do a big shop before we head back, stock the house with dry goods"  
"That sounds good, but we don't know what's happening"  
"Eren, it'll be fine. Hannes will sort things out on his end and it will all settle back down"  
But even if they did, there were other things that needed sorting. The twins weren't going to day care thanks to the lack of bus service, but he was still having it direct debited from his account. When school started back, he'd have to ditch cheerleading and other after school activities, and end his classes early to make it to the bus on time. There was also the fact he told the boys they could take up soccer... the romantic notion of living in the Shinganshima house was proving to be more complicated than expected and he let out a low long whine as he nuzzled against Levi   
"What's wrong?"  
"Nothing much, we'll talk about it tomorrow. Right now, I just want to stay like this"  
"So you don't want to shower?"  
"Nope, I don't want to move"  
"You do know you're supposed to take your meds"  
"I really don't want to move Levi"  
He didn't mean to snap, but it just happened. Everything he wanted revolved around them finally being a family... and now he was ruining their happiness before it even began  
"Sorry, just..."  
Levi rubbed his back gently  
"No, its fine, you've had a long day. Let's just go to sleep"


	35. Chapter 35

With no clear idea of what the boys wanted in the way of a cake, Eren got a bit carried away with the preparations. He purchased 3 different cake tins, cupcake moulds, pattypans, two huge bags of mixed lollies, icing equipment, 5 different cake mixes, and a bunch of other items that looked interesting. Levi followed behind him obediently, not questioning if he actually needed any of this stuff. He wanted to be able to give the boys their dream cake... well, their dream cake in within reason and figured that Levi could help decorate. He knew better than to leave the actual baking to his boyfriend. Their next stop was a party hire shop. This only cemented his worry that Levi was the biggest child of them all. The alpha had to play with everything, especially the masks, though Eren had to admit that the alpha looked pretty alluring with a white masquerade mask on, and the alpha insisted on buy it, as well as black and gold one for him. Personally, he had no idea why Levi would want them, but allowed the alpha his moment of happiness. Aside from the masks, they bought silver and blue balloons, streamers, a medium sized helium tank, Disney themed paper plates and cups. Their selection of cards and wrapping paper was rather sucky, and Eren had honestly forgotten about that bit until he caught Levi staring at them  
"We'll take a look elsewhere"  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yeah, trust me, cards these days suck, but these are extra sucky"  
Levi snorted and Eren pressed a kiss to his cheek  
"What was that for?"  
"For putting up with me even though I'm a flake"  
"You're not a flake"  
"Maybe I want to be a flake?"  
Levi just raised an eyebrow   
"Alright, I don't. But you're still here even though my heads all over the place"  
"That's because I love you. Now, can we please leave before I find something else to play with"  
"You could play with me"  
Eren blinked in shock at his own words, while Levi just shook his head  
"I think there's laws against that in public, buuuuut if you insist, we could always fool around in the costumes"  
Taking a firm hold on Levi's hand, Eren lead him over to where they'd left their previous shopping by the door, then out the party hire store  
"Sooo, I was thinking we could drop all this at the apartment and maybe spend the afternoon lazing about"  
"Mmmm, as long as we remember the cards, I suppose the rest can wait until Monday"  
Eren smiled as Levi pulled him closer, the alpha's hand settled firmly on his hip and Eren felt the light dusting of red burn a little deeper. He halfhearted cursed his hormones and stupidly high sex drive. It didn't take much for Levi to have him wanting his alpha's knot, even before he was stabbed, but the alpha had no clue and it was infuriating. He didn't particularly care that he was supposed to be healing, those words had lost any meaning once he saw the wound had scabbed and the scarring was forming. His current feeling were that he'd played the part of being a cripple, let everyone fawn over him until he went crazy and now he just wanted to be pinned down and fucked senseless... especially when he knew no one was going to be interrupting them. But he hated the idea of Levi seeing his stomach and the raging fire of want turned to embers  
"Eren? Are you alright?"  
Snapping back to reality, he was slightly ashamed of his inner most thoughts, and felt all his self deprivation rush to smother the burning embers into nothingness   
"Yeah... sorry... um, we should go?"  
"Alright. It'll probably be easier if we catch a taxi"  
It really would be. He'd just carted things around without thinking about it, but looking at the bags in Levi's hands, and at the box with the helium tank in it... yeah, he'd definitely gotten carried away   
"Sorry... I didn't realise how much we bought"  
"It's probably because we left everything at the door... I'll call the taxi, but did we want to move down to that cafe? That way you can sit..."  
"It's fine, unless you want to?"  
"No... I was just worried about you, you still look a little flushed"  
"I'm fine, it's nothing"  
"Really?"  
Nodding quickly, Eren wanted Levi to hurry up and drop it. Getting worked up after having such an up and down morning... it was so stupid and confusing...

Having finally made it into Izzy's apartment, he wanted nothing more than to sleep... actually that was a lie. Izzy and Farlan were out... the mood between them was good... but he didn't know how to make the first move. Levi was in the living room, the alpha wanted a cigarette, so Eren had told him he was going to nap... but what was acceptable? What was right? He'd taken off his shoes and socks, but was he expected to keep his jeans on? He was definitely over thinking this, and only had a limited about of time before Levi returned. Hearing the alpha in the hall, he rushed to strip his jeans off, and climbed under the covers still wearing his shirt and underwear  
"Did you miss me?"  
Levi walked across the room, completely oblivious to the struggle he'd been facing seconds ago  
"Of course..."  
Rolling onto his stomach, he buried his face against the pillows as Levi climbed into bed with him, the alpha immediately threw his arm around him and pulled him up close  
"Sooo, come here often?"  
Turning his head to face Levi, he wrinkled his brow as if thinking  
"Not that I know of... I have this really possessive boyfriend, he'd freak if he knew I was here"  
Levi laughed lightly and pressed a kiss to his forehead  
"You're too precious. Why don't you take a nap? You still look a little red"  
That had nothing to do with the fact that being surrounded by Levi's scent was making him hard again. He swallowed hard and told his racing heart to get a grip. This was Levi... his alpha...  
"Eren, what's really on your mind? You look like you think you've done something horrific"  
Sprung  
"It's nothing"  
Levi practically dragged him up until he was lying atop the alpha, he squirmed as he tried to escape, but the alpha's hands moved to his arse and held him firmly... it was only then that it occurred to him that Levi might have seen through his nap lie  
"Eren, you're horny aren't you"  
He didn't know why his breath caught of tears rushed to fill his eyes as he buried his face against Levi's collarbone. He sniffled softly as he nodded  
"I'm sorry... I don't know why... my emotions are all over the place..."  
"We've had this conversation more than once, and we'll keep having it over and over until it sticks. You went through a major trauma and betrayal, of course your heads all over the place and its fine. As for why your horny, have you considered the fact that your alpha's just that good in bed?"  
Eren nodded as he sniffled  
"You are really good"  
"I know, it's a gift and a curse... I know you were pretty sore last time, so I don't think we should have sex"  
Now he felt like a total fool, struggling off of Levi, the alpha seemed to be confused as he slipped from the bed and sank down on the floor  
"Eren, come on. I didn't mean to upset you, I'm just worried"  
Drawing his knees to his chest, Eren buried his face against them and cried sadly, the occasional small whimper or whine mixed in with them, but he didn't even realise  
"Talk to me, princess?"  
"No"  
"Please? How am I supposed to understand?"  
Eren shook his head. Right now, in this very moment, he just wanted to go home and lock himself away. He was showing Levi such an embarrassing side and all because the alpha wouldn't fuck him  
"Eren, tell me what's wrong"  
Levi's voice probably didn't hold the traces of anger that he heard... but he still flinched away, in his head Levi was angry  
"I'm sorry..."  
Levi let out a sigh   
"Stop saying you're sorry"  
"I..."  
He'd been about to apologise again  
"Princess..."  
Levi finally sank to floor, the alpha's legs either side of him as Levi nuzzled against the top of his head  
"Tell me"

Taking a shaky breath, Eren raised his face ever so slightly so he could want gauge the man's reaction  
"I don't want you to be mad"  
"I'm not mad"  
"But you sound mad"  
"I'm not mad, just confused"  
"You're treating me like them... I want you to trust me, I want you to accept that when I say I'm alright, I'm alright. Everyone keeps making me feel so weak and I don't even remember how I used to feel. I don't want to be crying like this... I don't want to be scared. I just want to have a normal relationship with you and the boys, even if we can't live in Shinganshima"  
Fuck... the last bit had just slipped out  
"Of course we can live in Shinganshima"  
"How's it going to work Levi? I'll be late for class every morning because I have to take the twins to daycare, I'll have to leave early every afternoon to pick them up. I'm too ugly to keep cheerleading, and because of the bus times, it's not like I can just catch another one later so I can't just hang out after school with anyone. I promised the twins they could start playing soccer, can't do that in Shinganshima... I'm sick of making everyone worry and inconveniencing them. I'm sick of being treated delicately... I don't have my licence, you don't have your licence, dads cars a piece of shit, so how are we supposed to do food shopping? And what about your future? I'm stupid, I'm never going to be anything but a mum, but you have your whole life ahead of you. I want you to go to college, I want you to be with Izzy and Farlan, I want you to be with the twins and me... but I how is this going to work?"

 

*  
Levi felt sick at Eren's words. He had no idea his boyfriend was thinking along these lines and he hated it. Letting out a low growl, he grabbed Eren's face and forced him to look him in the eyes  
"Did you want to break up! Is that it?"  
Eren blinked at him, the look in the omegas eyes was heartbreaking and he felt like such an arse for playing such a dirty card  
"Eren, I asked you if you wanted to break up"  
Eren paled alarmingly fast, the omegas breathing grew uneven and teen shoved him away before bolting from the room. He'd been aiming to shock Eren into listening to him... but he'd pushed too far. Pushing himself up, he headed into the bathroom, where he found Eren vomiting in clear distress. His omegas hands were firmly against his stomach and the teens whole body was shaking  
"Eren, I didn't mean..."  
"Go away Levi, you told me..."  
Eren's sentence was interrupted by him gagging, but when Levi went to move closer his boyfriend moved away   
"For fucks sake. I don't want to break up with you, but you get all these ideas in your head and it sounded like you wanted to break up with me... We have weeks to sort this shit out, but you make it sound like you don't want any of this! I'm your alpha! You aren't fucking stupid and there is nothing wrong with being a mum! You're the one who carried the twins, birthed the twins and have done an amazing job raising them, but when are you going to get into your head that you aren't alone! Why can't we work things out together? I'm not your father, I'm not going to attack you, I'm not going to stab you, I love you Eren..."  
Standing there with his chest heaving and hands clenched, he watched Eren carefully. He hadn't meant to start yelling at the omega, but at least Eren knew exactly what was on his mind...  
"You don't want to break up?"  
"No"  
"But..."  
"No Eren. We aren't breaking up, unless you want to"  
Eren shook his head, before slowly reaching out towards him, the teen was still shaking like a leaf and Levi rushed to gather him into his arms  
"Shh, I'm sorry... I just want to be the best alpha I can be for you"  
Eren shook his head, against him  
"It's not your fault"  
Lifting his omega easily, Levi paused long enough to flush the toilet and rinse his hand, before carrying Eren back to his room. Gently laying boyfriend down, the alpha the proceeded to climb in next to him, he didn't like the way Eren smelt, not just of distress, but of pain  
"Eren, is your stomach alright?"  
"It... hurts"  
"Show me"  
Gently nudging him back, Levi slid Eren's shirt up and pealed back the wound pad, technically Eren didn't need to keep wearing it, but Levi had the feeling it was to hide the sight  
"It doesn't look too bad, maybe a little red. Maybe we should take you to have it looked at?"  
"N-no... can we just sleep?"  
Eren sounded almost scared, and Levi bit back a sigh as he moved to lay back beside his omega  
"Alright princess, whatever you want"  
He pressed a kiss to the tip of Eren's nose, and his omega let out a shaky breath  
"I love you Eren, I didn't mean to upset you so badly"  
"I love you to"

Eren somehow managed to fall asleep, but Levi couldn't. He was making a mental list and trying to work things out. His omega could stay here, Farlan and Izzy wouldn't mind, and if Eren was so self conscious about it, he could always make them a proper home cooked meal. So that was organised. If they took turns with picking up and dropping the twins off at daycare then neither of them would miss that much school... as for his future, Eren was far smarter than he was, personally he was thinking of maybe taking a trade class, he was good with his hands after all and any job would do as long as the hours were flexible enough to allow for school... If they Farlan and Izzy came to stay, they could do big food shops on Friday afternoons... fuck, he could see why Eren was so caught up on the finer details... 

Sliding out of bed, Levi began to sort through the clothes Eren had bought himself, he'd intended to take Eren out to dinner, even before his mini break down, but now he definitely wanted to spoil his gorgeous boyfriend. Having not found anything really dinner like, he moved back to the bed and gently woke Eren, sleepy green eyes blinked at him and Levi offered a small smile  
"Hey, I've just got to go out for a bit, will you be alright here?"  
"I can..."  
"Nah, I won't be long, you just sleep"  
"Ok..."  
Kissing Eren gently, he pulled the blankets up to cover his boyfriends shoulders, receiving a sleep "I love you". Leaving Eren to sleep, Levi headed out.

Down the street there was a small arcade with supermarket, bakery, shoe shop and half a dozen specialty stores. He hadn't really headed there unless in desperate need of nicotine, today however he had a different purpose. Today, for the first time in his life, he was buying a dress. Both sales clerks looked at him in mild curiosity, it wasn't like this store stocked anything that might be called masculine and the prices were a bit in the high side but this was for his princess, so he ignored them as he began to browse. Eren had looked positively pornographic in that red number he'd worn for his birthday, and he wanted to try and boost the omegas confidence, so had to find a dress that fulfilled both catergories... and wasn't skanky, his boyfriend wasn't a slut and he didn't want anyone thinking he was... but half the things on the racks left practically nothing to the imagination  
"Hi, something in particular you're looking for?"  
The shorter of the two assistants appeared from nowhere and Levi tried to act like she hadn't scared the crap out of him  
"I'm looking for something for my partner, for dinner tonight"  
"Do you have anything in mind?"  
"Um... sexy but not slutty..."  
The woman nodded, her smile faltered when he'd said "slutty", but she forced it back  
"So what does she look like?"  
He's perfect in every way... is what he wanted to say, but he didn't want to send her to an early grave with another shock  
"About 5'10, Sunkissed skin, criminally green eyes, shoulder length brown hair"  
And a knock out curvaceous figure... that even after weeks of doing practically nothing was still perfect, even with Eren's weight loss  
"In that case, maybe something in green to match their eyes"  
Levi trailed behind the woman, letting her do her whole sales routine. The first dress she picked was more for clubbing, and would show Eren's stomach  
"My partner doesn't really like showing that much skin"  
The woman nodded, and placed the dress back on the rack, before moving through the racks again before pulling another green dress off the rack  
"What about this one?"  
It was nice and all, but not what he had in mind  
"The look on your face says everything"  
After half a dozen dresses, he had a new appreciation for fashion and a burning desire never to go dress shopping again. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he let out a sigh   
"What about blue or black?"  
No green? What happened to green? Once again he was lead around and resisted the urge to smack the stupid woman for wasting his time. He'd already been gone longer than expected. 17 dresses later, he finally found one that screamed Eren, and funnily enough it was green. The top bit was ruffled... he supposed that's how it would be described, with a silver broachy thing and thick shoulder straps... he had no idea what to call it, he didn't speak dress  
"Do you need jewellery?"  
Shit. Probably...  
"Um, maybe a necklace?"  
So it was $70 for the dress and $30 for a necklace, before he finally escaped. And then there was the shoe thing... Eren was like a size or so bigger than him... he knew the top of his big toe reached a third of the way up Eren's... this time he went straight to the store clerk and explained. He wanted silver shoes for his omega. The woman wasted no time, straight up asking for Eren's shoe size. Given he wasn't completely sure, he had to have his own foot measured and the gap estimated. She then got him to wait while she disappeared out the back, returning with 4 different pairs... he chose the strappy heals, and paid the $50 for them. That was it. He was leaving all future shopping to Eren. Eren had the patience for this shit.

Eren had been awake when he arrived back at Izzy's, confused as to what had taken Levi so long. Placing both bags of shopping down, Levi sighed dramatically  
"I don't know how you make this look easy, buuuut surprise"  
Eren frowned at him, but slowly reached for the bags  
"Levi, what is this?"  
"Well, I'd already planned to take you to dinner, but nothing seemed dinnery, so I did a little shopping"  
"Leeeeevi, you didn't have to"  
"Maybe I wanted to"  
"But you don't have the money"  
"Hey, I might not have much, but I wanted to spoil you a little. Besides, I am soooo not going back there to return these. I barely made it out of there alive"  
"It couldn't have been that bad"  
"It was. Now, we have a little time before dinner. I'll take a shower first, unless you want to join me?"  
Eren shook his head and Levi bit down a sigh. He'd known Eren would say no.

 

*  
Heading into the bathroom, Eren had to admit that he felt better after his earlier tantrum. At least Levi knew what was going through his head now, and they weren't going to just break up over it. When those words had fallen from Levi's lips so seemingly easily, his world had started spinning and his heart had stopped. He didn't want to lose Levi. Placing the bag on the small set of draws, he pulled out the dress first. It was beautiful, an emerald green with a Queen Anne cut and pleated chest, the centre of which was pulled into a simple silver and diamante broach in the centre. Holding it up against himself, it fell to just above his knees and the soft satin fabric slipped effortlessly through his fingers. It was perfect... placing it down carefully, he left it there and made for the shower. He took his time to carefully clean himself, but avoided washing his hair, the last thing he needed was to ruin the dress with water stains. He hadn't thought to bring a razor, but luckily being an omega meant that he wasn't that hairy, needing to shave maybe once or twice a month. He hoped Levi wouldn't mind... he wanted to look perfect for Levi tonight. 

The dress felt amazing against his skin, and the shoes Levi had chosen were perfect as was the necklace. Spinning slowly in the bathroom, he smiled softly, yeah. This would do nicely. Now he just had to not fuck up and spill food all over himself. Opening the door slightly, he peaked out at the waiting alpha. Levi looked fucking hot in his black skinny leg jeans and white dress shirt  
"Well, are you ready?"  
"I don't know..."  
"Eren, just come out of there already"  
Opening the door the whole way, he span slowly  
"Thanks Levi, the dress is perfect"  
His alpha let out a low growl, and Eren's confidence dipped a little   
"Is... is something wrong?"  
"No... you look amazing... fuck. I don't want to let you out"  
"I don't look that nice"  
"You look edible... shit..."  
With a blush on his face, Eren moved closer to the alpha  
"Um, shall we go?"  
"Yeah, or we aren't going to get out of here. I hope you don't mind its Ravioli, I don't know anywhere else around here that's edible"  
Snorting lightly, he shook his head   
"No, that's fine... give me a sec, I need my phone in case the boys call"  
Dropping a kiss on the top of Levi's head, Eren strode into Levi's room and snatched up his phone, before grabbing his card out his wallet and slipping it into his phone case. He didn't want Levi paying for everything, especially after the alpha had bought him suck a nice outfit.

The moment they walked into Raviolo, Levi was called over by some of the people he used to work with, so Eren found a seat down the back on his own, trying not to be so annoyed. Levi hadn't seen his ex-coworkers in weeks, buuuut they were supposed to be on a date, or so he'd thought. Pulling his phone out the top of his dress, he scrolled through his contacts and called Armin, it was still a little early, but it wasn't like he had anything else to do while he waited  
"Hey Eren, what's up?"  
"Nothing much, just doing the usual bedtime call a little early"  
"It's only just on 5"  
"I know, but I'm kind of out with Levi for dinner, and I wanted to call before it got too late. How are they?"  
"Eli took Ren's pillow, so Ren kicked him off the bed"  
"Any injuries?"  
"Well, Ren's got bit of a black eye, but it's not too bad"  
"How does Eli ending up on the floor equate to Ren having the black eye?"  
"Revenge. Eli jumped on him"  
Eren closed his eyes for a second before reopening them with a sigh  
"So aside from the bruise, they're both in one piece right?"  
"Yep, what about you?"  
"I'm fine, Levi's fine, he'd say hi if he was here"  
"Aren't you having dinner with him?"  
"We're at Ravioli, he's off talking with some of his friends"  
"Ooooh, so you're bored and lonely"  
"... maybe. But in my defence this was supposed to be a date or something. How's Shinganshima?"  
"If you mean hows grandpa? He's good, he's playing with the boys at the moment"  
"Playing? Or has them roped into doing housework without realising"  
"He's tinkering with something and the boys are designated helpers"  
Eren snorted lightly  
"Do you think I could talk to the helpers?"  
"Maybe. Hold up, I'm in my room"  
"Are you sure it's safe to leave the three of them unsupervised?"  
"Well, the house is still standing, so nothing's gone horribly wrong"  
"And what about you? They haven't been too annoying have they?"  
"No, not really. They keep asking if it's Monday yet... so I think you're missed"  
Eren felt a twinge of guilt, yes he missed the boys like crazy, but he wondered if he didn't miss them enough... he hadn't asked to be taken home, he'd only called twice...  
"Eren?"  
"Sorry. Levi and I have almost everything, we're going to go shopping for a TV on Monday before we leave"  
"Wait, you're getting a TV?"  
"Yeah... and a sofa. I don't want to get something expensive though, the boys will probably trash it"  
"They're not that bad"  
"That's because they know they can't get away with things when it comes to you. I, on the other hand, am a complete and total pushover"  
"That's true. Hold up"  
In the background he heard Armin telling the boys mummy was on the phone and Armin's grandfather grumbling about something   
"Mummy!"  
Eli, that was Eli... Ren knew not to scream into the phone... well most of the time he knew not to  
"Hey baby, I heard you're helping grandpa?"  
"Yep... he's fixing his radio and said me and Ren could help... mum, Ren gave me a black eye"  
"I heard about that baby, does it hurt?"  
"Nah, not really, it makes me look tough"  
His son sounded so proud that Eren could foresee a future of black eyes  
"Well, mummy likes your face with no bruises. What else have you been doing?"  
"Ummmm, nothing... when are you coming home?"  
"Monday, so two more sleeps"  
"And dad?"  
"He's coming home when I do"  
"Why aren't you guys here?"  
"Because two very special boys are having a birthday soon, and we needed to do some shopping"  
"More special than us?"  
Shit. He really wanted to see the boys now   
"No baby, no one is more special than you and Ren. Does your brother want to talk to me?"  
"Reeeeen, mum wants to know if you want to talk to him?"  
There was a few moments to silence before his son replied   
"No, he's busy"  
"Alright, well, I love you both and I'll call you tomorrow"  
"Ok mum, I love you too"  
Ending the call, Eren slid down in his seat and rubbed his face. Given Levi was still busy talking, he might as well check the menu.

When 10 minutes turned into 20, and then into 30, Eren couldn't help but be pissed. He could see Levi still talking from where he was, and the alpha didn't look like he'd be moving any time soon. Making sure he had everything, he headed straight for the door and out into the street, making it two whole blocks before Levi finally caught up to him  
"Eren?"  
Slapping Levi's hand away, he kept walking   
"Wait. Why'd you leave?"  
Really? Did Levi really have no idea? He let the tears continue to roll down his face as he moved towards Izzy's  
"Eren, I said wait"  
Grabbing his arm, Levi used his own momentum to spin him around. The alpha was clearly confused as to why he was crying  
"Leave me alone Levi"  
He felt like an idiot for thinking this was some kind of date. His omega side was hurting from the feeling of being abandoned at the restaurant, and his own thoughts were a complete mess. God. Why was he so stupid. Levi was too good for him, he didn't deserve the alpha and he felt so foolish for being so happy  
"Why are you crying?"  
"Just... leave me alone"  
Yanking his arm, he began to panic when Levi's hold didn't loosen   
"Levi let me go!"  
"Not until you tell me why you left the restaurant and why you're crying"  
Pulling harder, he finally got his arm free, but lost his balance and landed on his arse with a yelp. Levi immediately went to help him up, but Eren once again slapped his hand away  
"Just go back to Ravioli Levi, I want to be alone"  
"I thought we were having dinner together"  
"Funny, so did I"  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
Thoroughly embarrassed by the fact he was sitting on his arse, crying his eyes out, with people now staring on top of it all, he couldn't help but snap   
"30 fucking minutes. You were talking for 30 minutes. I didn't want to be the prissy controlling omega, I didn't want to tell you to pay attention to me and ignore your friends, but it was 30 minutes and you didn't even try and stop me from leaving"  
His chest heaved as he screamed at his alpha, before pulling his phone out  
"Who are you calling?"  
"Reiner"  
"Why?"  
"Because right now, I just want to go home. I don't want to pretend I'm pretty, I don't want to eat dinner, I don't know what I want, but I want my boys"  
That didn't make a whole lot of sense, but he was upset...   
"Eren, just stop. I didn't realise I was talking for so long. I was making plans for us to hang out with some of my work friends I didn't realise how much time had passed. I'm sorry"  
Making plans didn't take half an hour, and he severely doubted Levi would even want him to meet his friends. Looking back at his phone, he called Hannes, while ignoring Levi   
"Eren? Is everything alright?"  
"No... is there any chance you can spare a little time?"  
"For you, of course. Where's Levi?"  
"Looking down at me. I'm kind of having a tantrum in the middle of the sidewalk"  
He could hear Hannes trying not to laugh  
"It's not funny"  
"It kind of is. Why are you sitting on the sidewalk?"  
"Because I panicked and fell on my arse"  
"Does your stomach hurt?"  
"Maybe. I don't really know. I threw up earlier and it was fine after that, but now all I can think about is my butt"  
"Did you just intentionally set that up so I could ask if you were "butt hurt"?"  
"Maybe. Anyway. I think I'm going crazy and I don't know what to do"  
"How crazy is crazy?"  
"Like hormonal crazy... mood swings and stuff. I've screamed at Levi twice today and the first time he didn't even deserve it"  
"And the second?"  
"He brought me this really nice outfit, and we were supposed to having dinner at the place he used to work, but he got caught up talking to his coworkers for half an hour so I left... hence the reason I'm sitting on the sidewalk and he's looking down at me"  
"You can't make things easy can you?"  
"No, apparently not. So, why am I moody and hormonal and yelling at Levi?"  
"Because you're an omega who's supposed to be in heat..."  
"I thought the suppressants took care of that"  
"They do, but that doesn't mean all your hormones get the message. And, you were kind of, you know, stabbed by your father"  
"How could I forget... everyone keeps treating me like I'm made of glass"  
"That's 'cause no one knows what you're thinking or feeling. You just bottle up, get frustrated, explode and then mope"  
"I don't mope... alright, maybe I do. But how am I supposed to feel better?"  
"Sex?"  
Eren snorted as he shook his head  
"Levi won't"  
"That's because he's a good boy and follows the doctors orders. Look, I'll come see you on Monday"  
"I don't know what time we'll be back"  
"That's fine, I should probably know more about how things are going with the application to be your guardian"  
Falling silent, the teen chewed his lip  
"Eren?"  
"Hannes, they won't take the boys away from me will they?"  
"No. I don't care what I have to do, that won't happen"  
"Are you sure? I'm not a very good mum..."  
"Eren, you're moping again. You're a good mum. You stepped up and looked after them from day one. They're both happy and healthy, and that's all that matters. Now, pass me up to Levi"  
Letting out a sigh, Eren looked up to Levi, his boyfriend was staring down at him with a worried look  
"It's for you"  
Passing his phone over, Eren scrubbed at his face. Fuck this hormone shit. He'd take a heat over it right about now... at least he wouldn't be a whiny bitch if he was in heat... letting out another sigh, he slowly climbed to his feet and started continuing back towards Izzy's. He'd just wanted a nice dinner with Levi... and once again he'd ruined things.

 

*  
In his defence, Levi hadn't realised it had been half an hour and once Hanji started... well, it was nearly impossible to get her to shut up. Her and Erwin both wanted to hang out as it'd been so long, and some how he'd agreed to go to the movie with them the following day. He didn't particularly want to share Eren with anyone, but it was better than having them both come and them as they are. What he didn't count on was Eren leaving... he hadn't even noticed until Izzy had dragged him away from Hanji and pointed the figure of his retreating boyfriend out. Yeah... he was completely fucking clueless.

He called out to Eren 4 times before he finally reached him, only to be smacked away by both the teen and his thick aura of upset... his omega wasn't happy and he had no idea why. They were supposed to be on a date, and yes he'd gotten a little sidetracked, but Eren had seemed fine with it... he was an idiot, he wasn't sure how it got to the point where Eren was screaming at him from the ground, but the omegas words made his throat tighten, what did Eren mean by "he wanted to be alone"? That wasn't how things were supposed to go...  
"30 fucking minutes. You were talking for 30 minutes. I didn't want to be the prissy controlling omega, I didn't want to tell you to pay attention to me and ignore your friends, but it was 30 minutes and you didn't even try and stop me from leaving"  
Shit. How the hell had it been 30 minutes... he could definitely see why Eren was upset now and felt like a total arse. His gorgeous boyfriend deserved better... and then Eren pulled his phone out, and to call Reiner... no. He didn't need another alpha butting in on their business... he stared down at his boyfriend, but very soon realised Eren wasn't talking to Reiner. Maybe it was Armin? No, the joking tone had to mean Hannes, well, at least it was someone who didn't hate him. He kept a close eye on Eren as talked, hating the fact that Eren seemed to be blaming himself for snapping like that. This was fuck up. Eren had gotten dressed up so nicely and he'd let him down  
"It's for you"  
Oh god. Here it comes...  
"Hi Levi, I hear you're having fun with Eren"  
"Hannes, if you're going to have a go at me don't bother, I already feel like shit. I got caught up making plans to go to the movies with Eren and them tomorrow, pretty much so our date didn't get interrupted and didn't realise how long had passed"  
Hannes let out a low laugh  
"Well, at least you accept responsibility, but we both know how stubborn Eren can be... once he gets something in his head..."  
"I know. I upset him earlier, he was having a freak out and it sounded like he wanted to break up, that's what lead to him throwing up"  
"You're an idiot. Eren loves you more than almost everything in this world. He doesn't want to break up, his bodies just freaking out over the suppressants. I didn't really explain it to him as well as I probably should have. His system isn't used to it, and he's supposed to be in heat so he's clingy and emotional"  
"And what am I supposed to do about that?"  
"Not upset him"  
"He wanted to have sex and I didn't want to hurt him"  
"I don't need to know the details... just take him home and pamper him"  
"I don't think I'm even getting through the door"  
"Then appeal to his omega side, if he lets you get close enough, try rubbed or nuzzling against the bonding mark"  
"I might just end up decapitated"  
"Then at least you tried. Anyway, good luck, have fun and try not to end up dead"  
Rolling his eyes, Levi ended the call. Eren was a few steps ahead of him, the omega pretty much storming towards home, Levi figured the look on the teens face must be pretty scary as everyone moved out his way.

Congratulations Levi Ackerman! You're an idiot!


	36. Chapter 36

The moment Levi unlocked the door, Eren headed straight into the bathroom and stripped. His anger and upset had dissipated during the walk, and now he just wanted to wash the street germs off and climb back into bed. Even if Hannes had said this was because he was supposed to be in heat, how did that explain the shit feelings he'd had for weeks now? With a heavy sigh, he climbed back into the shower and began to scrub, staying under the spray of water until it finally began to cool and he was forced out. He dried with another sigh, and wrapped the towel around his waist before heading into Levi's room, not at all surprised to find the alpha sitting on the bed  
"Eren, I really am sorry"  
He didn't want to hear Levi's apologies, it just made him feel worse. Snagging a pair of underwear from his bag, he slid them on and then moved to the side of the bed, before letting towel drop and climbing under the covers  
"It's fine. You go head and have dinner, I'm just going to sleep"  
"Eren..."  
"Levi, please... just drop it..."  
He listened as fabric rustled and then the bed dipped as Levi awkwardly climbed under the blankets and curled up behind him, the alpha's lips came to gently press against the bonding mark  
"I didn't mean to upset you"  
"Stop apologising"  
"But I upset you"  
"And it makes me feel even worse each time you. I fucked up, I should have just kept my mouth shut. I never should..."  
"You never should of what?"  
"It doesn't matter"  
"You looked really pretty..."  
He didn't reply. Replying would make things worse and as it was, he was confused as to why Levi was paying so much attention to the bonding mark. The alpha said no sex, and surely Levi realised just how sexual and stimulating having the mark touched was...   
"Hannes told you something weird didn't he?"  
"Hannes has told me a lot of weird things"  
"He told you about the fact I'm supposed to be in heat and that's why my emotions are all over the place"  
"Maybe"  
"You're the one who said no sex"  
"And you're the one suffering because we're not doing it"  
"So what? You're going to sex me into making me feel better?"  
"Maybe... I was thinking, if I'm really careful I might not hurt you like last time"  
"You didn't hurt me last time"  
"But you were wincing and holding your stomach"  
"Because the wound was itching and I was trying to scratch it stealthily. There was a bit of pain, but I don't know if it was because of the sex or because of it"  
"Oh..."  
"Yeah..."  
"Then we can have sex"  
"That's what I said before"  
"Then how about I give you the best orgasm of your life as an apology"  
"That's a pretty high bar you're setting"  
"I'm pretty confident I can meet your expectations"  
Allowing himself to be rolled over, Levi kissed him gently, before deepening the kiss until Eren finally submitted completely to his alpha. His omega side was smug in the knowledge he'd soon be getting knotted, but he wasn't sure this was going to solve the problem... he basically didn't believe the suppressants were to blame. Sliding across his lap, Levi continued to delve hungrily into his mouth, until he began to feel himself growing wet with slick. Pulling back with a smirk, Levi began to lap and nip at his neck. The alpha's rocking movements caused the fabric of his underwear to bunch and the friction teased the tip of his growing erection. Once again he was getting swept away with the tide. Sliding down his body, Levi moved to tease both his nipples into hard buds before biting down hard and causing him to shudder as his legs began to shake  
"Feeling good?"  
Nodding quickly, he scrunched his eyes closed, knowing Levi was now looking at the scar on his stomach. His boyfriend began to nuzzle the site, before peppering kisses along it  
"I love this scar, do you know why?"  
He shook his head. How was he supposed to have any clue, given that he hated it?  
"Because this scar shows you survived and that you didn't leave me behind... I don't think I could live if I didn't have you"  
After peppering a few more kisses to it, Levi slid down off his hips  
"Roll over for me and raise your hips"  
Doing as Levi said, Eren raised his hips and the alpha slid his underwear off  
"Such an inviting sight, and its all mine"  
Eren mewed as Levi's tongue ran over his slickened opening  
"I love you body, I love you legs, and love your arse..."  
Eren was fast losing the ability to think straight at the alpha set about opening him with his tongue and his fingers. He could hear the alpha lapping down his slick and his erection was dribbling precum like there was no tomorrow. Rocking his lips up to meet Levi's exploring tongue, he mewed and whined in pleasure   
"My omega... my precious omega..."  
"Yours... my hearts always been yours... I don't care what you do to me, I'll always belong to you"  
He didn't know what he was really saying, he just didn't want Levi to stop, but his words were rewarded by the alpha's fingers beginning to tease his sweet spot and he mewed even louder in encouragement   
"So perfect... you're so perfect... fuck... I wish I could fill you, breed you, have your belly heavy with our pups"  
Fuuuuck he wanted that so badly... his omega was practically begging to god for it, reaching up, Levi began to massage his left breast  
"Tell me what it was like, were you horny when you were pregnant with my pups?"  
"Yes... especially in the third trimester... I wished you were there, nothing satisfied me like your knot"  
"Mmm, I wish I could have seen that..."  
When Levi pulled back, Eren whined in displeasure, but the alpha's hands moved to massage his arse  
"I love your arse, it's so soft and smooth..."  
If he loved it so much, why wasn't he buried in it... Eren's thoughts were cut off short as Levi finally began to tease his needy entrance with the tip of his erection  
"Do you want me?"  
"Yes..."  
"Do you want me to breed you?"  
"Yes"  
"To fill you over and over?"  
"Yes..."  
"That's my good omega"  
His breath caught as Levi pushed in hard, the alpha's hands moved to his hips, the firm grasp of possession only serving to turn him on further a Levi began to abuse his prostate mercilessly. This is what he needed. His alpha to dominate as fill him until he couldn't move. With Levi's hard and brutal pace, he didn't last long, but the alpha didn't stop, bringing to orgasm twice before knotting him and causing him to bottom out. Even firmly knotted, Levi still jerked his hips and Eren couldn't help but want more. He raised his hips trying to get as much stimulation on his sweet spot, but his body just shook from how full he was. He would never tire of this feeling. While firmly knotted inside of him, Levi nuzzled against his back, showering him with praise and affection. His omega swelled with pride, and when Levi's knot finally began to deflate, he didn't stop the alpha from flipping him over and screwing him into the mattress all over again. He was hopelessly addicted to and drowning in, the pheromones pouring off of Levi. The alpha was everything he could ever want. Pulling Levi down, he claimed the alpha's lips, ignoring the sweetness of his own taste as he sort out Levi's usual taste. He didn't care that the alpha smoked, sometimes it wasn't the greatest taste, but it was Levi's taste and that's what he need. Wrapping his legs around the alpha's thighs, he drew him deeper as his head lolled back and exposed his throat, Levi snarled as he bit down on the soft flesh, giving into his inner wolf, Eren felt Levi's teeth break through his skin, but mewed for more. If this was what sex could be like without being on heat... well it'd be a miracle if they both survived. When Levi knotted him again, his whole body convulsed as his cum fell in short bursts, before he collapsed bonelessly against the bed, his alpha immediately wrapping his arms around him and holding him impossibly tight  
"I love you... always and forever"

That night was spent napping between bouts of sex, Levi worshiping his body each time, and the sun was long up by the time they fell asleep intertwined together. His omega side was purring happily in the background and his last thought was "maybe Hannes was right".

 

*  
Waking before Eren did, Levi watched his boyfriend sleep. Eren was gorgeous, his long lashes, his perfect plump pink lips that begged to be kissed, his smooth silky sun kissed skin... there wasn't a single trace left of the pain he'd seen in his boyfriends eyes after their disastrous attempt at a date. He was so fucking lucky to have Eren, yet he'd hurt him again. Sliding from his lovers hold, Eren let out a small whine and Levi rushed to place a kiss on the boys pouty lips  
"I'm here princess, I'll be right back"  
A soft snore told him he was in the clear and snagged his underwear before padding out and into the kitchen. He had no idea what the time was, but Eren would probably be hungry when he woke, and he wanted to make sure his omega spent time resting... they'd well and truly gone over board last night, but Levi had wanted Eren to feel completely satisfied and loved. Hannes had definitely been right, starting with the bonding mark had gotten Eren to drop to his guard and let him work his way. If the smile on Eren's face was anything to go by, he was no longer in the dog house. He washed his hands and made them both breakfast, 4 slices of toast with strawberry jam and a cup of tea each. Eren probably would have preferred juice but there wasn't any, and the way his omega had been moaning and mewing, his throat was probably tender. Carrying the lot into his room, he found Eren rubbing his eyes sleepily  
"Hey princess, I was just making breakfast"  
Eren yawned so sweetly, half pushing himself up before collapsing back down with a groan  
"I'll take that as a compliment, gimme a sec"  
Placing the plate and cups down on the bedside table, Levi stripped off his underwear and moved to sit under the covers with his back against the wall. Eren immediately moved to rest his head against the alpha's lap and Levi gently played with the long chocolate locks  
"You need to sit up so you can eat"  
With some gentle coaxing, he got Eren sitting between his legs... technically the teen was more or less laying against him with his back to Levi's chest, but at least he could feed him how. Reaching for the first piece of toast, he attempted to be romantic and feed Eren, but this ended up with Eren jerking back   
"What's wrong?"  
"You tried to stick it up my nose"  
Eren moved to face him, and Levi couldn't help but laugh at the way Eren was staring crosseyed at the blob of jam on the tip of his nose. Flicking his tongue out, he licked it off and Eren giggled  
"I thought you got enough of licking last night"  
"I could never get enough of licking you"  
Levi had expected a kiss at his words, but Eren took the slice of toast and settled back against his chest  
"Are you alright? We did get a bit carried away"  
"I'm good... my emotions feel more normal today"  
Taking a slice of toast from himself, Levi hummed as he started to munch  
"When Hannes said sex, I don't think he meant that much. He'd flip if he knew"  
Snorting through his nose, Levi swallowed before coughing  
"I so don't need to think about that"  
Eren shrugged and finished off the piece of toast he had before letting out a sigh and nuzzling against Levi's neck   
"Mmm... this is nice"  
"Yeah, we could blow off my friends from work and just stay like this"  
"That sounds nice, but I need to shower and clean up"

The realisation that Eren was most probably still filled from the night before, had him hardening. His precious omega was laying in his arms like it was nothing, but his alpha was going crazy... maybe his own hormones had been triggered or something, but he was becoming acutely aware of Eren's soft sweet scent, of how warm he felt, and of how much he wanted him again  
"Levi..."  
Moving into claim Eren's lips, his omega immediately deepened the kiss and Levi moved his legs to hook Eren's and spread them apart further   
"You're so perfect princess"  
Sliding his hands down, he ignored the fact he was smearing jam along Eren's sides and he lifted his boyfriend enough to slide him down. It was insanely wet inside his omega, so much so that Levi could feel it dribbling out and against his balls  
"Fuck..."  
Letting out a snarl, he bit down hard on Eren's shoulder, taking charge of lifting and dropping Eren as the omega laid limp in his arms. Knowing his boyfriend was completely on display only added to his excitement and he knotted the omega on the back of Eren's orgasm. Immediately he wrapped his legs around Eren and buried his face over the spot he'd bitten  
"God... I just can't get enough of you"  
Eren laid in his arms, his whole body seemed to heave with every pant  
"You're so beautiful, and smart and sexy and perfect. I don't ever want anyone else, all I want is you"  
"Mmm... you're not too bad yourself"  
Using one hand to hold Eren close, he reached out with his free hand and pulled the blanket back up over their laps, and not a moment too soon.

"Big Brother!"  
Feeling Eren tense and tighten around his knot, Levi had to force down the growl that threatened to bubble up  
"Izzy, we're kind of busy"  
Izzy looked at Eren and her eyes widened  
"Ooooh... you two were doing it! My bad! I just wanted to let you know it was 3:30 and the movie Hanji wants to see starts at 5... so you need to get and moving and shower"  
Eren let out a small whine as he buried his face in his hands  
"And you couldn't have text me?"  
"Nope! I had to make sure you two had made up... though, you were both pretty vocal last night..."  
Behind his hands, Eren mumbled so softly that Levi barely heard it  
"Shoot me now"  
"Izzy, stop teasing Eren. Thanks for letting us know, but you can go away now"  
"Ok! But is Eren alright? His stomach looks really red"  
"He's fine... now shoo!"  
Izzy finally left and Levi had to fight to pull Eren's hands down from his face, his boyfriend looked mortified   
"Ignore her. She's just jealous, besides her and Farlan would have had a few cones and passed out not long after she got home from work"  
"But... I'm literally sitting in your lap with your knot firmly inside..."  
"Yep. It's not like she could see. Besides, the way you squeezed around me was hot"  
Eren let out a small whine and Levi sighed  
"Fine, let's just finish having breakfast, and then I want to take a look at your stomach"  
Running his hand up from where it had rested under Eren's belly button, his omega hissed when his fingers brushed the wound site  
"Eren?"  
"That kind of hurt"  
Thanks to his stupid short stature, he couldn't really take a look at Eren's stomach while they were stuck in this position. Eren finished his tea and toast like it was nothing, but Levi struggled to force himself to eat and then drink. He wanted his knot to hurry up and go down.

Eren crawled from his lap with no prompting and that told Levi he must be feeling it pretty badly, hopefully it was just because Eren hadn't exactly been taking his pain killers when he was supposed to. Levi slid to the edge of the bed and moved between Eren's legs. A couple of long red streaks radiated from the wound it was slightly risen  
"I think you might have an infection"  
Pressing down on it earned him a hiss  
"Wrap your legs around me, I'll carry you to the bathroom"  
Eren nodded silently as he did, so Levi gently lifted him by the arse and carried him from the room and down the hall to the bathroom. He felt like an idiot all over again for having not noticed... keeping Eren in his arms, he waited until the water warmed, before slowly lowering Eren so he was standing. Almost immediately his omegas knees folded  
"Sorry... my hips..."  
His hips were bruised possessively and Levi scolded himself for finding it kind of hot   
"It's alright. We'll get cleaned up, then get you looked at"  
Eren sighed sadly, but allowed him to clean every inch of his beautiful body. He was mostly confident he'd erased the traces of what they'd done and his alpha side wanted to claim Eren all over again. Levi washed his own body half heartedly, before lifting Eren up against and turning the taps off  
"Princess, can you grab my towel for me? I think yours is still in my room"  
Eren nodded, his head resting against Levi's shoulder and he did what he was asked. His mates happy aura was gone now, and Levi cursed himself for it, but in his defence, Eren's stomach had been smooth and not red the previous afternoon... he carried back through to his room and sat him down gently, before retrieving his boyfriends towel. As it was still damp, he threw it towards the doorway and used his own to dry the omega down carefully  
"What do you want to hear?"  
"Sweats and shirt... I don't care which pair"  
Obediently fetching Eren's clothes, he passed the pair of black sweats and grey shirt over   
"Levi, I need underwear and socks too"  
"Oh. Yeah. Right. Shit. I can't believe we didn't notice..."  
"It's because I was really happy... I probably still wouldn't have realised if Izzy had brought me back to reality"  
"I'm sorry princess, this was my fault. I should have taken better care of you"  
"Levi, you well and truly took care of me last night... and again during breakfast... yes it hurts and I feel like crap, but last night and this morning... and this afternoon felt really good..."  
"I guess that's something. Do you want me to dress you?"  
"Please?"  
Eren held his arms out like a little kid and Levi indulged in a brief hug before helping him into his clothes  
"Just let me dry off and get dress and then we can go"  
Grabbing his towel, Levi dried himself as quickly as he could before pulling something to wear from the packed boxes, spinning around, his eyes widened and he rushed to find his phone  
"What is it?"  
"Hold on"  
Ignoring the fact his battery was nearly dead, he snapped as many phones of Eren as he could  
"Levi... I don't particularly want to be photographed right now..."  
"Sorry princess, but your look so damn cute. Your ears and tail are showing"  
Pulling up a photo, he showed Eren. The omegas eyes widened  
"I didn't even feel it"  
"You look completely adorable"  
"I don't feel it... I'm going to need a hoodie so I can hide my ears"  
Levi couldn't resist reaching out and playing with the soft fur  
"Farlan and Izzy won't mind. I've wolfed out in front of them before"  
"Yes, but other people are going to see me... so..."  
Good point.

Rummaging through Eren's clothes, he finally found a zip up hoodie buried at the bottom of the bag, he passed it to Eren, so he could finally dress himself  
"Where's your wallet and phone?"  
"I don't know, you had my phone... and I don't remember what I did with my wallet"  
"Alright, up we go"  
Eren let out small whine as Levi lifted him, it turned out Eren's wallet was under their pillow, but as for the omegas phone... well that was anyone's guess. Carrying his boyfriend he looked over at Farlan and Izzy  
"Farlan, are you alright to drive? Eren needs to go to hospital"  
Izzy snickered and Levi shot her a glare  
"I'm pretty sure his stab wound's infected"  
"Oh... sorry Eren, I thought this was sex related..."  
"It's fine..."  
Farlan took his time dragging himself off the sofa and finding up the keys   
"What's with the hoodie? It's pretty warm outside"  
"His ears are showing"  
Tugging down Eren's hood, he watched as Izzy's eyes widened  
"Oh my god! They're so pretty. I wanna touch'em!"  
Eren tensed immediately   
"Not right now, maybe later if you behave"  
By later he meant never. Even when Eren had been stabbed, he hadn't had his ears or tail show, so his boyfriend must be feeling really shit. Carefully he covered Eren's ears again, and readjusted his hold   
"Levi, can we go now?"  
"Yeah princess"

Carrying Eren down to the car, his omega sighed as Levi gently placed him inside  
"We should call Hannes, that way he can call ahead and explain"  
"That would be alright if either of us had our phones"  
"Well, I technically have my phone, it's just nearly dead"  
"So it's pretty much useless... maybe they won't need to call him... hopefully it just needs draining"  
Eren made it sound like the procedure was nothing out of the ordinary, but Levi still worried, the omegas wolf side wouldn't be showing if everything was alright...

Farlan dropped them at the hospital, his friends would have stayed, but Eren said it could take a few hours and nominated Levi to meet them out the front in 3, on the off chance he was still inside. Izzy was still clearly concerned as Levi lifted Eren from the car, the omega didn't even try and fight him  
"Thanks Farlan, hopefully it's nothing"  
"It's fine"  
"I'll call Hanji and let her know, otherwise I'll never hear the end of it"  
Oh yeah... movies, he'd totally forgotten  
"Thanks..."  
Closing the door with his foot, he stepped back so Farlan could pull away from the curb, before carrying Eren inside. The emergency waiting room was full, and Levi let out an internal growl of annoyance. To him, no one there was more important than Eren.

It was a 10 minute wait to see the triage nurse, after quickly explaining who Eren was and what had happened, the woman seemed momentarily shocked when Levi gently pulled Eren's jumper and shirt up to show her the teens stomach. Opening the door next to them, she got Levi to carry Eren straight through and into a room away from private eyes. Once inside, she promised someone would be with them soon, and Levi laid Eren down on the bed  
"Pull the curtain around"  
"What?"  
His brain wasn't working properly, he was just too worried about the woman's reaction  
"I'm going to have to strip my jumper and shirt off..."  
Oh. Yeah. Sure. How else was the doctor or nurse supposed to examine him otherwise. He hastened to slide the curtain around, and then helped Eren struggled out of his clothes  
"How does it feel?"  
"I don't know how to describe it... maybe tight? I guess I'm kind of shocked how quick everything happened"  
"Me too... I know it didn't look like this yesterday..."  
Eren nodded, the omega clearly trying to peer down at the angry wound  
"Just lay still"  
"I hate laying still"  
"I know, but you don't want to make it worse"  
Letting out an overly dramatic groan, Eren finally laid back properly and draped his arm over his face. Levi couldn't resist pressed a kiss to Eren's lips  
"Down boy... no attacking me when I'm all weak and defenceless"  
"Eren, you're anything but weak. Besides, you seemed to like it when I was attacking you earlier"  
Eren snorted lightly and they both jumped when the curtain slid open  
"Eren Yeager?"  
"Yep"  
"The triage nurse said you're here due to a suspected infection"  
Levi watched as the woman finally looked up at them   
"Yeah. I got stabbed about a month ago, and it was fine yesterday. But when we looked at it this afternoon, it had come up like this"  
"So there was no pain?"  
"Not initially, I didn't even realise... but now it feels tight. I don't really know how to explain it"  
"Ok. Do you mind if I have a bit of a poke around?"  
"No that's fine"  
"Awesome. I'll take your vitals first, and then we'll get to it"  
He knew the woman was trying to ease their concerns, but fuck, he didn't want jokes. He wanted her to hurry up and fix Eren so he could take him home already  
"Levi, it'll be fine"  
Moving out the way of the woman, Levi moved to the other side of the bed and took Eren's hand  
"Sorry, this is my alpha. I think he's more concerned about all this then I am"  
"He's fine, after all, he hasn't started growling or snarling like some alpha's do"  
"That's because he knows he's supposed to be on his best behaviour"  
The woman laughed lightly   
"You do have a slightly elevated temperature"  
"I tend to run hot due to the Wolfblood"  
"Even so, its clear from a visual inspection that your incision site is indeed infected. It's also clear that you completely ignored the no strenuous activity thing too"  
Eren blushed lightly  
"Yeah. I'm supposed to be in heat, and the first time I've been on suppressants so my hormones and emotions are all over the place"  
The woman nodded and Levi wasn't sure what was going on between the two of them, it was like they were speaking a different language or something   
"Alright, I'm just going to wash my hands, give me a minute"  
The woman placed the chart she'd been writing on, down on the end of the bed. It didn't take her long at all before she was back and poking at Eren's stomach  
"Hmm... it feels like there's something near the surface... I want to send you for an abdominal scan, and then we can go from there"  
Eren nodded, while Levi's hands clenched tightly into fists. He felt the bile rise in the back of the throat as he tried to choke down the feeling of guilt  
"Sorry Levi, you'll have to wait here, but it won't be long"

Waiting for Eren to come back was annoying. He paced the room anxiously, waiting for the wheelchair with his love to return. He was on his 52nd spin when it finally did  
"Miss me?"  
Eren shot him a grin that made him forget where he was for a moment. He stayed out the way of the nurse helping Eren into bed, before rushing to take his hand and nuzzle against it  
"Levi, calm down. I wasn't gone that long and it'll be alight"  
"I... I know, but I still feel like shit"  
"Well don't. It's probably just a tiny piece of stitch. Come on, lay up here next to me"  
"Are you sure?"  
"One hundred percent. I think it'll help both our second dynamics settle"  
Climbing into bed next to Eren, he sighed gently  
"You didn't even notice my ears faded"  
Levi's head shot up and he realised Eren was right   
"Well, I guess that's something, but you looked really cute with them out"  
"You should have seen Eli when I had to take him to hospital, it was completely adorable. I miss seeing them with their ears and tails out"  
"Yeah... that would be cute"

It was a good half an hour before the woman doctor returned   
"Sorry about that, its insane out there today"  
Moving to the lightboard, she flicked it on and hummed  
"What is it?"  
"There's definitely a foreign body in there... I'm just thinking of the best way to do this"  
"Numb it with a local and then cut it open, it should be expelled with the gunk"  
The woman turned to look at him  
"Sorry, dad was a doctor and we do things a little differently in the country"  
"We'll it would be the easiest way, but not everyone goes in for that sort of thing. They usually ask for surgery"  
"I don't care as long as it comes out. I've got two kids and an alpha to chase after..."  
"And you're supposed to be resting. Let me consult with my colleague and I'll be right back"  
Levi closed his eyes and took a deep breath, not opening his eyes again until the click of her shoes were gone   
"What do you think she's going to do?"  
"Numb it, cut it, drain it and stitch it"  
"And you're alright with that?"  
"No... maybe... it's the most practical approach... but I don't like the idea of having my stomach cut"  
"I don't like it either... but I'll be here and I love you"  
"I know"

In the end it was Eren said. His boyfriend was sat up slightly and a blue cloth thing with a hole around it place on the teens stomach once the location of the object was found. Levi couldn't watch the needles sliding into Eren's skin and forced Eren to nuzzled against his shoulder and he did the same, his head hiding the view from the omega  
"Are you alright?"  
"Yeah... we're fine"  
"Good. We'll give that a few seconds to numb"  
"It's alright, I already couldn't feel the rest of the shots after the first"  
"We'll just wait anyway. Don't want to give you a reason to sue"  
Eren snorted lightly in his ear  
"That seems like too much effort"  
It was a good few moments before her next question  
"Can you feel that?"  
"No"  
"Good. Now, do you want to watch or not?"  
Levi was in favour of the or not, but Eren's turned his head, clearly wanting to.

It was revolting and smelly  
"Are you sure it was alright yesterday?"  
"Yeah, I felt alright too"  
"Wow, you must be made do strong stuff"  
Bloody gunk flowed into the kidney bowl against Eren's stomach, and Levi was nearly gagging. Yeah, anything to do with medicine was off the cards in his future. When the woman pushed lightly on Eren's stomach, there was a slightly increase in flow before it dropped back to a dribble  
"And it's out. I know it looks really gross and that there's a lot, but there's saline mixed in"  
"It's still too much for my liking"  
Looking up, she gave Levi a smile  
"With antibiotics, he'll be fine. Though I'm surprised he isn't still on them"  
"I was until maybe a week a bit ago"  
"Well I want you to stay on the ones in prescribing for two weeks"  
"Ok..."  
No one spoke much until they were done draining the site and it'd been cleaned thoroughly. A new dressing hiding the wound from the world again  
"Because it's not very deep, you should be alright with butterfly stitches. Do you want to know what it was?"  
Eren nodded quickly and the woman moved to look at the kidney bowl of gunk. Grabbing a pair of tweezers she lifted up a something so tiny that Levi couldn't see it from where he was sitting  
"I'd say, this was a sliver off the knife you were stabbed with. Do you want me to submit this to the police? Or"  
"Yes"  
His reply was firm, there was no arguing with his tone. Anything to help keep Grisha away from Eren for longer. The woman looked to Eren and Eren nodded  
"Please. I don't know how this all works, but the officers handling the case are in Shinganshima"  
"No worries"  
Fishing a specimen jar out of seemingly nowhere, the woman dropped the sliver inside  
"I'll send them a full copy of today's report, as well as the sliver"  
"Thanks..."  
He didn't know what else he was supposed to say. Eren had immediately thrown his walls up the moment she'd said it looked like a piece of blade  
"I need to deal with this, but I'll be right back"

Left alone together, Levi nuzzled and pressed kisses to the top of Eren's head  
"I love you"  
"I know... I'm sorry... just thinking about him has me on edge"  
"Then don't. Think about what you're going to say to Hannes for missing it"  
"It's fine... it probably just looked like a stitch or something. It wasn't intentional"  
"But what about the internal damage it could have done?"  
"Thanks to Izzy, its crisis adverted. You're overreacting"  
He pretty sure he wasn't, but he didn't want to have yet another fight  
"Alright. I'll trust you're judgement, but I love you princess"  
"I know, you've told me like a hundred times today"  
"Only a hundred?"  
Eren nodded slowly  
"Yeah... if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say one hundred and one"  
"Like the Dalmatians?"  
"Damn, you caught onto that one too fast"  
"I may or may not have been attempting to educate myself in the ways of children movies"  
Eren gaped at him, his sparkling green eyes wide  
"What? I don't want to be the uncool dad that knows nothing"  
"It's just... really, really sweet"  
"If you tell anyone, I'll deny it"  
"Gotta keep that alpha reputation"  
"Pretty much"  
The playful banter lasted until the doctor finally returned   
"Here's your prescription, I want you to check in with your doctor in a couple of days"  
"I'll be seeing him tomorrow. Thanks for..."  
Eren waved down at his stomach  
"No worries. If only everything in life was that simple. You can go ahead and get dressed now"  
The woman flittered around the door was Levi helped Eren dressed. His boyfriend insisted on walking this time, but Levi wasn't having any of it, and lifted him off the bed before he could protest further. Giving the woman a nod, he carried Eren from the emergency department and out into the fresh air  
"I feel like we were in there for years"  
"Maybe not years"  
"Can you imagine if we were?"  
"I'd rather not. The boys are growing up too fast as it is"  
"Yeah... I don't want to miss any more time with them"  
Carrying Eren over to the nearest bench, he settled down with the omega in his lap  
"On the plus side, we couldn't have been as long as we thought, Farlan and Izzy aren't waiting"  
"I want to do something to thank them..."  
"Oh! Thanks for the reminder. You were wondering about how you were going to continue being a cheerleader, well you can stay with Izzy and Farlan"  
"Don't you think they're sick of me as it is?"  
"No, no one could be sick of you, but I was thinking about this seriously. Farlan and Izzy both suck at cooking, so maybe if you cooked dinner, or even taught them both some simple things"  
"Levi, that's not enough"  
"Trust me, it's plenty enough to a street kid. They've never had anyone to teach them these sorts of things"  
"Maybe... I honestly don't want to think right now"  
Levi nodded, and sighed. Eren was going to be alright and all the anxiety he'd felt was draining away, leaving him tired.

 

*  
Returning to Shinganshima on Monday was a welcome relief. He just wanted to see his boys, but they stopped by the house first to unload. He hadn't exactly gotten around to buying a TV, but he figured he could probably snag one online or something and have it delivered before the boys birthday. They spent a few hours organising the boys birthday presents and putting away some of the other things they'd bought while away. Farlan and Izzy were going to take Grisha's car, which Eren didn't mind at all. They had more of a use for it than he did. By the time they finally got out of the house, it was nearly 7pm and Eren couldn't deny he was looking forward to bed.

The next few days seemed to fly by. Hannes was finally authorised to be his legal guardian, though they hadn't found that out until Friday and by that time it was the furtherest thing from his mind. Knowing their birthday was just 2 sleeps away both boys were balls of energy, their energy affecting the whole house hold and Eren let himself be swept up in it. He couldn't help it, he just loved them too much. He also solved his TV and sofa issue with Amazon, he'd also bought a couple of beanbags for the boys. It was stupid, but kind of funny, the seller had free delivery from Trost within a 100km radius. Being 3kms out of town meant he qualified, if he'd had his purchases delivered to Armin's it would have cost him nearly $200 in delivery. Everything was delivered Thursday afternoon, and Levi had headed over to the house to wait. The alpha gave nothing away and Eren wasn't sure what he was going to be walking into.

Saturday morning Mikasa's father picked Armin, Eren and Levi up, dropping them, plus Mikasa, off at the house. Eren was grateful for the house and it felt like he hadn't seen Mikasa in an eternity and a half. Walking into the house, the first thing he noticed was the charcoal grey 3 seater. It was actually nicer than he'd expected, and Levi had already mounted the TV bracket to the wall  
"So, does my princess like it?"  
"I do... I'm still getting used to the wallpaper being gone"  
"Actually, I found something. It's called pickawall, it's like wallpaper murals and stuff and you can use your own images"  
"And that helps with me missing the wallpaper, how?"  
"Because I thought maybe we could find something similar? I took photos of it before I pulled it down"  
Eren gaped, he hadn't expected that all  
"Really?"  
"Of course. You love this house, I wouldn't change everything without asking"  
Launching himself on his boyfriend, Levi caught him easily, laughing as he did  
"I love you!"  
"Ignore them Mikasa, they're all lovey dovey all the time"  
"I figured. But it's nice seeing Eren look so happy"  
"Yeah... anyway, where do we start?"  
Eren snorted as he detangled from Levi, his friends were such dorks  
"Ok. Armin, you're on beanbags. Mikasa, can you do the balloons and supervise Armin? You're not supposed to leave the beans with unattended children"  
Armin gaped at him, but was soon settled down, happy enough to be playing with the beans, while Mikasa sat on the sofa and did the balloons.

Levi was on kitchen hand duty and it was hilarious. Levi was trying his hardest and it was terribly sweet, but the alpha insisted on cleaning everything as they went and that caused the measuring cups he was using to end up washed half a dozen times when they were all used for flour. He spent the afternoon making pizza pinwheels, cupcakes, one big chocolate sponge, home made sausage rolls and party pies, he might have gotten carried away, but Sasha would finish off any leftovers. As it was, he didn't get the chance to really invite any of the twins friends from day care, and it was kind of far to come. But all his friends had said they'd come, and Levi's friends they were supposed to go to the movies with, Hanji and Erwin, were also coming. So the boys hopefully wouldn't be too mad. Though, he kind of wished he knew more people with kids so the boys would have people to play with. By the end of the afternoon, the house was mostly set up. Armin and Levi had finally got the TV set up against the wall, and Eren was glad he went for one with an inbuilt DVD player, he could picture the boys breaking a standard one in no time flat.

When everything was finally organised, the boys birthday presents were stacked neatly on the sofa. Levi's persistent cleaning meant the house was perfect for the following morning and Eren couldn't help but smile at the sight  
"Are birthdays always this chaotic"  
"Wait... you think this is chaotic?"  
Armin seemed genuinely shocked  
"Armin, this is Levi's first one... besides, we didn't really have a party for their first birthday"  
"But we did for their second and third..."  
His friend looked Levi dead in the eyes  
"I had to play the horse... for hours"  
Levi raised an eyebrow, and Eren sighed  
"It means he had to crawl around on al fours so the boys could sit on his back. Besides, he wasn't the one who had to clean vomit and cake out the carpet"  
"No, I just had to wash the vomit out my clothes and hair"  
"It's still better than their third birthday. Eren had trimmed the boys hair, so the boys trimmed mine"  
Levi was growing somewhat pale  
"Oh, then there was..."  
"Guys, enough. You're scaring Levi. Let him find out for himself"  
"Levi, whatever you do, don't let them out of you sight"  
Armin's words were so serious, that Eren hung his head. This year wasn't going to be that bad... technically as long as the boys were happy, he could somehow deal with the fall out.


	37. Chapter 37

Both boys woke early on the their birthday, which mean Eren was woken early. Pulling both boys up against him, he peppered kisses to their faces  
"Happy birthday babies"  
Both boys tried to push him away, but Eren held them tighter. They were getting way too big  
"Muuuuuum, we keep telling you, we're big boys now!"  
"I know, but I love you both so much. I'm so proud to be your mum"  
The boys let out grumbles, but Eren didn't care. He couldn't believe he and Levi had created two amazing tiny humans, and that they could be so different and yet the same in so many ways  
"Mum, when will we be able to turn into wolves?"  
"Not just yet babies, but soon"  
"Really?"  
"Yeah babies. Now why don't we wake daddy up?"  
Releasing the boys, he smiled happily as the launched a jump attack on Levi. He already knew the alpha was awake and letting him have a few moments with boys  
"Daddy!"  
Levi caught them both by surprise, grabbing them the same way Eren had, and pulled them close to his chest  
"Hey kiddos, Happy birthday!"  
Eren couldn't help but wrap his arms around his three loves and breathed in their earthy scents  
"Mum! You're squashing us!"  
"Toooo bad! I need my cuddles! You're getting so big and so old!"  
"We're not old! You and daddy are old!"  
Ouch... that one hurt, he let out a small fake sniffle as he pulled back  
"So does that mean I won't get hugs because I'm so old?"  
"It depends..."  
"I didn't give birth to you so you could ignore my need for cuddles"  
Ren sighed and looked to Levi   
"Dad, mums being embarrassing again"  
"It's only because he loves you. We both love you. Now give him a hug before he cries"  
Both boys made it seem like such a chore, but still wrapped their arms around him  
"See. We love you mum. Can we have our presents now?"  
"Well, you've got to have a shower, and I was going to make breakfast... but if you don't want pancakes..."  
"We want pancakes"  
Eli's words were firm, and Ren backed him up  
"We want pancakes and our presents"  
"Daddy's going to help you with the shower, while I start on the pancakes"  
He pressed a kiss to the tops of their heads, before letting them go as he left out a deep breath. He didn't want them growing up... it was all happening too fast. Levi climbed from the bed first, before turning and lifting the two boys up against him  
"Let's get our birthday boys ready!"  
Eren watched the group head out the door and sighed. This was nice... he wanted more of this... but first he had to dress and take his antibiotics. His stomach hadn't flared back up, so that was a win, but he also hadn't been intimate with Levi since the week before and it was a little frustrating. Climbing from the bed, he grabbed the same white shirt he'd worn to the zoo, and a pair of high waisted black shorts. Given he was going to be on his feet most of the day, he wanted to be comfortable as well as stylish.

It took Levi nearly an hour to get the boys washed, dressed and down at the dining table. The poor alpha looked exhausted already, and when he entered the kitchen, he immediately moved to rest his head against Eren's shoulder  
"Did you have fun?"  
"It's all fun and games until clean up time"  
"Yeah... I miss the bathtub from the unit. It made things so much easier in the morning"  
"At least the house has a tub"  
"Yeah... it's still weird that I don't live in that tiny little unit anymore. It wasn't much, but it was our space"  
"But soon we'll have the whole house and more space than we know what to do with"  
"That's scary too..."  
"You don't need to be scared. I'm with you and if anyone ever tries to hurt you, I'll maul them to pieces!"  
"Please don't. I don't want to lose you too"  
Levi's hands wrapped around his waist and the alpha nuzzled his shoulder harder  
"I love you... and I love our boys. I can't believe it's been 4 years..."  
"How do you think I feel? I can't believe it's been 4 years since I birthed them in the living room"  
Levi sighed and pulled back   
"You miss your mum don't you?"  
Caught off guard, Eren dropped the spatula, the plastic edge quickly caught on fire and he rushed to pick it back up and blow the flames out  
"Can you grab me another spatula from the draw? This ones dead"  
Levi detached and Eren threw the spatula into the sink  
"Eren, I didn't mean to upset you"  
"I know... it's just... birthdays are always hard"  
"I'm sorry... I wish she was here. She'd be so proud"  
Emotions he had kept at bay, threatened to spill over. He wished that Levi and his mother could have both spent one of the boys birthdays with them... together. Sensing his pain, his alpha pulled him close, and pressed a kiss to his lips  
"New topic, where is everyone?"  
"It's kind of a thing. Grandpa and Armin give me a couple of hours with the boys in the morning, but you can go tell Armin that it's breakfast time"  
"Alright. I love you princess"  
"I know"

20 minutes later both Arlert's were sitting at the table, as Eren served the piles of pancakes and banana pikelets. He might have gotten slightly carried away, but cold pikelets with butter still tasted really good  
"So, what time do you want to head over?"  
"I told everyone it was from lunchtime on, so I don't know what time they're going to show"  
"Mikasa said her dad would pick us up at 11"  
"That works"  
Returning to the kitchen, he made both grandpa Arlert and Levi their usual cups of tea and a coffee for himself and Armin. The boys both had juices, and the small domestic actions made him so stupidly happy. This was his family, he didn't need Grisha at all.

Hannes called just before Mikasa's father arrived, the man offered to pick them up and Eren accepted so that his friends father wouldn't have to do multiple trips. As far as he knew, Mikasa's little brother, mother and father would be staying... but it wasn't confirmed. He certainly wouldn't turn them away. Once the breakfast dishes were done, Eren and Levi took the boys out the front to wait for Hannes. It didn't take long before Hannes pulled up in a busted blue ute and Eren rolled his eyes  
"Really?"  
"Yep. I got her yesterday, runs a bit rough, but she's a beauty"  
"As long as your beauty gets us there, I don't need to know the details"  
The boys both stared up at the beast of a ute in awe, while Hannes stared down at them, before winking and revving the engine  
"No... we aren't buying a ute"  
"But muuuuuuum!"  
Lifting the boys into the cab, they both sat a little higher and Levi climbed in after them  
"Ok, we've got to make space for mummy"  
Hannes lifted Eli into his lap and Eren finally climbed in and slammed the door closed behind him  
"You can't just have one in your lap. Levi, pass me Ren, then you can take Eli"  
"But mum"  
"I know... I'm embarrassing and terrible, but Hannes needs to concentrate on driving"  
It took both boys seconds to get over the momentary sulk as they peered over the dash  
"Mum, Ner's car isn't this tall is it?"  
"Nope, but let's not tell him that. He might get jealous"  
"Do you think he's coming today? And Ber?"  
"I don't know baby, maybe?"  
Ren sighed  
"It's fine if they don't. We live really far away now..."  
Fuck... his son sounded so sad. Pulling out his phone, Eren scrolled through to Reiner's name and hit call. It was only seconds before the alpha answered   
"Hey Eren, everything alright? We're just leaving Trost..."  
"Let me put you on speaker. I have a birthday boy who has a question"  
"Alright, say when"  
Hitting speaker, he held his phone between his two boys  
"Ok!"  
"Hey boys, what can I do for you?"  
"Ner, are you coming to our birthday party?"  
"I sure am!"  
"What about Ber?"  
"Yep, he's here too!"  
"Aw yes!"  
Reiner's laughter filled the cab and Eren smiled   
"We'll see you when you get here!"  
"Yep! See you soon!"  
Ending the call, Eren looked to Ren   
"Does that answer your question?"  
"Yep... who else is coming?"  
"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise"  
"But..."  
"Nope, no time for buts, we're here now"  
Eren blinked at the house in front of him, he didn't realise they'd even turned off the main road. Having given Armin his keys, the house was already open and one of his friends had tied balloons to the front of the house. Hannes parked carefully and Eren slid out the ute first, before lifting the boys down. The pair immediately ran into to house and Eren sighed  
"It's going to be a long day isn't it?"  
Levi grinned at him as he jumped down and wrapped his arms around him  
"Yep, but I know you wouldn't have it any other way"

Heading inside, he found Armin had already put the food in the oven, and he rushed to adjust the temperature. The whole of Mikasa's family was there, but the boys had ignored them, having found their presents on the sofa   
"Please excuse my kids. They were raised by wolves"  
"It's fine, is there anything we can do to help?"  
Eren shook his head as he shot Mikasa's mother a smile  
"Nah, just relax. Do you want a drink of anything?"  
"I'm alright. But do let me know if I can help"  
Once everything in the kitchen was running smoothly, Eren headed into the living area and sat down on the floor, Levi soon joined him, but Mikasa and Armin opted to sit in the beanbags. As expected Levi's wolf onesies went over the best, it was kind of impossible to top. Not even the TV seemed to register once the boys had their hands on the onesies and the first thing the boys wanted to was put them on. Not caring about their audience, the stripped to their underwear and Eren was left shaking his head as he and Levi dressed them  
"We need photos!"  
Once again, Armin donned the role of camera man and the boys posed for him, before climbing onto the sofas and "whispering" excitedly over their gift  
"Have they shifted yet?"  
"No... I'm waiting before I teach them"  
Hannes nodded  
"You were already shifting at that age, and causing Carla all sorts of headaches..."  
Once again, his heart hurt at the thought of his mother. Levi took his hand and squeezed it  
"Hey, it's alright"  
"I know, it's just... it's the first time in three years that they've been able to have their birthday here..."  
Fuck. He was going to cry  
"Sorry, I need a minute. Mikasa, can you keep an eye on the oven"

Heading out the front, Eren sank down on the front step and took a deep breath as he wiped at his eyes. He really, really wanted his mum...  
"Eren?"  
"It's alright. Just give me a minute"  
Levi slipped past him and down the steps. The alpha pulling out his pack of cigarettes   
"This was the right thing to do right? Having their birthday here?"  
"Yeah... I'm happy we can have it here... they were born here after all... I just really miss my mum and being in the living room... I can't help but remember all the things we did together"  
"What was the birth like?"  
Eren snorted, he couldn't quiet believe Levi was asking   
"I don't think you want to know"  
"I do. I want to know everything..."  
Taking a deep breath, he let it out through his nose   
"It fucking hurt... I felt like I was being torn in two, but mum kept holding me, and encouraging me... dad wouldn't let me have any painkillers, even when he stitched me up. It was my punishment for being a slut... but the moment I saw them... I wanted you to be there. Mum carried the twins to the guest bed, and she wrapped her arms around me as we watched them sleep. They were so tiny and so perfect... mum helped me do everything until I knew how to do it myself. I didn't want to just rely on her. I mean, the moment I found out I was pregnant I wanted them because they were yours and you were gone. Omegas aren't meant to have abortions anyway... it sends us crazy, but dad still wanted me to get one. God. I wish I had the photos of the boys to show you. It was ridiculous how small they were, but I knew they were alpha's... mum said they were bigger than me..."  
He was babbling, but the words wouldn't stop. Levi dropped his cigarette but and stubbed it out before crossing to squat in front of him  
"Princess, can we go see her sometime?"  
"Levi, she's dead..."  
"But she must have a grave right? I don't even know where my mums buried..."  
Eren immediately threw his arms around Levi. Once again he was reminded how lucky he was  
"Yeah... we can go... it's been a while since I've been... I always end up balling my eyes out and not getting there"  
"I'm sure she misses you, we can take the boys if you want?"  
"N-no... when she died, they didn't understand why "lala" wouldn't wake up. She tried to teach them Carla, but "lala" stuck"  
"That's adorable"  
"Mum loved it. She loved them so much..."  
Crying softly and nuzzling against Levi's shoulder, Eren stayed there until he heard the crunch of tyres on the gravel. Pulling back with a sniffle, he wiped his face  
"Farlan and Izzy are here... and your friends. I'm going to go rinse my face so I don't look like such a mess"  
"Alright princess. We'll be in soon"  
Levi pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose, before leaving to greet his friends.

 

*  
Jogging the few steps over to where Farlan had parked, Levi forced himself not to think of Eren   
"Hey guys, thanks for coming!"  
Hanji had the biggest grin on her face as she climbed from the car  
"Levi! We finally get to catch up! You can't run away this time!"  
"I didn't run away last time, I had to take Eren to hospital thanks to Izzy"  
"Hey, that wasn't my fault!"  
"He didn't even notice the infection until you pointed it out"  
"That's what you get for having sex instead of looking after him"  
"Let's not talk about that in front of Eren, he's already stressing out... but anyway, come on in"  
Turning and walking on ahead, Levi shook his head as he thought of Izzy's words. Hanji and Erwin didn't need to think about their sex life. Eren wasn't in the room, but both boys didn't seem to care, they were bossing Armin into putting on some wolf movie  
"Hey boys, Aunty Izzy and Uncle Farlan are here"  
The boys both whipped around to look at Farlan and Izzy  
"Hey boys! Oh my god! Are you wolves!?"  
Both boys scrambled off the sofa  
"Daddy got them for us!"  
"He did! That's sooooo cool!"  
"I might have had a little help from Eren"  
"That's because I've had years of experience. Hey guys, thanks for coming"  
"No worries! Levi said there was free food?"  
Eren forced a smile at Farlan's words  
"Yep, I got a bit carried away. Levi, I hope you've done the introductions"  
"I was getting there princess"  
Hanji let out a squee  
"Izzy, he calls him princess"  
"He does, he also carries him around"  
"No way"  
"Girls, we can all hear you. Alright, so everyone, this is Farlan and his girlfriend Izzy, and then we have Erwin with the eyebrows, and Hanji with the big mouth"  
"It's a perfectly nice mouth, thank you"  
"Hanji, ignore him. He's in proud daddy mode at the moment and his manners have gone out the window"  
Hanji snorted at Eren's words  
"I still can't believe he's got kids! And four year olds!? They're so cute. You and Levi make adorable babies"  
Eren shifted a little awkwardly  
"Thank you. I'll be a little while with heating the food up, go ahead and take a seat somewhere..."

Plonking himself down on the floor in front of the sofa, Izzy moved to sit down next to him  
"Soooo, it's probably a little lame, cause your big boys now, but Aunty Izzy likes to pretend she's an artist"  
Placing the wrapped present down, the boys were clearly curious  
"You can open it, it's not going to bite"  
Both boys tore at the paper and it took a moment  
"Your daddy let me in on a little secret that you like wolves and cats. So, it's a paint by number set. You can paint whatever bit you like, whatever colour you like and maybe mummy or daddy can help you"  
"Mummy can..."  
Levi snorted, relieved he wouldn't have to say not to the boys. Him and art just didn't happen well  
"That's probably for the best, I'm not exactly artistically endowed"  
Izzy beamed at the boys  
"I think they'd look great in the kitchen, or the hallway"  
"Mum... can we hang these up?"  
"Of course, I'm sure daddy can hang them once they're done"  
Both boys looked at him and he nodded  
"Yep. You show me where, and I'll make it happen"  
"Thank you Aunty Izzy!"  
Izzy's eyes shone as she smiled happily, the boys looked to Farlan and Farlan shrugged  
"Sorry kids, I'm not great at this present thing"  
Levi shook his head at his boys  
"He's really not"  
Both boys nodded, Eli speaking for both of them   
"That's alright"  
"I think you've been spoilt enough for now anyway. Who wants food?"  
Eren started carrying food over to the table, Mikasa silently helping him  
"Help yourselves... Izzy can I borrow you for a second?"  
Izzy looked to Levi in confusion, and Levi nodded  
"It's fine, I have a feeling this has to do with cake decorating"  
"Whaaaa! Coming Eren!"

Izzy jogged into the kitchen, and Levi slowly moved to follow her. Armin and his grandfather were helping the boys fill their plates. Wrapping his arms around Eren, he pressed a kiss to the omegas neck  
"Hey baby"  
"I thought I asked for Izzy?"  
"I didn't want to be left out"  
"You really are my biggest kid"  
"Maybe. Is there anything I can do?"  
"No, but thanks. I just wanted to borrow some of Izzy's creativity with the cake"  
"I can definitely help you out. Big Brother, you're being evicted!"  
"Alright. I might just borrow Armin for a second then"  
Pressing another kiss to Eren's neck, Levi detached  
"Armin, can I borrow you for a minute?"

Heading into Eren's room, Armin seemed almost confused, and a little nervous  
"Don't worry, I'm not about to have a go at you over anything"  
"Phew! I was like, I haven't done anything that I know of"  
"No, I was talking to Eren before and I know you're a huge part of his life, I was kind of hoping you had some photos from when the boys were newborns. I know we talked about the photos before, but Eren was saying he had no photos of them... I don't know if I'm making any sense, but I would love to get a copy for him"  
Armin started giggling and Levi stared at him blankly, surely he hadn't stuffed up what he was trying to say so badly that it was worth laughing over  
"Sorry. I have them somewhere on my laptop. I've got some of his mum too. I assume you want copies of all of them?"  
"Yep. I missed so much of the boys lives, I hate no knowing them... not how you and Mikasa do..."  
"How about when we get home, we go through them. I thought the plan was to hang the ones we chose in the living room?"  
"It's still the plan, but they're in the guest room for now. I didn't want to risk damaging them when it came to taking the wallpaper down"  
Armin nodded slowly  
"Levi, you really love Eren right? This isn't some kind of game?"  
"I do. I love him and the boys like crazy"  
"Good... because we will kill you if you hurt him again"  
"I don't want to hurt him. Half the time I do, I don't realise until he explodes over it. I'm trying though... I didn't grow up with much of a family. I never knew my dad and mum died when I was young... I want to be with Eren and make him happy"  
"Good... god knows he deserves to be happy. We should probably get back now, before he thinks you've killed me or something"

Returning to the party, Levi leant against the doorframe, watching Eren and Izzy giggling and whispering over the thick sponge cake in front of them, from the corner of his eye he could see Reiner and Bertholdt moving up the hall, but he couldn't take his eyes off Eren. He just looked so damn happy   
"Hey boys!"  
"Ber! Ner!"  
Reiner snorted at their names  
"Hey Ren. Hey Eli, nice onesies. Very cool"  
"Daddy got them for us"  
"He did? That's pretty awesome!"  
Sasha, Connie and a short blonde girl followed the pair of alpha's. Levi wasn't completely sure on her name... but the name Krista seemed familiar   
"Oh! You have a TV and a sofa now! That's cool!"  
Sasha made a beeline for the food and then the sofa, Connie followed her lead, while Krista stood back a little  
"Come on in Krista, they don't bite"  
"Don't listen to him! They totally do!"  
Armin's words were garbled the sausage roll he was munching away on. This was nice. The boys were happily bragging to Eren's friends, Eren was happy with Izzy, everyone was chatting away, smiling as they did so... yeah... this was nice.

Reiner and Bertholdt had gifted the boys a couple of soccer balls and collapsible goal, so after lunch, they were all roped into playing while Armin's grandfather filmed. It was a fiasco, but it was hilarious. Ignoring Hannes's warnings, Eren had taken up cheering on the sidelines with Sasha, though he wasn't doing flips or cartwheels, there was still plenty of jumping and running around. When Reiner accidentally kicked the ball too hard, it ended up near Eren and both their sons tackled him down like it was normal. Eren rolled around with both boys, laughing his head off as he did. Reiner jogged over and saved him, hefting both boys off easily, before helping Eren up. The omegas smile melted Levi's heart and he jogged across to his boyfriend's side  
"Hey gorgeous! How was that tackle?"  
"Hilarious! It some how turned into tickling"  
"I don't remember tickling being in the rules of soccer"  
"It's in the fine print"  
Wrapping his arms around Eren, Levi continued the rest of the game watching. Reiner and Bertholdt were both really good with the boys, but watching Hannes chase a soccer ball was somewhat more shocking and slightly hilarious. At one point the man gave up and sat down in the middle of the "field", which caused Eli to come running out of nowhere and launch himself on the man. Eren let out a small groan when this happened, but the smile on his face told Levi that his boyfriend found it just as funny as he did.

After a few hours of their improvised soccer, everyone was dead on their feet, and the party returned inside. Eren and Izzy's masterpiece cake was clearly all that occupied the boys minds now that they could see it sitting in the middle of the table. The top of it had been iced in blue and grey, with a cartoon wolf in the middle of it. Ren's name was on one side and Eli's on the other, with Yeager-Ackerman printed down the bottom. Fuck... he nearly cried at that bit, the boys were his and he was so fucking proud they were. Moving from the kitchen and to stand next to him, Eren slung his arm around his shoulder, before nuzzling into Levi's neck  
"You alright?"  
"What... oh, yeah. I'm just so fucking proud the boys are ours"  
"Me too... don't forget though, when we cut the cake we don't go all the way to the bottom"  
We? He was confused right up to the point that he found himself holding the knife hand with Eren and the twins. Farlan lit the candles, they matched everything else and were blue and silver, but the 4 in the middle of the wolf was black and glittery. Tears finally filled his eyes as everyone sang happy birthday to the boys and the twins blew out their candles with all their might. He left Eren control the knife sliding down, and pulling back  
"Did you make a wish?"  
Both boys nodded quickly   
"Mummy says we can't say it out loud"  
"Not if you want it to come true. Now which pieces do you want?"  
There was zero surprise when both boys asked for the pieces with the wolf on them  
"Don't forget to thank Aunty Izzy, she's amazing with a piping gun"  
"Thank you Aunty Izzy"  
Izzy looked about ready to keel over with happiness, her eyes sparkled as she and Hanji wrapped their arms around it each other jumped on the spot  
"Sooooooo cute!"  
The boys settled down with their pieces, and then Eren dutifully served the rest out to everyone, the omega slicing servings their two pieces on the same plate   
"Lets sit down?"  
Not needing to be told twice, Levi took Eren's hand and lead him over to where the rest of the teens were lounging in the living room, he sat down first, before pulling Eren into his lap and breaking up the first square of cake  
"Open wide"  
Eren turned and looked at him blankly, before opening his mouth and allowing Levi to feed him, this continued until the two pieces were finished and Eren settled against him with a happy sigh  
"I'm so happy you're here"  
"Me to princess, me to"

The party slowly wound down, and it was about 6 when Reiner, Bertholdt, Krista, Sasha and Connie finally headed off. Farlan and Izzy left half an hour later, Eren had insisted on packing up the left overs to send home with them, even promising to give Izzy a cooking lesson next time they stayed with them. His gorgeous boyfriend had this way of bringing everyone together and it was like he didn't even realise. Mikasa and her family left about 7, and Levi for the life of him couldn't remember her brother's name, but the kid was kind of quiet, just floating around in the background like Krista did. Hannes offered to take Grandpa Arlert and Armin home and then come back for them, but Eren asked him to pick them up tomorrow sometime. Levi couldn't deny he was secretly thrilled over the prospect of his family staying here in the house together... it would be there first time sleeping their as a family.

Given how busy the twins had been running around, he sent Eren to bath the boys while he dealt with the cleanup. It was kind of ridiculous that there was so many dishes to do, especially given that the guests had used plastic cups and paper plates. Still, he sucked it up as he cleaned, a small smile remaining on his face the whole time. Today had been so good for both the twins and Eren, his omega shone with happiness and he knew he was being naive, but he wanted Eren always to be this happy.


	38. Chapter 38

Eren smiled as he watched both his boys playing in the bubble bath, they'd had such a good day and nothing had been destroyed. Zoning out, he let his thoughts wander, only to find himself doused  
"Guys! Really?"  
"Sorry mum, you weren't paying attention"  
"Oh, so this is my fault?"  
"Yep!"  
Both boys threw more water at him and Eren half heartedly tried to defend himself, the more energy they used up, the better they'd sleep. After an hour and a thorough drenching, the boys finally wanted out and Eren lifted them carefully. They really were getting big. Drying them down, he ushered them through to their room, and got them both dressed and into bed  
"Mum... can you turn into a wolf for us? You haven't turned for aaaaaages"  
Technically he hadn't been given the go ahead by Hannes, but he was feeling much better after having the wound drained and it had healed up again. He let the feelings and thoughts take over him as he shifted, before first padding to Ren's bed and nuzzling his face, and then doing the same for Eli   
"Mum, you're so pretty. I can't wait until we can shift"  
Shifting back, Eren pressed a kiss to the top of Eli's head  
"I know baby. I love you"  
"I love you to mummy"  
Moving to Ren, he kissed his son and told him he loved him, Ren sat up and hugged him  
"Baby?"  
"Thank you mum... best birthday ever"  
"You're most welcome. Now get some sleep, I have to help daddy clean up"  
"Mum, can dad read us a story?"  
"Maybe, I'll see what he says?"  
Given both boys were asleep before he even turned the light out, that was a no to bedtime stories.

Walking back into the bathroom, Eren eyed the mess, before saying fuck it and draining the tub. He stripped his soaked clothes off and turned the shower as hot as he could stand, before moving under the spray. Fuck he needed this. He was so completely exhausted, but couldn't stop smiling. The boys had been so happy, and Levi had been too... he couldn't wait to see the photos and videos. Washing himself over, he let out a yawn as he turned the shower off and carefully moved to grab a towel out and dry off. Wrapping it around his waist, he headed out into the kitchen   
"Hey princess, where are the boys?"  
"Asleep, they pretty much crashed as soon as they got into bed"  
"They looked like they had a good day"  
"Yeah, best birthday ever apparently"  
"I know it's the second best I've ever been to"  
"Oh yeah?"  
"Yours was the best, because it was yours"  
Eren ducked his head as a light splattering of blush appeared at the alpha's words  
"I'm nearly done here, so you can go ahead and lay down"  
"Or I could just drag you away from the dishes"  
Levi sighed as he looked down into the sink  
"I have 3 more plates, and then I need to wipe the benches"  
Letting the towel drop, Eren stepped away from the fabric and moved to wrap his arms around Levi's waist, before nibbling on his alpha's ear   
"Levi... come to bed"  
Rolling his hips lightly, he mouthed at Levi's neck as his hands slid lower, causing his alpha to groan  
"Mmm... this isn't playing fair"  
"Then just come to bed already"  
Levi pulled his hands up, before rinsing them under the tap and letting out a snarl as he spun and lifted Eren by the arse. Eren couldn't help but giggle as he wrapped his legs around Levi and claimed the alpha's mouth. Pulling back, he bit lightly on the alpha's bottom lip, causing Levi to growl  
"Oh that's it, you are so getting it now"  
Eren couldn't stop giggling as Levi carried him down the hall and into their room, dropping him lightly on his bed. 

Moving to sit on his hips, Levi gently brushed Eren's hair back behind his ears, before leaning into kiss him, or so Eren thought... the alpha instead began tickling his sides, causing him to giggle all over again as he fought against Levi   
"Nooo, mercy!"  
"No mercy? Alright!"  
Levi continued the torment until Eren was gasping for breath, the alpha then laying down across his chest and Eren wrapped his arms around him  
"Eren?"  
"Levi?"  
"Thank you for today.... it was perfect. You're perfect"  
"I'm not perfect, but yeah, it was a good birthday and no one got hurt"  
"Yeah, that's always a win. Can you believe we have the whole house to ourselves?"  
"Can you believe I already realised that and that might be why I'm currently naked"  
Levi pushed himself up a little as he let out a faked shocked gasp  
"No way? You're naked? Why didn't I know about this?"  
"Because you're blind?"  
"Fuuuuuck... how am I ever going to see that beautiful smile again if I'm blind?"  
Eren pouted, causing Levi to snort  
"I love you Eren Yeager"  
"I know... I don't know why, but I know"  
"Because you're you, and you're gorgeous... and smart... and funny... and sexy... and beautiful... and perfect"  
Between each of his words of praise, Levi peppered kisses to his lips. It should be criminal to this happy  
"So, if the kids are asleep, and we're in bed, why are you the only one naked?"  
"I don't know, I've been wondering that myself"  
Sliding his hands down Levi's back, Eren ground up as his tugged on Levi's shirt  
"I want you naked"  
"I want me naked too"  
Shaking his head at his boyfriend, Eren let his hands drop to the bed so Levi could climb off of him and the alpha began to strip  
"We should buy condoms..."  
"But I'm already on birth control"  
"I meant for cleanup... or we're going to have to change the sheets every time..."  
"Or we could never get out of bed again..."  
Levi laughed lightly, moving to climb back onto bed and spreading his legs, lifting his left leg first, the alpha nippled and sucked lightly down his thigh, before pressing kisses over where he had  
"I love your body... I mean I love all of you, but your legs are criminal"  
Eren snorted, sliding his right leg up, and hooking it behind Levi's knees   
"I grew them myself"  
"Well you did a pretty good job... but your arse..."  
Dropping his leg, Levi grabbed him by the arse and began to massage  
"How did I get so lucky?"  
"You bit my neck and stuck your dick in me?"  
"Oh yeah... I forgot about that bit, but I think I want to do it again"  
"I think I want you to, too"  
Rolling them over, Levi looked up at him with a smirk  
"Enjoying the view?"  
"More than you could ever know"  
Rocking his hips against his alpha, Eren moved to hungrily claim Levi's mouth. There was something incredibly hot, and almost naughty about the feeling of having sex with his alpha in what used to be his parents room. He pushed the thoughts from his mind, or rather, Levi's pheromones did and it didn't take long before he finally had his boyfriend buried inside of him  
"God, you look so beautiful..."  
Leaning back, Eren continued to ride Levi as his hands moved to fist his hair, his back arched and pants spilled from his lips. He could feel Levi's knot beginning to flare and let out a slutty whine as he wished the alpha would knot him faster. Dropping his right hand down to his lap, he jerked himself furiously, wanting to cum before Levi did. He came just as Levi's knot popped and the feeling of his double orgasm took his breath away, causing him to collapse breathlessly against Levi  
"God..."  
"I don't think he had anything to do with that"  
"I know... you need to hurry up and wife me. I don't think I could live without your knot"  
Levi laughed lightly beneath him, the alpha wriggled beneath him, before pulling the blanket over them  
"Some day princess. Someday"  
Letting out a low pur, Eren nuzzled against Levi's chest. He loved this man with all his heart and always would.

 

*  
With two weeks left of school holidays Levi was back in Trost, while Eren and the kids were waiting at their house. They'd moved out of Armin's the previous week as Eren had finally been given the all good from Hannes and the omega seemed to shine as he took over running the household with an iron fist.Bed time for the boys was 7, and for them 10, though that didn't mean they actually fell asleep immediately... then wake up time was 6. Levi hadn't been too sure, but Eren wanted to get the boys back into the routine of waking early. His boyfriend had also been in contact with the twins daycare, not backing down as argued the boys back into enrolment, though they never should have been unenrolled as Eren was still paying for the service. Not wanting to seem like he was slacking, Levi was back in Trost to pick up their new school uniforms for their senior year, as well as finally move his stuff down to Shinganshima. He'd told Eren he had enough cash for everything, but his funds were dangerous low, sixty seven dollars and three cents low, and that wasn't nearly enough if he wanted to be the kind of alpha Eren deserved... which may have been the reason he ended up in the predicament he did.

After having not seen his uncle for over two years, having the man suddenly pop up at Izzy's apartment had left him shocked and angered. Kenny being Kenny, merely took it in his stride. The alpha strode in like he belong there, before settling on the sofa and Levi could only trail behind  
"Nice place you've got here"  
"Cut the shit Kenny. What the fuck do you want after so damn long?"  
"Look. I know I took off, but we both know I'm hardly fit to be a parent in any way, shape or form"  
"That doesn't explain where you've been"  
"I've been doing some self reevaluating, and I know that you seem to have settled down here, I thought the time was right"  
Just how long had Kenny known where he was...? That didn't matter. He was still fucking furious at the man, and forced down his temper  
"And I need to know this?"  
"Look, I've changed, and I've got a job lined up"  
"No. I don't do that shit"  
"Levi, this jobs legit"  
"Because I haven't heard this before"  
"Where the fuck do you think I've been?"  
He didn't know how he was supposed to take that, Kenny made it sound like he'd ended up in jail or some shit. If the alpha had, he could understand the man not wanting to fuck up again. His pride couldn't take it  
"What's this job?"  
Kenny laughed as he fished his cigarettes out of his pocket, for the first time in his life, the alpha actually offered him one  
"It's in Stohess, should only take 5 days, max. It's just extending a patio down into the back yard"  
"If its that easy, what do you need my help for?"  
"Because I need another pair of hands, and I know how much pride you took in your work"  
"That's because I actually did things properly"  
"I'm a changed man. Just give me a chance"  
"How much?"  
"It's a $6k job, with about $2k on materials and labour..."  
Levi rolled his eyes, that was ridiculous... but then again it depended on size and the terrain... and his bank account could definitely use the injection  
"I want 2 grand, and then you leave me alone. You make your own life"  
"Done. I'll let you go back to your life"  
This was all too easy... but that money would help out so much...  
"When do we leave?"  
"Tomorrow morning. The owners out the country and wants it done before they get back. Some surprise for his wife or something"  
So the man had money to spare... that made him feel a little better, but he still had to talk to Eren... though his omega would probably just tell him to go, have fun and be careful... Kenny was only there for about 45minutes, but Levi felt exhausted, as if he'd run a marathon or something else stupid. Heading into his room he pulled his phone down and facetimed Eren,

Eren didn't answer his first call, but the omega called him back immediately and Levi answered with a snort. There was paint across the teens face and Ren was trying to wrestle the phone from him  
"You look like you're having fun?"  
"Yep, we're painting the pictures Izzy brought down. How about you? How's Trost?"  
"Hi Daddy!"  
Ren succeeded in getting Eren's phone off of him and Eli soon joined the boy on his screen  
"Dad! You're missing it! Mums letting us paint!"  
"They're painting all the colours, and I'm going to paint the black bits, that way it doesn't matter if they go out the lines"  
"Eren, can you talk? Or should I call back later?"  
"Nows fine. Boy, I need my phone back, mummy needs to talk to daddy"  
Eren's face filled the screen, and Levi waited until the teen was in their room  
"What's wrong?"  
Letting out a sigh, Levi shook his head  
"Kenny came back"  
Eren's eyes went wide  
"He did! Where was he?"  
"By the sounds of it, prison... I don't know. He wants my help with some reno work out in Stohess"  
Eren frowned, causing Levi to nod  
"Apparently it's all legal, some rich guy wants a patio extended or something..."  
"And you want to know what to do?"  
"Yeah..."  
He wanted Eren to tell him not to go, or at least that his worries were founded  
"When do you leave? And how long for?"  
"Tomorrow, 5 days..."  
"Then maybe you should go? Stohess isn't that far away and if you get into trouble, Izzy and Farlan can come pick you up..."  
"But what about you?"  
"Me and the boys will be fine, besides, you'll get paid right?"  
"Yep, about 2 grand"  
Eren let out a long whistle   
"Damn, that's to a ways towards your future..."  
"Our future..."  
"Levi... if you don't want to go, than don't. I have money left... I think it's about 10k, but we'll be right for a while..."  
"Eren, no. That's yours..."  
"Ours... it's ours Levi. Look, think about it and choose for yourself. I'll support you either way you choose"  
Levi let out a long sigh   
"I love you, princess"  
"I love you too, now, I'm going to make sure the boys haven't painted everything and you're going to message me once you know what you're going to do"  
Eren blew him a kiss before ending the call and Levi felt just as confused. He could make two grand go a long way. He could help with the food shopping, the boys clothes, books... it was that which lead him to agree...


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mwahahahahaha
> 
> And stuff...
> 
> Ps: I love you all... please don't forget that

The drive to Stohess was awkward. Kenny wanted to know what he'd been up to and about his boyfriend, which was something Levi refused to talk about. Eren and the boys were safely in Shinganshima, and he wasn't about to tell Kenny anything. He didn't care if being Wolfblood meant that alpha was supposed to help or support Eren, given the omega wore his mark, he still didn't trust Kenny. As far as he was concerned, once this job was done, Kenny would have the cash to hire someone else and he'd be free of any and all obligations that alpha might think existed.

Kenny's prodding continued until the reached the edge of Stohess, and the alpha swerved dangerously while pulling out his phone, before passing it over to Levi  
"Can you bring up the GPS, all these streets look the same"  
Of course they did, but biting down his sigh of annoyance and biting his bottom lip, Levi did as he was asked and pulled up the address, before calculating the route and guiding his uncle to the property. Levi eyed the property in shock and confusion, there had to be some kind of mistake. It was incredible... even hidden behind its slatted wooden fencing and thick grass trees  
"Kenny, are you sure this is it?"  
"Yep. Looks the same as the photo. The spare keys supposed to be in the mailbox the cash"  
Fucking rich people, just leaving that shit around... Kenny pulled up to the gates and Levi climbed out the car  
"There's a pinpad on the mailbox, the codes 3257"  
At least that was something. Standing on tip toe, he cursed his shortness while attempting to snag the hook on the gate that lead into the front garden. Finally getting it open, he practically fell through it. Fuck this. If it wasn't for Eren and the kids he wouldn't be there. Ignoring the breathtaking garden, he keyed the pin in and with a small beep, the door on the mailbox opened. Inside was a thick envelope and a set of keys on top. Things were going too smoothly... at least that's what his instincts were telling him. 

Returning to the car, he pressed the button on the keychain and the gates opened silently. He really, really hated rich people. He'd never be able to live like this, he'd never be able to provide Eren and their family with a home like this... the thought wrapped around his heart like poisonous barbs. His omega and kids deserved the best. Kenny came to a stop in line with what seemed to be the entry to the backyard and Levi climbed out with a sigh, he should have just walked up the drive. Having Kenny so damn close had him wanting to punch the man's lights out, and he couldn't help remembering the saying "a cheetah never changes it spots"...

This soon proved to be right.

Given they working on the house, the owner had told Kenny to use the pool house during the duration of the works. It soon became clear that the alpha wanted to do no work at all, if Levi hadn't split the money before passing Kenny his share, it was entirely possible the alpha would have kept the lot and fucked the owners over. He wanted to call Farlan and have his friend pick him up, but the shame he felt at being had, left him too embarrassed and he tried his best to get everything done that he could alone... and then it happened.

Pissed off beyond belief, Levi had retreated to bed early. He'd lied and told Eren that everything was alright during their goodnight conversation, but he wasn't sure it was. He couldn't drive to the hardware store for new blades for the circular store, and he'd ended up yelling at the delivery man when they brought the wrong timber... tomorrow the plan was to use some money and find someone to come and help on site... though that never happened. Kenny being Kenny, he liked to fuck and he liked to party. Levi woke up to sound of music so loud the whole pool house seemed to be shaking. Stumbling from the bed he was using, he wrenched the door open and found himself in the middle of what would have been an epic party... if they weren't doing a job, and had the owners permission. Someone else seemed to have agreed due to the flashing red and blue lights out the front of the house. One look to the drive told him Kenny had bailed and he snarled in disgust and anger. This wasn't going to be pretty and Kenny was a dead man walking in his eyes. 3 hours later he found himself in cuffs and sitting in the closest police station. His uncle had well and truly fucked him over.

"I told you, I don't know who the client is!"  
It had to be the hundredth time he'd said those words, but no one at had listened and he'd ignored the legal representation assigned to him. He was fucking innocent  
"That's pretty convenient, this uncle of yours splitting without giving you any details at all"  
"That's what Kenny does. I was a fucking idiot for getting sucked back into his world"  
"So tell us again why you were at the property"  
"My uncle turned up and said he had a job he couldn't do alone. He made it sound like he'd just gotten out of jail or something and was trying to go legit. The job was a patio extension, and we were paid 6k up front. That's why I had that stash of money in my room. It was left with the keys to the pool house in the front mailbox. Almost immediately I realised that Kenny wanted nothing to do with doing any actual work"  
"Then why didn't you leave?"  
"Because he'd accepted the job, and I wasn't going to just fuck the client over..."  
"How very admirable of you"  
Ignoring the sarcasm in the officers voice, Levi continued   
"I've been chasing up orders and trying to get things done, but I went to bed early and woke up to Kenny gone and you guys at the house"  
"Funny. When we called the owner, she knew nothing about it. She's going to press charges for property damage and trespassing"  
"It was supposed to be some gift for some man's wife. Look, I've got an omega and kids to take care of, I wouldn't have agreed if I hadn't been trying to support them"  
"A father at 17..."  
There was clear judgement in the man's words  
"His name is Eren Yeager. You've got to let me call him. He's alone at our house in Shinganshima..."  
"I don't have to let you do anything"  
"Are you fucking shitting me? He's going to be terrified if I don't"  
"What? You like to beat on him or something? He has to check in with you at all times?"  
This man was fucked in the head  
"No. He was fucking stabbed by his father 2 months ago. The man's been in a detox program since and Eren has no idea when the case is going to trial. The house we live in was his father's. I need to call him and let him know I'm alright"  
"You'll get your call... if this checks out"  
Snapping the notebook in front of him shut, the man rose while his partner opened the door and the pair left  
"Levi, you need to calm down. I'm sure this is all some sort of mistake"  
He couldn't help the look of disgust he gave his lawyer. This was no mistake. This was the curse that was Kenny.

Before he could blink, he was processed and moved to holding, pending arraignment. He was fucking livid. He hadn't been allowed to call Eren. Kenny was in the wind and he was stuck in some stupid cell for trying to do the right fucking thing.

 

*  
Eren had been playing inside with the twins when he heard the crunch of tyres against the gravel. No one was supposed to be here and his heart began to race as he ushered the boys into their room. All he could think was that Grisha was coming to get them. The knock on the door had him shaking. He made sure the door to the boys room was firmly shut before stumbling down the hall. His whole body was trembling with fear  
"Police! Anyone home?"  
What the fuck were the police doing here? Maybe they found out he wasn't living with Hannes... fuck... would Hannes get in trouble? And would they take the kids away? He'd worked himself into a total panic before opening the door, it took a moment for his unfocused eyes landed on Hannes in the background... at least that was something   
"Eren!"  
Hannes pushed past the officer and took him by the arm, before guiding him into the living room  
"Are you alright?"  
Eren shook his head... his chest felt so damn tight  
"I... thought it was dad..."  
"No... no, we aren't here because of that"  
He jumped at the unexpected voice, and looked towards the officer  
"Eren, we're here about your alpha, Levi Ackerman"  
His world stopped and he forgot how to breathe. With wide terrified eyes, he looked to Hannes  
"Levi's fine, he's not hurt or anything like that"  
Oh thank god... but what the fuck was happening?  
"Eren, did Levi say anything about going out of town?"  
Eren nodded quickly  
"Y-yes..."  
"Why don't you take a seat, he's going to need a minute to compose himself"  
Hannes fetched the officer a chair, placing it close to the sofa, before sinking down and pulling Eren against him  
"Just breathe"  
"I'm trying..."  
"Good. Keep trying"  
It took a few moments  
"Sorry... I'm alright now..."  
He really wasn't, but he could articulate his thoughts and form sentences again  
"Eren, can you tell me what Levi said about..."  
The man dropped the sentence and Eren had the feeling it was so the conversation wouldn't be guided in any particular direction   
"Levi called me the other afternoon. He was in Trost organising things before school starts back... he was upset, like confused and probably shocked. His uncle Kenny kind of split one day unexpectedly and the man had just shown up asking him to come work on a Reno with him..."  
"And did Levi tell you any of the details?"  
"He was confused. He wanted to know if he should go or not... he said that Kenny made it sound like he'd been in jail and was trying to get his act together, but the way Levi saw it, it was a case of "I'll believe it when I see it". This job was supposed to be a patio extension or something, while the house owner was overseas. He said his share would be 2 grand, which would have helped his future out... though he wanted it for us... for me and the kids..."  
He left his sentence fade, tears rolling down his cheeks as he did. He felt like this was his fault, and he didn't even know what "this" was  
"You're doing great Eren. Now, have you heard from Levi since he left?"  
Eren nodded and sniffled   
"He said things were going well... he was exhausted, and I had the feeling they really weren't. But even if they weren't, Levi would have been trying to find a way"  
"What do you mean by that?"  
"If he's paid to do a job, he'd find a way to do it. Even if he had to lose out in the end... Kenny was a conman and Levi hated everything the man was... I guess I was projecting my own feeling on to him by wanting him to go... can you tell me what happened?"  
The officer let out a sigh and Hannes took over  
"Levi was arrested. Apparently Kenny through a house party at the house they were working on and it got out of control. By the time the cops showed up, Kenny had split and left Levi to deal with the fall out"  
Eren felt bile burn at his throat. He swallowed hard, but the burning feeling stayed. This couldn't be happening. They'd finally got their happy ending... or beginning... they were living together in their house, raising their boys   
"Eren?"  
"I think I'm going to be sick"  
Hannes rubbed his back  
"Breathe. Deep breaths, in and out"  
Eren shook his head, he already had that feeling where you can't breathe before you vomit and he scrambled over to the bathroom sink, before vomiting violently. It took him a few long minutes before he could finally breathe again  
"S-sorry..."  
Rinsing his mouth out, he then rinsed his face and collapsed back down on the sofa  
"What's happening with him?"  
"The owners pressed charges, and he's already been brought before a magistrate..."  
His piece of shit father hadn't even made it that far... as far as he knew...  
"He was offered 6 months in a reformation boot camp or 6 months locked up..."  
"S... so... you mean..."  
"I'm sorry Eren. He's already been processed as he didn't have a legal guardian..."  
"But..."  
No. He needed Levi. He needed his alpha...  
"He chose the boot camp. I found out today as they called me for his medical history. I think he gave them my name so that I'd be the one to tell you. I headed over to the station to try and find out more..."  
"But I only talked to him the other night"  
He'd been worried when he hadn't heard from Levi yesterday, but assumed the alpha had finally passed out exhausted... not this... burying his face against Hannes, he started to sob  
"When can I see him?"  
"It's part of the rules that there's no outside contact for the first 3 months..."  
"But... clothes and that?"  
"Provided by the camp. It's fucked up that he's there, but it's better that than jail..."  
No. It wasn't better. Nothing was better. Levi was supposed to be with him. They were supposed to be starting school soon... as seniors... together...  
"Isn't there any way to prove any of this?"  
"No... we're still looking into it. Even if this hadn't happened, he doesn't have a legal guardian so he would have been moved into a home. There's something else you should know. When they wouldn't let him call you, he took a swing at one of the officers"  
Oh god... Levi... why?! Letting out a miserable whine, he felt Hannes pull him closer  
"Is there anything else you want to ask him?"  
"No... that's all for now. I'm sorry I couldn't give you better news"  
The officer rose  
"I'll see myself out"  
Eren didn't even hear the man move  
"Where are the twins?"  
"In their room... I didn't want dad to get them..."  
Hannes left his side, and it wasn't long before both his boys were in his lap as he cried against them  
"Hannes, what's wrong with mummy?"  
"Someone did a bad thing to daddy and he had to stay away for a while"  
"Noooo! That's not fair!"  
"Is daddy hurt?"  
Both boys questions overlapped each other, but Eren couldn't reply  
"No, your daddy is alright. He just can't see you all for a long while"  
"Like a week?"  
"Longer than a week"  
"Like two weeks?"  
"A bit longer than that"  
"That's not fair! I don't want to move again! I like it here and I want my dad!"  
Eli practically screamed the words, and Eren flinched in guilt  
"You don't have to move again. Given I'm your mums guardian, I'll be coming and staying out here with you guys until we know what's happening"  
"Hannes, you don't have to"  
"I know. But Levi wouldn't want you in your own, and I don't either"  
"Mummy your ears are showing"  
He bit back snapping at "hurray" at Ren's innocent words. His son was too young to understand just how long 6 months were... let alone 3 months with no contact at all...his words were soft as he mumbled   
"Hannes... don't tell anyone... please don't... I don't want them to worry..."  
"What Izzy and Farlan?"  
"I'll call them... I have to go to Trost... Levi was organising everything.... but how does this even happen. How did they get the keys to house? And the money?"  
"It seems like it was the woman's ex trying to win her back... Levi got caught in the cross fire, and hitting the officer didn't help"  
"So everyone gets away with it... but not Levi! How..."  
"It's not fair. How can I help? What can I do?"  
"Can you watch the kids... I need to be alone"  
"Are you sure...?"  
"Hannes... please..."  
The man lifted the boys off of him, and Eren forced himself up  
"Mumma?"  
"Mum just needs some space..."

Leaving the house, Eren shifted and began to run. He wanted to scream, but instead he ran as hard and as fast as he could. He couldn't help the torrent of questions swirling in his head. What if Levi hated him? Or blamed him? What if the alpha didn't want him anymore? What if Levi found someone else? Or moved on? No one understood how much he loved and needed Levi. The alpha was his world... him and the kids... he'd die for them and them alone. How was he going to get the twins to daycare... and pick them up? The boys didn't want to move and it wasn't fair to expect them to. They were happy in Shinganshima. They were happy in the house, they had the forest to play in and more space to play... his paws thudded against the dirt as he pushed himself even harder, heading to what his and Levi's spot. He hadn't had the chance to run since his recovery, and now he didn't want to stop. 

 

*  
Levi fucking hated the stupid fucking boot camp. This or jail. No one wanted to listen to him at all, and then that arsehole of a cop hadn't let him call Eren... or his slut as the man had called him. It felt so fucking good to feel his fist connect with the fat bastards ruddy red face. Eren wasn't a slut. He didn't seek sex out for the hell of it, and when they had sex it always strengthened the connection they felt... it wasn't just amazing sex... it was so much more. So what if they had 4 year old kids, it wasn't anyone's business... he was still brooding on it as he stepped off the bus. There were 16 others of various ages, the youngest seemed about 12 and the oldest was probably him, not that he looked it. He was actually probably the third shortest in the group, which already seemed to mean he had a target on his back. Following the other teens forward, the fell into a line in front of an older man  
"My name is Shadis. You will address me as sir"  
Great. The man already seemed like a pompous arsehole  
"I said, you will address me as Sir!"  
A handful of them mumbled "yes sir", and this didn't go over well. The man's eyes narrowed, and a few of the teens shuffled  
"25 push-ups will be added each time I am forced to repeat myself. Now drop"  
Levi was one of the few who did  
"Those who are standing you will be doing 50"  
Thanking his lucky stars, Levi began. But he honestly couldn't keep his thoughts in check. He needed to talk to Eren, to make sure his boyfriend was taking care of himself, and that the boys were alright. He needed to explain just what happened, and how much of an ignorant fool he'd been. A pair of black boots stopped in front of him  
"Name"  
"Levi Ackerman, sir"  
"Well Ackerman, your stomachs sagging"  
"Sorry, sir"  
Sucking his non existent gut in, he tried to keep his body from "sagging" as he resumed. If this was how the next 6 months were going to be... there was no way he was going to survive.


	40. Chapter 40

Sitting in the passenger seat of Hannes ute, silent tears wouldn't stop streaming down Eren's face. He'd called Izzy the previous night, and told her that they were coming to Trost tomorrow, but he'd broken down before he could explain anything in detail   
"Mum, you're crying again"  
Sniffling and wiping his face, he then pulled Eli close   
"Sorry baby. I just really miss daddy"  
"I miss him too... it's not fair"  
"No, it's not baby"  
Especially when it was all his fault that Levi wasn't there... why'd he have to ruin everything?  
"Does Aunty Izzy know?"  
"Not really baby, that's why we're going to Trost"  
"Is she going to cry?"  
Probably... or scream at him... he wouldn't blame her if she did...  
"I don't know baby... I really don't"  
Holding Eli protectively close, Eren buried his face against the boys hair. He really needed to pull himself together, but it felt like the universe was trying to tell him that he wasn't supposed to be with his alpha.

Arriving in Trost, Eren gave Hannes directions to Izzy's apartment building, the man seemed unusually subdued and Eren hated the fact he must be inconveniencing him so much  
"Is this it?"  
"Y-yeah..."  
Hannes pulled into one of the parking bays at the front of the building, the ute looked completely out of place against all the sleek and modern cars around them. He couldn't see Grisha's car, or rather Farlan's, and hoped the teen wouldn't be there. He couldn't handle the thought of both of them being upset   
"Do you want me to come up?"  
Sniffling again, Eren nodded  
"P-please"  
"Eren, you aren't to blame"  
"Hannes... I can't..."  
"Ok. But I'm serious. I'm worried about you"  
"S-sorry"  
God, he couldn't even talk to properly. How the fuck was he going to explain things? Sliding from the cab of the ute, he lifted Eli down, while Hannes mirrored his actions with Ren. Both boys were trying too hard to be strong and he hated it. They were hiding their pain because he was too fucking weak. Taking Eli's hand, he closed the ute door and rounded the car, taking a deep breath before heading up the front steps of the building. One advantage this building had was its elevator, he really couldn't face stairs right now. He pushed the button for Izzy's floor and the short ride up was silent, the silence continued until they reached Izzy's door and the girl opened it with clear shock  
"Eren! What happened? You look terrible, you better come in"  
Tugging Eli along, he followed Izzy into the living room, relieved not to find weed or a crack pipe on the table  
"You said something happened with Levi, but then you started crying"  
"He got arrested"  
"Wait, What!?"  
"Kenny messed him over and split, leaving Levi to take the fall"  
"Oh my god! Where is he? Is he alright?"  
Izzy's eyes filled with tears, and Eren was grateful for Hannes   
"Given they couldn't find Kenny and he punched a cop, he's now at boot camp"  
"But... not jail?"  
"No... to be honest, this all happened so fast. Eren's still in shock and he was terrified about coming to see you"  
'Eren? Why?"  
"B-because I didn't tell him not to go"  
Izzy sighed  
"That doesn't make it your fault or anything, just like it's not Big Brothers fault either"  
"But he wanted me to tell him to stay... and I told him to make up his own mind"  
"And he did. Do we know where he is?"  
"No... but he's not allowed contact with anyone for the first 3 months"  
"What do you mean the first 3 months?"  
"He'll be there for 6 months... I won't see him again until next year. I'm going to miss his 18th and he'll miss his first Christmas as a dad and it's my fault"  
"Eren, Levi wouldn't want you this upset"  
"But I feel so guilty"  
"Well, you're not. It's Kenny's"  
Eren sniffled  
"I'm sorry. I should have done more"  
"There was nothing you could do. Besides, you guys were separated for years, and he absolutely adores you. He'll be back with you soon"  
"It's just not fair"  
"I know... I still can't believe it"  
"Neither can I. I mean, he got a clear bill of health with his tests, I finally got the all good, we moved into the house and everything was going so well..."  
"And it'll be just fine. You know, just because Levi's not here right now, that doesn't mean you aren't welcome here. You can come and stay anytime you need"  
Izzy was being too nice. He wanted to be yelled at. To be blamed. But no one did  
"I need to grab some things from his room. He had our school uniforms and stuff"  
"That's fine, you might as well take it all? That's if you've got the space"  
"We've got my ute, so we've got the space"  
Not sure what to do with himself, Eren rose slowly, and before he was fully standing Izzy had her arms around him  
"Big Brother would hate how sad you are. He loves you and he loves the boys. Don't forget that Eren"  
"I wouldn't if I was him"  
"Well it's a good thing you aren't"  
She squeezed him tight before letting him go  
"Lets go get Levi's stuff organised?"

Given there wasn't actually as much as Eren was expecting, it only took two trips to bring everything down and stack it in the tray of the ute. He felt like he was taking Levi away from Izzy... and looked to the boxes sadly  
"We'll take a raincheck on that cooking lesson, but definitely next time"  
That was the girls way saying she wanted to be alone  
"Sure. I'm so sorry Izzy"  
"It's Kenny's fault. Don't forget that"  
Hugging him again, that ended the short visit. The four of them climbed back into Hannes's ute   
"Is there anywhere you need to go?"  
"I need to do some food shopping"  
"Alright, we'll hit up the supermarket and then head home"

Very little of the shopping adventure registered, some how he'd managed to get everything he needed, but he'd also ended up with a whole heap of junk food thanks to twins. It didn't really matter too much, thanks to all chemicals and preservatives he could just put the items away in the top cupboards and out of reach as an occasional treat. Hannes didn't object, or try to help, he couldn't have handled it if the man had. Having loaded the back of Hannes's ute, Eren crawled into the cab and while Hannes lifted Ren and Eli up from the other side. Ren slid across and into his arms  
"Mummy, I love you"  
"I know baby. You ready to go home?"  
"Yep! Can we have cookies for dinner?"  
"No baby, but I might make some for after"  
"Aw yes!"  
Clipping both their belts in, he let Hannes deal with Eli's. It felt almost wrong that they were headed home with all of Levi's things... Fuck. He wanted Levi home...

 

*  
Wake up was at 5, inspection at 5:30 and breakfast at 6. Levi had learnt fast that if things weren't near or perfect, push ups were the punishment. He'd earned himself 50 on his first morning at the camp, the corners on the bed weren't perfect enough and he had the tiniest bit of mud on his camp issued boots from the previous day. It wasn't completely terrible at the camp, after his initial fuck up, he'd managed not to repeat it and the next 6 days had been push up punishment free. The camp wasn't completely horrible, it might have even been "nice", if he hadn't had Eren on his mind almost 24/7. The camp was designed to teach the wayward teens basic life skills. They had normal school classes such as maths, English and science, but they also had cooking and woodwork, as well as military theory. Thanks to the different approaches when it came to teaching, Levi had actually learnt he wasn't nearly as stupid as he'd thought and was getting pretty good grades. But out of everything, he still preferred the outside classes. After breakfast each morning there was a 3km run, carrying 20kg packs, on a track that wound through the woods to the back of the camp, and after school classes they participated in the 5km run, this one had an obstacle course that ran for the last 750metres of it. Given his Wolfblood blood, he found most of it easy, or easier than the others and the target on his back had dropped, but that didn't mean these kids were nice at all. One prime example of this was when they'd been divided into teams and expected to complete a series of tasks. He'd made "friends" with two of the other teens in his group, so his group wasn't completely horrible but another boy wasn't so lucky. When the kids team had "lost" the older kids showed no mercy on the small boy, his team mates ganging up on him in the showers and giving the boy a black eye and split lip... Levi was sure there was more to it, but as it stood, that was all that was visible. Maybe it was because the boy was so small, but he reminded him so much of Eli that he couldn't help but feel protective of the boy. He hadn't talked to him, but he hadn't caused the boy any trouble and he was more than prepared to jump in the others tried fucking with him.

"Yo, Levi! Breakfast edible today?"  
"Of course!"  
Eld and Gunther, his two sort of friends, sank down across from him. Both boys eyed the hot oatmeal in their bowls with little enthusiasm   
"Couldn't you have added something to make it look better"  
Levi had been on breakfast this morning, he'd tried to learn everything he could while he was, he wanted to whoo Eren with his newly learnt skills  
"Sure, let me just pull out my flask of moonshine and snazzy it up"  
Eld snorted and shook his head  
"I'd take pancakes and bacon right about now"  
"You do know we've only been here for like a week. We've got another 24 odd weeks to go"  
Gunther let out a groan  
"You know, you're an arsehole in the morning"  
"That's because its too fucking early. Eren's going to flip out when he hears how early we're waking up"  
Eld and Gunther looked to each other, giving each other the "here we go again" look  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"It means..."  
"It means you always say his name a lot and haven't told us jack shit about him"  
"I don't always say his name..."  
"Dude, you were folding your clothes the other day and you literally went "Eren would be so proud". So who's Eren?"  
Letting out a sigh, Levi stabbed his spoon into his oatmeal  
"Eren's my boyfriend"  
"Well dah! We figured that much out..."  
Lifting up a spoonful of oatmeal, Levi swallowed it down before answering   
"Fine. He's my omega and I should be with him instead of here"  
Eld and Gunther both let out a long and synchronised "Ooooooh", causing Levi to glare at them in annoyance  
"Don't give me that shit"  
"But who would have thought our little Levi had his own omega. Is it serious?"  
"How serious do you mean?"  
"Have you fucked him"  
Levi couldn't stop the laughter that bubble up   
"You call that serious?"  
Gunther was slightly red as he shook his head and Eld sighed  
"That's hardly anything serious these days"  
Given how awkward Gunther was starting to look, Levi baled him out  
"Yep, he's even got my mark"  
Both teens let out low whistles   
"Damn! No wonder you're missing him"  
"Yeah. I didn't even get to talk to him before getting dumped here"  
Both teens nodded  
"Well, it's what, 12 more weeks until the open day... you should invite him"  
Wait... open day? When was there an open day? He just thought that after the three month mark he'd be allowed to write or maybe even all Eren  
"What's this open day thing?"  
"The camp had this huge open day, as a look what your kids have accomplished kind of thing, at the half way point. You should definitely invite him"  
The idea of all the boys drooling over Eren had his alpha raising it heckles. Eren was his...  
"That's a pretty scary face you've got there. What's wrong? Don't want to share?"  
"Maybe he thinks Eren's too good for us?"  
"Maybe I don't want a group of horny teens staring at him"  
"Someone's bragging"  
"You would too if you had someone other than your hand to keep you warm at night"  
Gunther smacked Eld upside the back of the head, and Levi looked past the pair   
"Shit. Shadis is here. We need to finish eating or we're going to catch it"  
Both boys looked back with sighs  
"I'm really fucking sick of oatmeal"


	41. Chapter 41

The first day of school was hectic. Eren had thought he'd have plenty of time to get things ready as he rolled out of bed at 5. The first thing he did was go for a half hour run through the forest, and then arriving back home he'd showered, and dressed, even organising breakfast before waking the boys. Both boys however were in uncooperative moods, Ren didn't want to go at all, and Eli refused to tell him where he'd hidden his shoes. The omega was about to blow his lid when Hannes finally stumbled out and got the boy to admit his shoes were under his bed. It was just on 6:50 when they got out the house and that meant a sprint to the main road to catch the bus. Hannes was friends with the driver and had managed to swing it so they didn't have to trek into town each morning and back in the afternoon. Loading the boys onto the bus, Eren staggered up behind them  
"Mornin' Eren"  
"Hi"  
That's all he could manage to the man behind the driver's wheel, he was fucked and the day hadn't even begun.

Making his way down the isle, he flopped down on the seat in front of Mikasa and Armin, the boys had already climbed into their laps   
"Hey Eren, where's Levi?"  
He'd avoided his friends for the last fortnight, and having this thrust in his face had his lip trembling. Pulling his knees to chest, he shook his head  
"Eren, what's wrong?"  
"Daddy's gone away for a while"  
Ren sounded just as upset as he felt, taking a shaky breath, he nodded to his friends   
"Wait. What? Why didn't you tell us?"  
"Mummy has been crying since he left"  
And there was Eli's contribution, the teen could feel the all eyes on him as his boys weren't exactly being quiet  
"Levi got fucked over and won't be back for 6 months... I'm sorry, but can we talk about it when we aren't on the bus"  
"Alright, but I still can't believe it"  
"That makes two of us"

By the time they reached Trost, the boys had fallen back to sleep, so Mikasa and Armin carried them off the bus  
"We'll walk with you"  
"No, it's alright. You guys have class"  
"And you have class to..."  
Lifting Ren off of Armin's hip, he stood the boy up  
"Mum... I don't want to walk"  
"Too bad, there's a lot of things I don't want to do, but here we are"  
Fuck... he'd snapped. Ren began to cry and Eren felt like a shit parent. Why'd he always have to fuck everything up? Mikasa kept Eli on her hip as she squatted down and pulled Ren against her  
"Eren, I'll go to class and let them know, but please take Armin with you? You look exhausted"  
"I'm fine..."  
Looking down at his feet, he could practically hear Armin's internal sigh   
"Mikasa, I'll take Ren. Eren, you take Eli, we can talk on the way back"

That was how it ended up with the four of them walking to daycare. The boys were back in their arms and Eren couldn't bare to look at Ren. He hadn't meant to snap, but he was struggling so badly. Arriving at the daycare, Armin followed him in, and the boys were forced to finally walk on their own. Much to their clear disgust. He sighed the forms and turned to both his sons, before kneeling down and pulling them close  
"I love you both... so much... I'm sorry babies"  
Both boys sighed  
"We love you too... do we really have to stay here?"  
He didn't want to nod, but still, he did  
"Yeah babies, I've got school"  
"Can't we just stay with Hannes?"  
"He's got to work... I'll be back later, so be good boys"  
"Fiiiiine"  
Giving them both a kiss, he pulled away with a groan   
"Bye boys, have a good day"  
"Bye Uncle Armin!"  
They sounded so much happier saying goodbye to Armin, and tears filled his eyes. Rushing from the daycare, he practically collapsed against the wall   
"Eren?"  
Armin wrapped his arms around him  
"It's not fair Armin! He didn't do anything wrong!"  
Armin nodded against him  
"Why don't we find somewhere to sit and talk?"  
"But school"  
"It's fine"  
"It's not fine. It's only the first day and I'm like this"  
"It's because its the first day"  
Armin guided him away from the daycare and to the park near their school  
"Now tell me"

Sitting on the bench, Eren had word vomit, once he started he couldn't stop himself and kept his face buried in his hands as he did  
"Eren, from what you've told me, you're not to blame"  
"But I didn't stop him..."  
"Levi made his own choice, he didn't do anything wrong either. It was all his uncles fault"  
"He punched a cop"  
"Ok, so that might have been a dumb move, but he's tough. He'll get through this"  
"But what are we supposed to do?! We were finally getting everything organised! We were finally happy... and the boys... they don't deserve this"  
"No, and you don't deserve it either... I can see why you didn't want to talk about it"  
"It hurts Armin, even thinking about him hurts"  
"And you can't call him?"  
Eren shook his head  
"I don't even know where he is... I probably wouldn't have found out at all if he hadn't listed Hannes as his usual physician"  
"What's it like living with Hannes?"  
"He snores. He brought his bed from home and set it up in the spare room..."  
"Is he worse than Grandpa?"  
"It's like Grandpa on steroids"  
His pathetic joke made Armin snort  
"Do you feel up to going back?"  
Eren nodded as he sniffled. Honestly, no  
"Yeah... but what am I supposed to. It's 6 fucking months"  
"Levi loves you, 6 months isn't going to change that"  
"I wish I could believe that"  
"I wish you could too"  
Taking his hand, Armin pulled him off the bench, his friend holding his hand all the way to school.

Lunchtime was much the same again, he had to swallow down his feelings and try to explain why Levi wasn't there. He didn't know how much was appropriate to say, and it didn't help that Izzy kept casting him concerned looks. Sasha was completely outraged and wasn't holding back as she made her feelings known to basically everyone in the cafeteria... which meant by the end of lunch everyone knew Levi wasn't coming back anytime soon. 

Skipping his last class to get pick the boys up, he found they were both over tired and cranky. Ren again didn't want to work, and Eli didn't want to hold his hand. He really couldn't wait for the day to be over. Both boys didn't want to talk to Mikasa or Armin on the way home, instead sitting on the seat in front of them. Eli kept saying that Ren was touching him, even though Ren wasn't, and they soon were screaming at each other, which was completely humiliating. When Eren tried to quieten him down, he was accused of taking Eli's side and Ren screamed he was the worst mother ever. By the time they got off the bus, Eren's face was burning in shame and he wanted to sink into the ground and die. The twins had taken to ignoring him, walking on ahead of him. By the time dinner finally came, he was still being ignored. He couldn't do this and had no idea how the fuck he'd managed to keep everything running in Trost.

When Hannes arrived home, the twins insisted talking to him as loud and as fast as possible. They wouldn't tell Eren about their day, but they seemed perfectly happy to tell Hannes. That was the straw that broke the camels back, slamming down the dish he'd been drying, Hannes looked to him, but he didn't care, stalking out the house, he stood in the middle of the front clearing and screamed up his couldn't anymore. Once done, he stormed through the house and threw himself down on his bed. Today had fucking sucked.

The following morning, it was Hannes that woke him  
"Eren, its 6"  
It was sorely tempting to tell the man to fuck off, but he climbed out of bed and got the twins moving. His own temper tantrum must have rattled them, as they both obeyed him without objection. Hannes waved them off, and they managed to make it to the bus with no tears or yelling. Once again the boys opted to sit on Mikasa and Armin, his friends casting him worried looks, clearly wanting to know what happened, but instead of replying, he let himself nap.

By Friday, he was dead on his feet, his eyes burnt and his head throbbed. That didn't hold Sasha back though, she'd slung her arm over his shoulder and happily announced cheerleading practice would start back up again next week, but cheerleading was the last thing on his mind. He'd neglected it for months now, and wasn't even sure he wanted to start up again... waking up late on Saturday, he found the boys awake and watching cartoons quietly. Hannes was perched on the end of the sofa, seemingly as interested in the show as the boys were  
"Hey Eren, how'd you sleep?"  
"Great... sorry you had to look after the boys"  
"It's fine. You looked like you could use the rest and I have the "night shift""  
Eren yawned as he nodded, padding through to the kitchen and pouring himself a juice   
"I've got to stay overnight in Trost next week... maybe..."  
"Oooh hot date?"  
"Yeah, my face is dying to say hello to the gymnasium floor"  
"Well don't say hello to it too hard. I don't particularly want to have to set your nose"  
"You should probably get ready... just in case"  
"So why are you making out with the floor?"  
"Cheerleading practice. I don't even know why I'm bothering"  
Hannes sighed  
"I know you're depressed, but you things will get better. Cheerleading might just be the thing you need"  
"Hannes, I don't think my uniform even fits any more..."  
"You aren't going to find out if you keep standing there complaining"  
"Hannes..."  
"Don't make me get all parental. Go put the damn thing on already, then see how you feel about it all"  
Groaning in annoyance, the teen dragged himself back to his room. His uniform was hanging on Levi's side of the wardrobe so he wouldn't have to look at it. It was pathetic, but he'd wanted Hannes to tell him to quit. Stripping off his shirt, he ran his fingers over the scar mark. It was still quite pink, but didn't seem as big as before. If Levi was there, the alpha would have kissed away all his worries... but Levi wasn't there and he needed to get over himself.

15 minutes later, he was standing in the living room, not sure what to make of the look the boys were giving him. Hannes had let out a long sigh when he'd walked into the room, and he didn't know if it was because his hair was in pony tails or because most his stomach was exposed... apparently he'd grown again  
"So?"  
"I don't think I want to let you out in public like that"  
"Yeah mum... you look hot... daddy wouldn't like it"  
He tugged on his skirt a little  
"Alright, I don't even know if I can still do any of the routines"  
"Well now's your chance. I've never seen any of your stuff"  
"Yeah, yeah, they wouldn't even let a dirty old man like you into a game"  
Hannes winked happily and Eren groaned at the thought   
"I don't have pom-poms, so you'll have to use your imagination"  
"Looking like that, I guess that's what most people use"  
God. He seemed to just be digging himself a deeper hole. Shaking his head, he turned and walked through the house, letting himself out the back door.

Hannes, Ren and Eli took a few minutes to join him as he stretched, well Hannes sat and smoked, but Ren and Eli copied him the best they could  
"Mum, what are we doing?"  
"Stretching. Do you have my phone?"  
"Nope"  
"Can you please grab it for me, it should be next to my bed"  
"Fiiiiine"  
Eli ran inside to grab his phone, while Ren walked over to Hannes and threw himself down  
"Got it!"  
Eli came running back out the house, tripping and faceplanting in the process  
"Looks like I worrying over the wrong Yeager"  
The boy picked himself up and brushed himself off, as Eren jogged over to him  
"Here mum!"  
His son smiled up at him as he waved the phone in the air. Eren took his phone, before lifting the boy to his feet  
"You're not hurt right?"  
"I'm fine mum, sheesh"  
"It's fine Eren, you practice and I'll make sure he's alright"

 

With Sasha's awesome cheer mix playing in the background, Eren went through the motions, Hannes looked ready to either keel over or piss himself laughing and Eren wasn't sure what to say when the song ended. He was panting for breath, and realised just how out of shape he'd gotten  
"So, um, yeah?"  
"It was good, but your legs aren't straight enough when you cartwheel"  
Raising an eyebrow at him, Hannes shrugged  
"Cheerleaders are hot. You can't blame an old man for watching games just to see them"  
"So I have to practice my cartwheels?"  
"Yep. And your flip coming out of it"  
Letting out a sigh, Eren let himself flip down on to the grass. He was supposed to be starting back in a week and at the moment he was apparently hopeless   
"I think it's time for us to head back inside, all I can say is good luck"  
"You could be a little more complimentary"  
"Nah, it's not in my style. But I'll make you a deal, I'll come and pick you up after practice if do you go back to it. You need something for yourself"  
"No, I can't ask you to do that"  
"It's fine. One of the nursing staff usually does the supply run, I'll just do it. What days practice?"  
"Usually every second Wednesday"  
"Wednesday it is. I can pick the boys up from daycare"  
"Alright... I'll have to put you on the approved pick up list"  
Hannes lifted Ren onto his shoulders  
"What do you say boys? Wanna help me out on Wednesday arvo?"  
"What's in it for us?"  
"I don't know, we could get dinner..."  
"Fries?"  
"If you want"  
"Bribing my boys with food, you should be ashamed"  
"It worked for you"  
Eren smiled slightly, he wished Grisha could have been more like Hannes  
"Just go away already. You're making me too self conscious"  
"We both know that's not the case at all. Don't break anything though, I don't think you'll be able to cheer with a cast"

Left alone to his own devices, Eren tried his best to practice. Given he couldn't see what he was doing wrong, he had no idea if he was improving. Taking the time to do something he'd once loved, he found himself pushing himself harder as the feeling of enjoyment came rushing back. Hannes might just have been right, but he'd never admit it. He kept repeating he same routine over and over, until his chest ached and he was drenched in sweat. 

 

*  
Wednesday saw Eren standing with Sasha in the middle of the gymnasium, his friend had totally sprung it on him, but apparently they'd be co-head cheerleaders and she'd even rounded up a heap of girls for tryouts  
"Alright, watch how Eren and I do it!"  
There were a few snorts at "do it" and Eren rolled his eyes in annoyance  
"Sasha, don't blame me if I stuff up... I'm so out of shape"  
"Eren, that uniform leaves nothing to the imagination, trust me. You are most definitely still in shape"  
"Well, I'm ordering a new one as soon as possible"  
"I think you'll get us more attention if you don't"  
"I think you're forgetting the Levi factor"  
"Oh... I don't want to die. You ready to do this?"  
"Yep!"  
With Sasha's awesome cheermix 5 blaring out her portable speakers, Eren followed Sasha's lead. Sasha seemed to have slacked off in their break too, the pair of them collapsing with stupid looks on their faces, while there was a splattering of clapping  
"God. We suck"  
"No, you suck... I was stabbed"  
"Oh, playing the I was stabbed card! Low blow Yeager! Low blow"  
Climbing to his feet, he pulled Sasha up and gave her a brief hug  
"I wasn't going to come back"  
"I'm glad you did. I couldn't do this without you"  
"That's what friends are for... we laugh at your fuck ups, right?"  
"Ruuuude! You're supposed to fuck so I don't look like an idiot on my own"  
"Oh, my bad"  
"Eren"  
"Sasha"  
"I'm happy you're smiling again... I know it must suck not having Levi, but we're still friends"  
"I know... I can't say I feel better, but this helps to distract me"  
"Good, we'll distract you as much as you need until he's finally back"  
"Thanks..."

"Are you two done? Or do you want us to just leave?"  
Sasha pinned the girl with a deadly stare  
"You? What's your name?!"  
"Traute Carven"  
Sasha clearly struggled not to laugh at the girl's name   
"Well Traute, you've just nominated yourself to go first. Up you come"  
Eren leant in to whisper in Sasha's ear   
"Sasha, are you sure?"  
"She needs to learn a lesson in patience"  
"Alright..."  
Raising his voice, he looked to the girl  
"Traute come take Sasha's spot, you can use her pom-poms"  
Sasha sighed and Eren shrugged as he moved to sit on the bench. Sasha had started this, she could deal with it.

Traute wasn't hopeless, but her snooty attitude pretty much guaranteed she wouldn't be on the team. They got half a dozen new girls and 3 guys, which was way more than either of them expected. They filled out the uniform order, pending payment of course. Eren opted for a longer uniform shirt, the thick slathering of concealer had half rubbed off during practice and having his stomach showing was a little more than uncomfortable. When Levi has been with him his nightmares had faded, but without the alpha's solid presence keeping him safe, he scared they'd return.

Hannes was waiting for him out the front of school, his boys sitting on the utes bonnet   
"Mummy!"  
Jogging over to the two of them, he wrapped his arms around them and pressed kisses to their cheeks  
"Hey babies, did you have a good day?"  
"Noooo, Hannes made us so stuff... it was awful"  
"Oh no! What did he make you do?"  
"I made them carry a box of disposable vomit bags, and a box of tongue depressors"  
"It was heavy!"  
"I'm sure it was, now, have you had dinner yet?"  
"Noooo, Hannes wouldn't even feed us!"  
"I said they had to wait, but I do have m&m's for the trip home"  
"Mum can have the green ones"  
"Why the green ones?"  
"They're daddies favourite"  
Some where along the line, the boys had learnt something about Levi that he didn't know, he forced the smile to stay on his face   
"Thanks babies. What do you want for dinner? Mummy's treat"  
"It's always mummy's treat"  
Ren was too smart for his own good  
"I thought they wanted fries?"  
Lifting the boys down, Eren shook his head  
"Hannes, that was days ago. Keep up with the times"  
"Yeah Hannes!"  
Ren ran over to Hannes and Hannes lifted him  
"What do you want then?"  
"I don't know! That's why mums in charge of dinner! So I don't have to think!"  
"Lets just grab Chinese? There's a place around here that does awesome sweet and sour pork"  
"Is there a place around here a man can buy a decent beer? None of this craft crap"  
"Yeah, not far from the Chinese place. We'll divide and conquer"

Honestly Eren didn't want alcohol in the house, but Hannes had a stressful job and the man always knew when to stop. Leading the boys into the takeaway store, he ordered 4 different mains, spring rolls and special fried rice. The boys wanted prawn crackers, and that's what they got. Hannes was waiting for them besides the ute, grinning broadly at the bags of food in his hands  
"Got enough?"  
"I don't know. You're going to have to fight the boys for the prawn crackers"  
"I reckon I could take them"  
"I don't know, they're determined little... when they want to be"  
"Boys, can I have some prawn crackers?"  
"What are those?"  
"The pink things"  
"Nope... mummy can, but not you. You made us do stuff"  
"You've been told Hannes"  
"Shit, maybe I should grab my own bag"  
"Nah, I've got you covered, I just wanted to see what you'd say"  
Hannes helped the boys into the cab, while Eren busied himself making sure the food wouldn't spill.


	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might have gotten a bit carried away.
> 
> As always, your comments give me life and I read them all... xx

Eren was in class when his phone began to ring. Quickly fishing it out his pocket, he looked down at the unknown number  
"Yeager, I know you have special permission for phone calls, so either answer it or shut it up"  
"Sorry Sir"  
Rejecting the call, he waited for the text notification to come through, he frowned as the seconds passed, and then notification finally came through that the unknown caller had left a message. He had no idea where the call originated as he didn't even recognised the area code, all he knew was it came from a landline and no one would be calling him on one... except Hannes or the boys daycare... but he had both those numbers saved  
"Yeager, phone away"  
A few of his class mates giggled as he jumped   
"Right. Sorry"  
Sliding his phone back in his pocket, he looked back down at his maths book, but the curiosity of who had called played on his mind and he found himself unable to think of anything else as the seconds slowly ticked by. Finally the bell for lunch rang and he rushed to gather his things, before escaping to the hall  
"Eren, who called? Was it about the twins?"  
Shaking his head at Mikasa's question, he slid his phone out and opened up the message. Mikasa stood on her tiptoes so she could listen in   
"Hey Princess, I guess this means you're in class..."  
His hand flew to his mouth, as tears filled his eyes... after a 6 incredibly painful weeks, he was finally hearing Levi's voice again  
"... we each get one call to our families and I'm supposed to tell you there's an open day here on October 15th, it's kind of a halfway through thing... you don't have to come if you don't want to... or if it hurts too much... but if you want to, I'm at a boot camp called Training Corps... I miss you so damn much princess, and I hope you're alright. Give the boys a big kiss from me... and I hope I see you soon... I love you"  
Wiping at his eyes, Eren played the message again, his whole body was shaking as he slid to the floor  
"Eren?"  
Mikasa wrapped her arm around his shoulder, gently rubbing at the top of his arm as Levi's words filled his brain. Levi still loved him... Levi hadn't forgotten him...  
"M-Mikasa..."  
"I know, come on, lets go to the library, you can look this place up"  
He let his friend help him stand, and her arm moved to his waist to support him as they moved through the school.

The stupid library computer took forever to log him in, Eren had chewed his lip into a bloody mess by the time the desktop loaded  
"Your lip..."  
"I doesn't matter"  
"Come on, you need to take care of it"  
"No, I need to find this place. I need to know where Levi is..."  
Opening google chrome, he continued to abuse his lip as he typed "Training Corps boot camp" into google. It would have been faster to just use his phone, but he hadn't thought of that.

Training Corps boot camp was located 3 hours out of Trost, it was ridiculous that his alpha was still in the same state as him and a lot closer to home than he'd expected. The camps home page proudly boasted about turning even the most wayward teens into fine respectable "soldiers of the future". Clicking through the pages, he read and reread each carefully. It seemed insane that Levi would end up in such a place, and he had no idea how his alpha would be holding up against so many rules and regulations. Printing off the "contact us" page, Mikasa went and fetched it as he opened the link to google maps. The area seemed to be surrounded by thick woods, and that offered a tiny bit of comfort... hopefully it was nice there... fuck... he just wanted to see Levi right now. His omega side was going crazy with need for the alpha and he had to take a few deep breaths to calm down  
"Here, make sure you don't lose it"  
There was no way he was going to lose the print out. It was his only lifeline to his alpha... October 15th... he didn't care what he had to do, he was going to see Levi. It felt like some of the ice that had taken up residence in his heart had defrosted  
"Mikasa, I'm going..."  
"What about the boys?"  
He looked back at the monitor, if this camp was for the worst of the worst...  
"Do you think it'll be safe?"  
"Well, its supposed to be a family day"  
"But what if their families are fucked up?"  
"I can't tell you what to do, but is it fair they only spend a few hours with him, and then go without him for another 3 months?"  
"But he's their father..."  
"And you can show him photos or videos... maybe just think about it?"  
Eren nodded slowly, before clicking on the home page and staring at what looked like a medieval castle... Training Corps...

Mikasa also had science with him that afternoon, Armin was taking advanced classes, but was in the same English class, that's what they'd had together in the morning. It sucked not having the blonde around for most classes, but he always had at least one friend in his classes. Though he'd have to say the biggest adjustment, other than Levi not being there, was not having Reiner or Bertholdt around. His friends had been accepted to Marley University on sports scholarships, and now played for the Marley Warriors. Reiner had messaged him the second week of school, somehow the news about Levi had made it all the way out to there. His friends had offered to fly back, which was stupidly sweet, but they both knew the two alpha's really couldn't. He'd wished he'd had the chance to say goodbye, but at least they still had Facebook.

Arriving home that afternoon, his head was still in the clouds. All he could think about was Levi, and how good it was going to be to see him... he also couldn't deny that he'd slicked at the mere thought of all the things they could do... even if they realistically couldn't. He was completely lost in the fantasy, and had so much to plan. He wanted to look good for his alpha, but not too good. He didn't particularly fancy the idea of being stared at by a bunch of horny boys... but he still wanted to wow Levi... he needed a new outfit, something casual and nice... even while cooking dinner he was on amazon, he'd sort of decided on sneakers, shorts and a nice shirt... but that meant nothing really. He still had to design the colours and the style. Levi had said he looked edible in that red dress... maybe a red singlet? He could wear his black high waist shorts... and black sneakers... but he'd need a jacket, and how the fuck should he wear his hair. He had no idea what happened on these family days...

"Earth to Eren!"  
Eren jumped when a large hand clicked its fingers in front of him   
"Shit! Hannes! What was that?"  
Hannes grinned broadly, both twins were laughing in the background   
"Sorry, couldn't resist. Did something happen?"  
"You could say that... but I'll tell you when small ears aren't around"  
Hannes raised an eyebrow  
"In that case, I should inform you smokes coming out the oven"  
Spinning around, he found everything to be fine   
"Sorry! It had to be done"  
Opening the oven, he checked the lamb chops he had baking   
"You're lucky, they're near on done. Do you want to grab the salad, while I get these out"  
"Sure. Are you going to set the table?"  
Looking at the table, Eren groaned when he found it devoid of plates and cutlery  
"I'll do it. Hold on"  
Fishing the baking tray out, he set it down on the top of the oven, before grabbing out the plates, cups and cutlery  
"Boys, what do you want to drink?"  
"I want milk!"  
"Me too!"  
Pouring out half a glass of milk each, Eren carried them over to the table  
"Go wash your hands, dinners ready"  
The boys let out sighs of annoyance, before following his command, and Eren returned to the kitchen  
"How many chops do you want?"  
"3"  
That worked. One and a half for each boy, 2 for him and 3 for Hannes... he served Hannes's first, carrying the plate to the table, before doubling back and slicing up the forequarter chops for the boys. He didn't particularly feel like meat, so ended up with one chop. He was just too stupidly excited.

He didn't get a chance to talk to Hannes until the boys were in bed and he was doing his homework. The man was sprawled on the sofa, watching some comedy show  
"Sooo, what's got you so distracted?"  
"I got a call from Levi today"  
He'd expected Hannes to sound more excited   
"Really?"  
Rolling his eyes, Eren was determined not to have his mood ruined  
"Yep. The camp he's at is having an open day on October 15th..."  
"And you want to go?"  
"Yep! Hold on"  
Grabbing the print out from earlier, he took it over to Hannes   
"Training Corps... I nearly took a job there a few years ago"  
"You did?"  
"Yep. If Levi's there, then he's going to come back a completely different alpha"  
Eren's stomach knotted and his smile fell  
"What? Why?"  
"Not in a bad way, the camps actually pretty good... but..."  
"Hannes! Spit it out already"  
"You know how boys get, locked away with no one but each other for company, packs form and they feast on the weak"  
"Levi isn't weak"  
Why couldn't Hannes just be happy for him?!  
"I know, but don't be surprised if he doesn't want to talk about what happens there"  
Snatching the paper back from Hannes, Eren couldn't stop himself  
"God! Why the fuck can't you be happy for me? I get it! Don't you think I've wondered ever fucking day if he's found someone else, or if he blames me?! He called me... he asked me to come..."  
Biting his still sore lip, Eren looked to the paper in his hands. His falling tears soaked into the paper, smudging the ink as they went  
"Eren, it's not that I'm not happy for you..."  
"That's the way it sounds"  
"I just don't want you to get your hopes up..."  
"You know what, I'll drive my fucking self if I have to. I don't think you know how much it hurts that he's not here! I'm not the same as I used to be. I used to think he'd forgotten me all together, and that I'd never see him again! But now he's mine, he's mine and he's not here..."  
Falling to his knees, Eren sobbed into his hands. He'd tried hard to pull himself together, he'd thought he was doing an alright job... but all it took was a few words  
"Eren, I'm sorry. I said too much. I just don't want you hurt. Besides, you don't even know how to drive"  
Hannes ended in a joking tone and Eren sniffled loudly  
"That's because I don't have the money for lessons..."  
"You could always ask me"  
"I can't... you're busy"  
"I'm not too busy for you..."  
Hannes leant forward and grabbed his arm, pulling him up to sit next to him  
"You're like a son to me. I would be proud to teach you to drive... and worse comes to worse, I'll bribe the cops for you"  
"You can't do that"  
"It's one of the perks that comes with knowing everyone"  
"I'm sorry for losing it at you... it's just really hard without Levi here"  
"I know"  
"But you don't... Hannes, I'm still scared. I'm scared dad's going to come back..."  
Hannes let out a sigh  
"As far as I know, Grisha is still awaiting his day in court"  
"But it's been months now... what if they just decide he was too drunk to know what was happening? Like temporary insanity"  
"Then what would you call what happened to when he snapped your arm"  
"He was drinking back then... he'd watch the kids and I'd pay him when I got home"  
"Shit Eren... I knew he was drinking, but not that"  
"I know. I'm an awful fucking mum. I don't even deserve my kids"  
He had no idea why this shit was spilling out his mouth   
"Don't talk like that, besides, if Grisha does get out, I'll just put him in a medically induced coma for the rest of his days"  
"Hannes..."  
"Fine. No coma, but we'll sort something out"  
"I was never good enough for him. He told me I should have been the still born, but I still wanted some kind of connection..."  
His hand moved to his scar  
"I guess no matter what I do, he'll never be far from my thoughts"  
"Well this conversation had certainly gotten depressing. Why don't you skip the homework tonight, and watch TV, you're so tightly wound, you might just snap"  
"No. I have to finish it..."  
Pulling away from Hannes, he ignored the wave of dizziness he felt as he stood and stumbled to the table. He was going to see Levi, no matter what anyone said or what it took!

 

*  
It might have been a tad selfish on his part, but Eren didn't tell anyone about the open day... well, by anyone, he meant he didn't tell Farlan and Izzy. He knew both teens missed Levi, and that he was twisting Levi's words, but Levi had asked him to come, he hadn't said to bring the others... he just wanted to spend some alone time with his alpha. 

As for the boys, he hadn't told them either, but he'd sat down on the living room floor with them and the boys had drawn pictures for daddy, they'd also made a list of things the boys want to do when daddy came home. It had started as a small pile, but now he had a box worth, and didn't have the heart to tell the boys to stop. He wasn't sure if Levi was allowed the personal items, but he'd found three photos he wanted to give the alpha. The one from his birthday when they had both boys in their laps, one of him with the twins and one in his cheerleading uniform. It might have been the second week of September, but he was totally prepared. He'd ordered a new pair of black sneakers, when he'd ordered his red blouse for the day, because the online store offered free delivery on orders over $60, if he'd ordered the blouse on its own, it would have cost him $50 including postage. The blouse now hung with his shorts, on the wardrobe door, each day it reminded him he was just that little bit closer to seeing Levi.

When September turned in to October, he was full of nerves. He'd somehow managed to pass his driving test, but he was sure Hannes had talked to the instructor, the man had ducked his head in guilt when he'd caught Eren looking towards the pair. It didn't matter much anyway, he fucking hated driving manual, and Hannes ute was a antiquated piece of shit. The gearstick didn't always want to cooperate, and it didn't like starting on cold mornings. He wished the man would just use one of his other cars, but Hannes seemed to know this and took great pleasure in making him drive the ute. His hatred of the ute was shadowed however by his hatred of time. There was just 9 days until he'd see Levi, and each day seemed longer than the next. He couldn't stop himself as he began to panic that Levi wouldn't want to see him. He knew he was being stupid, that the feelings of rejection he was anticipating wouldn't come, but shit had kind of hit the fan and he wasn't ok with it. The news had come just the week before, Grisha had finally been before the magistrate and sentenced... to 3 years... 3 fucking years for trying to kill him. He hadn't needed to testify or anything, which was relieving as he honestly wouldn't have been able to cope being in the same room as his father. The police had his statement after all, and the medical reports over the abuse leading up to the incident... but only 3 years... it left him feeling like his life wasn't worth anything. Hannes had been the one to tell him, coming to Trost to collect him from school, before breaking the news. It had been a punch in the gut he hadn't seen coming. 

 

*  
Levi didn't sleep well that night. He had no idea if Eren was coming, and everyone else in his squad was chatting away excitedly about their families. Even Eld and Gunther had gotten in on it, both teens had their whole families coming, and had insisted that Levi meet them... he didn't want to. It would be a bitter pill to swallow if Eren didn't show... he couldn't blame the omega, things had to be hard at home... rolling over again, he rubbed his face in exhaustion   
"Levi?"  
A tiny voice came from below him, he'd finally learnt the small boys name was Mike, and the kid had nightmares like they were going out of fashion. Since Levi had taken Mike under his wing, the bullying of the boy had eased up dramatically, but Levi wished they'd started talking in any other way than what they had. It'd brought back way too many buried emotions and bad memories   
"Yeah, Mike?"  
"Can I come up?"  
"Sure"  
The small boy climbed up and crawled across his bed, before settling down next to him  
"You excited for today?"  
The boy nodded quickly  
"My mum and my sister are coming... you?"  
"Yeah. Maybe... I don't know if my boyfriends coming"  
"If he doesn't, you can hang out with us... once I tell mum what you did, she's going to love you"  
"You don't have to tell her"  
"Yes I do! You totally saved me"  
Mike was another one of the kids who didn't belong here. His friends had boosted a car, and he'd wanted nothing to do with it, but was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. The incident the boy was referring too was definitely something he'd wanted to forget. After two months, some moron had got it in their heads it was time to see who could swim and who couldn't. The camp had an indoor pool, and while the instructor had been busy, one of the older kids had pushed Mike in. The boy had sunk like a stone, and Levi's body was moving before his brain could keep up, diving straight in and pulling Mike out. The kids brown hair, and shaking body... it was just too much like when Eren had nearly died... since then, he'd kept Mike right beside him whenever it was possible  
"Levi, can I meet Eren if he comes?"  
"Sure kid, you'll like him. Everyone does"  
"That's impossible"  
"That's Eren for you, always making the impossible possible"  
Mike let out a long sigh  
"We're allowed to sleep in today... but I can't sleep"  
"Did you have another nightmare?"  
"Noooo... I'm just so happy to see my family"  
"Oi, you two, shhh"  
Eld's sleepy voice came from the bunk below  
"It's wake up time"  
"No it's not, just go back to sleep already"  
"I'm sorry, Eld"  
"You're fine Mike, the problems the one next to you. He's been tossing and turning all night"  
Leaning forward, Levi slipped his pillow out from under his head and threw it down at Eld  
"Thanks man! Doesn't feel right with just one pillow"  
"Fuck you Eld"  
"No thanks, don't want to make Eren jealous"  
He couldn't fucking win, laying there with Mike by his side, he let out a groan of annoyance. He just wanted to see Eren already.

Having dragged himself out of bed, fed himself something resembling cereal, and made it outside to the steps of the camp, Levi couldn't calm. His stomach was knotted anxiously, and his hands were clenched as he watched the cars pulling into the visitors carpark. Mike's mother had already pulled up, as had Gunther's so it was just him and Eld. As a red sedan came through the gates, Eld slid from the wall they were sitting on  
"That's me. If Eren doesn't show, come find me"  
Levi gave him a nod, it was hard to remain positive, even though he was being stupid. The gates had literally opened at 8:30, and it was barely 9:15. If Eren was coming from Shinganshima it would take time... 

When Hannes's blue ute pulled into the parking lot, a sick feeling filled his stomach. There was only one person in the vehicle and Eren didn't drive... maybe something had happened? Maybe Eren was hurt or wanted to break up... sliding off the wall, he stood there with his heart racing. When Eren slid from the ute, a huge smile spread across his face. He even snorted as Eren kicked the front tyre and slammed the door as he yelled at the car. His omega hadn't changed.   
"Eren!"  
Spinning around at his name, Eren stopped whatever he'd been in the process of doing and began running full pelt towards him, before launching himself at him the moment he was close enough  
"I love you! I love you! I love you!"  
Spinning Eren around slowly, he pressed kisses to Eren's lips between his words, well aware they wee making a scene, he slowly lowered his omega back down, before claiming the teens perfect lips for a deeper kiss. Eren was gorgeous and perfect, the red blouse was amazing, the tight shorts... the teens long legs and brilliant eyes... fuck...  
"I love you too, you have no idea how good it is to see you"  
Fuck... Eren was so perfect...  
"I'm so sorry, I didn't get the chance to call and you before I knew what was happening"  
"Nooo, I'm sorry I didn't tell you to stay..."  
"It's not your fault"  
Wrapping his arms around Eren, Levi nuzzled against him. It was insane how happy he was. He had so many things he wanted to tell his boyfriend, and so many things he wanted to ask  
"How are the boys? Is it just you?"  
"Yeah... um, I hope that's alright... and the boys... shit"  
Eren pulled away from, jogging away from him and he was completely confused. He jogged after his boyfriend and Eren stopped before digging out something from the tray   
"Here!"  
His boyfriend brandished a box, shoving it into his hands   
"Sooo, I told the boys to draw you some pictures, and they got a bit carried away..."  
Fuck he missed them, taking Eren's hand, he pulled him along  
"Where are we going?"  
"I share a bunk room, so we can't do anything, but we can sit and talk and stuff"  
"Mmm, I like the sound of the and stuff..."  
Levi definitely wanted to indulge in the "and stuff", but first he needed to know that his omega was as alright as he seemed.

Entering the bunkhouse, he found Eld already there, as was Mike and a few of the other boys. Pulling Eren possessively closer, he lead Eren over to his bunk  
"So this must be the infamous Eren"  
Eren offered Eld a small smile  
"I am..."  
"That's Eld, he has the bottom bunk"  
Eren shook Eld's hand  
"Thanks for looking after Levi. I know he can be hard work..."  
Eld snorted  
"Levi's the one looking after all of us"  
The omegas green eyes widened  
"What can I say? I'm a changed alpha and all that"  
Eren's smile faded and Levi was confused. Had he stepped on a landmine without knowing?  
"I have to say, Levi wasn't lying when he said you were hot"  
"Um... thanks?"  
"Eld, stop picking on Eren"  
"I'm not picking on him, just saying it how I see it. Oh, Mum, this is Levi and his boyfriend Eren"  
Eld's mother barely gave them a second glance before linking her arm through Eld's  
"Why don't you show me around?"  
Maybe the woman had a thing against male omegas? She sure was in a sudden rush to get away from them  
"Nice to meet you Eren, I'll see you later Levi"  
"Sure, have fun Eld"  
Eld let himself be tugged away and Eren looked around the place   
"It doesn't look as bad as I expected"  
"That's because we have to clean everyday. Come on, you can climb up first"

Having settled down on his bunk, Levi had Eren settled against his lap and it felt like heaven. It had been way too long   
"So, do I open the box first? Or do you want to talk?"  
"Box first... I didn't know if you were allowed to keep personal things around..."  
"I think it's alright. Some of the other boys have photos and stuff"  
Eren hummed, and Levi couldn't resist nuzzling his neck  
"I was so scared when I saw Hannes's ute. I thought something might have happened to you... or you wanted to break up or something..."  
Eren let out a small sigh  
"I was scared you wouldn't want me... I'm sorry... I was really selfish and I didn't tell Farlan or Izzy about today. I wanted you to myself... and I didn't want to be rejected in front of them"  
Eren sounded so sad... gently coaxing his omega to look at him, Levi kissed the teen gently  
"I could never not want you... and I'm kind of glad it's just you. But how is everyone?"  
"Good. We all miss you like crazy. The boys especially. They keep wanting to know when you're coming home"  
"Fuuuuck. I miss them like crazy. Do you have your phone? I want to see them"  
Eren nodded  
"Yeah, but let's do the box first?"  
Opening the box, the first thing he noticed was a bag of cookies  
"Cookies?"  
"I couldn't sleep last night... so I ended up baking"  
"I couldn't sleep either... I was way too anxious"  
"God, we're a couple of idiots aren't we?"  
"Yeah, but I wouldn't have you any other way"  
Placing down the bag of biscuits, Levi pulled each of the kids art works out, one by one, and Eren explained what they were supposed to be. Mostly it was of them as a family, but there was also drawings of them as a family of wolves and the house...  
"How's everything at home?"  
"Hannes has moved in. I kind of fell apart when I heard what happened, and Hannes was a huge help, but I'd rather you"  
"I know, but 3 more months and I'll be free"  
"Yeah... fuck... sorry"  
Eren sniffled softly  
"Hey, it's alright. At least we can write now... and you went and got your licence"  
"I did. Hannes taught me, but I hate driving the ute, it's a piece of shit"  
"So that's why you kicked it"  
"Yeah. It hated early mornings, I stalled twice and then again at the gatehouse. I must have looked like an idiot to the guys there"  
"You look way too hot to look like an idiot. That shirt looks amazing"  
Eren smiled slightly at his words, blushing as he did   
"I wanted to look good for you... but not too good..."  
"Well you look amazing. I want to tear those clothes off of you"  
"I want you to, too"  
Forcing himself to push down his desires, he pulled an envelope from the box and opened it. Smiling at the photos inside  
"Sweet, now I'll be able to brag about you"  
"Um... you might want to keep the last one to yourself"  
Sliding the bottom one free, Levi had to agree. It was Eren in his cheerleading uniform... yeah, no one was seeing that one  
"God. You have no idea how lucky I am to have you"  
"I'm the lucky one..."  
Carefully repacking everything into the box, Levi went back to nuzzling Eren's neck  
"What else has been happening?"  
"I'm cheerleading again... Sasha and I are co-head cheerleaders"  
"Damn, I wish I could see that"  
"I bought a new uniform, my old ones a bit short now"  
"How's your stomach"  
"It's fine... um... Levi, I have to tell you something, but I didn't want you to freak out"  
Levi's heart began to race, his mind first going to "Eren's pregnant"  
"O-ok..."  
His omega took a deep breath  
"Dad got sentenced"  
Levi almost laughed with relief... and then hated himself for being relieved. He wanted more children with Eren, but not just yet   
"That's a good thing isn't it?"  
"He got 3 years"  
What. Hold on. Grisha only got 3 years... for attempting to murder his own son...  
"Are you fucking shitting me?!"  
His furious voice echoed in the space, and Eren let out a small whine  
"Sorry. Fuck. Eren... I don't know what to say"  
"You don't have to say anything... apparently my life is only worth 3 years"  
"No. Your life is worth a whole lot more than that. I'm going to fucking kill him"  
"Levi, please... can we not? I can't deal with it..."  
"Sorry princess. You're just so important to me..."  
Hiding his face against Eren's shoulder, he clung to Eren with all his might.

"Um... Levi?"  
He was still calming back down as Mike's small voice met his ears  
"Come on up Mike"  
Raising his face, he watched the small boy appear  
"Eren, this is Mike. Mike, this is my boyfriend Eren"  
Mike smiled happily at them   
"Wow! He's really pretty"  
"Yeah, Eren is my Princess. What happened to your mum?"  
"Oh that's right... Mum, this is Levi, the one who saved me"  
Looking across to the woman standing to the right of the bed, he found the woman's eyes were filled with tears  
"You saved him?"  
"One of the other boys pushed him into the pool"  
Eren gasped   
"Oh my god, that's horrible!"  
"Yeah, it was. But Levi jumped in and saved me"  
"Levi, I want to thank you for saving Mike. He's told me how you always look out for him... he's always been a small child for his age, so he gets picked on so much"  
Eren slid from his hold, moving to kneel in front of Mike  
"It seems you and I have a lot in common, when I was 12, I nearly drowned and Levi saved me too"  
"He did?"  
"Yep! Want to know another secret?"  
Mike nodded quickly  
"Levi might be a bit grumpy, but if he cares about you, he'll always help you out. So if anyone gives you any trouble, you can always tell him"  
Mike nodded  
"I get nightmares... and Levi lets me sleep next to him"  
Eren wrapped his arms around Mike   
"I get nightmares too... god, you look so much like my son"  
"Wait, you have kids?"  
"I've got twin boys. I can see them in you, you're a good kid. I can tell"  
Mikes mother watched the interactions between the two in a kind of relieved and emotional shocked state. Eren released Mike, the boy looked so damn happy  
"Do you want to see my boys?"  
Mike nodded and Eren fished his phone out, it didn't take long before the teen was explaining who the boys were and what they were like  
"Ren looks a lot like Levi"  
"Yeah, he totally does"  
Eren didn't tell Mike that he was the boys father, and Levi didn't mind. The poor boy was probably shocked enough as it was  
"Mike, we should leave these two alone now. Levi, Eren, it was lovely to meet you. Thank you for looking after him"  
Mike climbed back down, while Eren climbed back into his lap  
"Mike looks so much like Eli"  
"I know, that's what I thought. His friends lifted a car, and he got caught up in it all. He's a good kid"  
"Of course he is. You wouldn't look after him if he wasn't"  
Letting Eren relax into his hold, Levi sighed happily  
"Hey Eren?"  
"Yeah?"  
"I love you"  
"I love you too, so much Levi..."  
"I know princess. What do you want to do?"  
"I was supposed to show you the photos of the boys, right?"  
"Yeah..."  
Levi had no idea how long they spent looking at photos of the twins, but it was nearing lunch by the time they'd finished. Taking Eren's phone, he opened the camera and snapped some selfies of them together  
"Ok. So, do you want the tour now?"  
"Yeah... I want to see just where my wayward boyfriend spends his days"

Walking through the campus, Levi showed Eren where all their inside classes were, he couldn't help but brag slightly about everything he'd learnt in the last 3 months. Eren was definitely impressed, his omega going from holding his hand, to wrapped an arm around his waist. Eren just seemed to shine and Levi didn't want to let him go. Once they'd done the inside tour, Levi guided them outside to where a group was gathered, spotting Eld, they headed towards him  
"What's happening?"  
"They're having a competition. Some of the kids parents and stuff are ex-army, so they're running the 5km course. The winner gets a prize or something"  
"What's the 5km course?"  
"You run for 4 and a bit kms, then do an obstacle course at the end"  
"Is that is?"  
Eld raised an eyebrow   
""Is that it?" He says. I'd like to see him try it for himself"  
Eren stood a little straighter, and Levi bit back a snort. Eld had no idea who he was challenging   
"Levi, can we do this?"  
"Eren..."  
"Maybe you should just watch? Wouldn't want you a chip a nail"  
Eld was intentionally goading his mate, and Eren was clearly pissed  
"Levi. We are doing this. Loser does whatever the winner wants"  
"Eren, we're a team"  
"I don't care. I can do this"  
"They're pretty big words"  
Eren emptied his pockets into Eld's hands  
"Eld, we'll meet you at the obstacle course"  
Eld nodded, but Eren had to have the last word  
"You just watch and wait"  
Taking Levi's hand, his boyfriend pulled him forward and Levi couldn't stop smirking.

Shadis eyed them over the clipboard as they approached, the man's normally cool mask slipping slightly as Eren pulled Levi right up to him  
"Ackerman"  
"Sir. We'd like to compete sir!"  
Shadis looked Eren up and down   
"It's up to you. Team name?"  
"Ackerman"  
Eren sighed  
"Can't you make it a little more interesting?"  
"What's wrong with Ackerman?"  
"I'm not legally an Ackerman"  
Eren looked back to Shadis  
"Squad Levi"  
"Alright, squad Levi it is. The score to beat is 43 minutes and 27 seconds"  
Eren pulled out his ponytail and retied it  
"You ready?"  
"Yep"  
Dragging him over to the "start" line, Eren bounced lightly on the balls of his feet  
"No shifting. I can't beat you if you do"  
"Alright, but no crying when I win"  
"You are so going down"  
Yeah... on you... once I've won. Levi didn't voice his thoughts, but his prize was going to be Eren, one way or another. Shadis's whistle blew and Eren was off. His omega couldn't possibly sustain his pace, so Levi let him jog on ahead. It wasn't like he'd get lost, the track was marked with red flags every 50 odd metres. Once they made it across the oval and into the woods, Eren slowly a fraction and Levi pushed himself a little more, reaching his boyfriends side  
"You're not going to last if you don't slow down and pace yourself"  
"I know, this is me slowed down"  
His boyfriends form was perfect and Eren ran confidently beside him, Levi couldn't help but watch Eren out the corner of his eye. The teens lips were slightly parted, and his ponytail swung hypnotically. Fuck, he was falling more and more in love with Eren. He hadn't thought it was possible to love Eren even more than he did. To his shock, Eren actually managed to keep up with him almost easily, they were shoulder to shoulder as they hit the obstacle course. Levi knew he had the advantage, but Eren didn't slow, the omega threw himself onto the balance beam like it was nothing, and had swung across the muddy drop before Levi was even half way.

It was embarrassing how easily Eren made the course look, even as a first timer. Unlike some parents, Eren didn't flinch or think twice before crawling under the "barbed" wire obstacle. Levi was stupidly proud as he rushed to catch up. He was counting on the sheer wall climb to slow Eren down, but Eren took to that like he'd been doing it all his life. He scaled the wall, turned back and poked his tongue out and then jumped down. His brat bested him by a good thirty seconds. The omega stood with his hands on his hips, sucking great breaths of airs, but the smile on his face...   
"Congratulations you two, 31 minutes and 12 second"  
Eren beamed, throwing himself forwards, and wrapping his arms around Levi's waist  
"That was sooo much fun! I want to do it again!"  
Fun? Eren thought it was fun? How was the teen not a panting mess?  
"Oh! Where's Eld?! I want my stuff back"  
"Eren, calm down and take a breath"  
"Noooo, I'm really happy! I can't believe you get to do that"  
"When you do it everyday, you get over it pretty fast"  
Eren jumped at the sound of Eld's voice. His boyfriend released him, and caught off guard, Levi fell to the ground  
"Shit"  
"So Eld, what were you saying?"  
Eren was clearly proud of himself, and Eld passed him back his things  
"You could have warned me you'd done this before"  
Eren shrugged   
"I haven't"  
Eld looked to him, and Levi shook his head  
"He really hasn't"  
"Then how the hell did you make it look so easy?"  
"I'm a mum, and I'm a cheerleader"  
Eld just stood there shocked as Eren turned back to Levi   
"Come on, I want to head back into the woods"  
"Noooo, no more running"  
His boyfriend took his hand and pulled him up, the alpha couldn't help but groan as Eren dragged him back along the track and into the woods  
"Princess... slow down"  
"Hang on, we're nearly there"  
Nearly where? What the hell was Eren on?

Leaving the track, Eren pulled him deeper into the woods, until they couldn't see the track any lingered. The omega yanked his arm back suddenly, and Levi's back hit the trunk of a tree solidly  
"I want my prize now"  
Before he could reply, Eren's hands were tugging at his belt, while nuzzling Levi's neck like crazy   
"I thought the loser had to do what ever the winner wanted?"  
"You do. I feel amazing after that, and I want you to make me feel even better"  
Levi smirked, his hands coming to grope at Eren's arse  
"Really?"  
"Yep, I need you so fucking badly"  
Letting out a snarl, Levi's hands came to practically tear Eren's shorts open, his hand moving to palm his omegas tenting erection, while he desperately and hungrily claimed Eren's lips  
"L-Levi... more..."  
Growling as he yanked Eren's underwear down, he spun his boyfriend to face the tree, and sank down behind him, he couldn't help himself. He needed to taste all of Eren, the smell of slick had stripped him of his rationality and he sank to his knees before beginning to lick and suck at the freely running slick  
"God... you taste so good"  
Eren's lewd mews and moans filled the space, spurring him on further  
"Eren..."  
"I'm ready"  
Sliding his hands up Eren's back, he moved to massage his boyfriend chest as he rose   
"Stick your arse out further for me"  
Eren obeyed immediately, and Levi's alpha smirked in satisfaction, he had such a good little omega.

With months of locationally induced abstinence leaving them both frustrated, it was embarrassing how fast they brought each other to climax. Neither teen said it though, Levi was more than happy to pull Eren down into his lap and nuzzle at his omega. It was hot as fuck watching the omegas cum running down the tree trunk and knowing he'd done that   
"Mmmm... I needed that"  
Snorting lightly, Levi bit at Eren's ear  
"So did I. Fuck you looked so hot in that obstacle course"  
"Mmm, it was the shorts wasn't it?"  
"Yeah, we both know how much I love your legs"  
Eren rubbed the side of his head against the side of Levi's face, forcing him to release the teens ear  
"Levi... I don't want to leave you"  
"I don't want you to either princess"  
"I don't know what to do when you aren't around. I'm trying really hard, I'm doing what needs to be done, but I feel like I'm not good enough"  
"Princess, no. I'm sure everything's fine. You're an amazing mum to our boys, you always have been. I love you, and I love them, and I'll be home as soon as I can..."  
"I know... but... you won't be home for Christmas, and you won't be home for your birthday... or New Years..."  
"My birthdays never been a big deal"  
"It's a big deal to me! You're turning 18, and it was supposed to be our first Christmas"  
Eren was crying softly now, and given how firmly knotted Levi still was, he could only hold Eren close  
"I know baby, we'll have our own Christmas when I get home, and we can even have a party if you want. Just please don't cry. You're too beautiful to cry"  
Eren snorted and wriggled in his lap  
"I'm sorry..."  
"It's alright, it's all been one big mess, but it'll work out"  
Eren stayed in his lap for a second more thorough round, but after that they both were forced to struggle to their feet. It was now late afternoon, which meant visitors day would be over soon. Levi really didn't want his boyfriend to leave, but he still walked Eren slowly over to Hannes's ute. His boyfriend opened the door and climbed in, Levi got one more good look at Eren's arse before the teen sat  
"I don't know what the punishment for contraband is... but..."  
Pulling back, and sitting down, Eren held up a packet of cigarettes and a lighter  
"Fuck you're perfect. We few boys managed to smuggle them in, but it's few and far between. I thought about quitting, but I never quite got there"  
"Well, don't get caught. I don't need you spending any longer than you have to here"  
Levi snorted   
"I'm not going to get caught, besides, the punishment is always push ups, haven't you noticed my muscles?"  
Levi flexed his arm and Eren giggled, his boyfriend then slowly turned and wrapped his legs around him  
"I love you..."  
"I love you too princess. I'll try and call as soon as I can"  
"Yeah... I'll answer, you called during maths last time"  
"Maths is boring..."  
"Probably, but I kind of need to learn it"  
"Nah, that's what you have me for"  
"Oh great, we're screwed"  
"Hey, I get A's now, or very solid B's"  
"Someone's bragging. Alright, I have to go... almost everyone else has..."  
It was true, there were only 2 other cars  
Eren leant down to kiss him and Levi felt his eyes begin to grow moist, breaking the kiss, Eren nuzzled his face  
"Princess... be safe"  
"You too"

It hurt so damn badly to say goodbye to Eren. His omega struggled against his tears, and finally Levi had to just walk away, or they'd both only make it harder on each other. He forced himself not too look back as he began to jog towards the barracks.

Eld was laying on his bunk when Levi walked into the room, and Mike was sitting on his bed, crossing over to the pair, Levi looked down to Eld   
"So, have a good day?"  
"Yeah. Still can't believe you snagged such a hottie"  
"You're just sour because he made the obstacle course look easy"  
"A head's up would have been nice, I thought we were friends?"  
"Hey, it's not my fault. What was I supposed to say?"  
"I don't know, but fuck, he put us all to shame. You guys won by the way, but no one could find you"  
"That's because we didn't want to be found"  
Looking up to Mike, the boy grinned  
"What about you? Did you have a good day?"  
"Yep! Mum says I can have my own room when I go back home"  
"Sweet!"  
"Yep, she didn't listen when I got busted, well not to all of it, but she did this time"  
"That's awesome. Hey, can you pass me that box up there?"  
Mike did as he asked   
"What's in here?"  
"Stuff Eren's kids drew, there's a bag of cookies in the top"  
Mike fished out the bag, before passing them over  
"Hey Eld, you want one?"  
"What is it?"  
"Eren baked cookies. You've got the choice between a wolf and a cat"  
"Gotta be a cat, bro"  
"What about you Mike?"  
"I'll take a wolf"  
Passing out the two cookies, he looked around for Gunther  
"Where's Gunther?"  
"I honestly have no idea, I haven't seen him since this morning. Probably a good thing though, he would have been all over Eren"  
"And he would have been rejected"  
"I don't know, Eren could have his pick. What makes you so sure?"  
"Because he's mine"  
"It's the bonding mark isn't it? On the back of his neck?"  
Levi raised his eyebrow as he looked to Mike, the kid happily kept munching on the cookie   
"How'd you know about that?"  
"He didn't cover all of it up"  
Eld sounded completely shocked, almost to the point it was insulting   
"Wait, you've bonded with Eren?"  
"Yeah, that's why I'm not too worried"  
"Damn, shot down before I even began"  
Yeah. That's right. Eren was his and his alone.


	43. Chapter 43

Eren couldn't stop smiling, even after he'd finally gotten home from the boot camp. Hannes's ute had stalled after he'd filled up near Trost, and he'd been stuck for a good 10 minutes, but that hadn't damped his happiness at all. Seeing Levi, being with Levi, touching and talking to his alpha... it still felt like a dream. The first thing he'd done once he'd arrived home was pick both twins up and spun slow circles in the living room  
"Mummy! Put us down!"  
Ignoring Ren's words, he pressed kisses to the tops of their heads  
"Sorry baby, no can do!"  
"Look, we know you're happy, but why do we have to be dragged into this?"  
"Because I love you both!"  
He span around a few more times before placing the boys down  
"What do you want for dinner?"  
"Hannes gave us spaghetti"  
"Did he now? Where's mine?"  
"It wasn't anything fancy, just spaghetti on toast"  
Hannes had obviously just come from showering, the alpha's hair still dripping  
"Hannes, you really need to dry your hair off better. We can't have you getting sick"  
Hannes raised an eyebrow  
"Someone had a good day"  
"The best in a long, looooooong time!"  
"Where did you go mum?"  
"Just to look at a school"  
"For us?"  
"No babies, not for you. You guys are going to be going to the same school as I did"  
"So why did you go?"  
"Just to see what it was like. It was pretty cool"  
"And that's why you're happy?"  
"Yep!"  
Given the boys had eaten, Eren padded into the kitchen and emptied his pockets onto the bench. He swore his body still felt the lingering warmth of Levi's touch  
"So it's a good place?"  
"Yep, and everyone there's going great"  
By putting slight emphasis on "everyone", Eren knew that Hannes would know he meant Levi  
"That's good, so it's a good place?"  
"Yeah. They teach all sorts of life skills and stuff as well as a pretty normal syllabus"  
"That's good, don't want to fall behind"  
"A's and B's, doing better than I am"  
Hannes snorted, as he shook his head  
"Alright boys, its TV time, what's on?"  
"Cartoons!"  
Hannes didn't seem to mind, he crossed to the sofa and sank down, before the boys climbed up with him  
"Hannes, do you want a coffee?"  
"Nah, I'll take a beer though"  
Rolling his eyes, Eren dragged his feet as he opened the fridge and grabbed out the milk and a beer. He made Hannes wait while he made himself a bowl of cereal, and then crossed into the living room  
"One beer"  
Hannes took it with a nod, and Eren sank down so he was sitting on the floor with his back against the sofa  
"Mum, why are you eating cereal? It's not breakfast"  
"It's a special mummy privilege, when you have kids, you get to eat cereal whenever you want"  
"Ew... I don't want to have kids... kids are gross"  
Eren choked on his cereal at Eli's words, he took a moment to recover, before asking  
"What about you Ren?"  
"Nope. I'm going to stay with you and daddy forever"  
Eren smiled as he nodded  
"Ok baby, you can stay with us"  
"How come Ren gets to stay?"  
"Eli, you can stay too..."  
"No. I don't wanna now"  
God. His kids were precious  
"How about this. When you're mummy's age, we'll talk about all this and then if you've changed your minds, mummy and daddy won't be mad"  
"Fiiiiiine"  
Once again he choked on his spoonful of cereal, this time he actually had to place the bowl down until he could breathe again  
"Eren, you alright?"  
"Yeah... the boys are just trying to do me in"  
"I've been teaching them awesome one liners, but I didn't think this would be the side effect"  
"God, between you, Armin and Levi... my boys are going to be sassy as hell"  
"No, they get it from you"  
"I'm not..."  
Ok, maybe Hannes had a point  
"Don't say it, I know"  
Hannes laughed lightly, and Eren finished his cereal in peace.

 

*  
It was only a week before Eren next heard from Levi. This time he was walking back to school with the twins. Both boys were holding their handmade kites proudly, the crepe paper streamers rustled lightly in the wind, and Eren had wished the boys would let him carry them instead. There were going to be a lot tears in anything happened to them  
"Muuuuum, your phones ringing"  
He'd been too busy eyeing the kites to realise, and he rushed to pull his phone out and answer  
"Hello?"  
"Hey princess! Guess who?"  
"Hmm, no idea... are you sure you have the right number?"  
"Pretty sure... I mean, this belongs to that sexy omega that was at the boot camp last week"  
"Maybe, depends on what you want?"  
"Well, he lead Squad Levi to victory, and won his teammate a 15 minute, uninterrupted phone call"  
They'd actually won something?  
"Hold on, I've got the boys with me"  
Ushering both boys against the nearest wall, he put Levi on speaker phone  
"Can you hear me?"  
"Loud and clear"  
"Daddy?!"  
"Yep. How's my boys?"  
"Dad, when are you coming home?"  
"Not for a while yet, but I miss you both so much! What have you been up to"  
"We made kits at school"  
"They made kites"  
"Really! Wow, that sounds so cool!"  
"Ren made a frog, and I made a cat!"  
"Ren made a frog?! Wow! I haven't seen a frog in years!"  
"There's lots at the zoo"  
"I've never been, maybe we can go when I get home?"  
"Mum can we?"  
"Yeah, your dad has a thing for giraffes"  
"What else has been happening?"  
"Ummm... mummy can drive now!"  
"He can?"  
Eren bit his lip, Levi was so damn good with the boys  
"Yeah, but he says bad words when he does"  
Dobbers. His kids were dobbers  
"I hope you don't say bad words"  
"Nope. 'cause we're big boys"  
"That's good"  
"What about you daddy? What are you doing?"  
"I'm learning how to be a better daddy for you and mummy"  
"But you're fine how you are"  
"Thanks kiddo, but I want to be the best daddy I can be. Can I talk to mummy again?"  
"Ok dad. I love you"  
"I love you too daddy!"  
"And I love you"  
Switching off speaker phone, Eren put the phone to his ear before taking his boys hands again and beginning to walk towards school  
"So, how are you? Were you sore..."  
Eren snorted  
"No, my thighs were a little the next day, but I had so much fun"  
"I'm glad, you looked really happy"  
"That's because you make me really happy. How are things there?"  
"Eld and Mike loved the cookies. Gunther did too, he's another friend, but you didn't meet him. Oh, also, Mike is like your biggest fan"  
"He's got good taste. I was worried the others would give you shit"  
"No, I can honestly say that everyone was jealous as fuck"  
"Good, as long as they don't cause you any trouble"  
"They don't have the balls too. How's school?"  
"Izzy and Farlan are fine, I didn't tell them. Mikasa and Armin know, they said to say hi. Hannes is happy you're alright. Schools... yeah. Cheerleaders are bitches, we had to drop a girl from the team because she was a nasty cow"  
"Oh god, did Sasha kick her out"  
"She told Connie that Sasha and I were flirting, and Connie practically pissed himself laughing before telling her that she needed better material and then Sasha dropped her"  
"Oh shit. I would have loved to have seen that"  
"Well, we'll have plenty of more escapades once you get back"  
"Yeah... it's stupid, but I feel like times going faster now"  
"No, it's not stupid, you're on the homestretch now"  
"Yeah. January 16th and I'm out of here!"  
"And I'll come and pick you up. If you're good, I'll bring the boys"  
"I'll be good, you just remember to wear those shorts"  
"I have to sew the buttons back on then. When I took them off, the buttons fell off in my hands"  
"Fuck that's hot"  
Eren snorted  
"I'm glad you think so, you aren't the one who has to sew them back on"  
"I can now. One of the guys lost a button, so we all had to have a class on basic sewing. I can also darn a sock"  
"Who darns a sock these days?"  
"I have no idea. Hey princess, I'm sorry but I have to go now. Shadis has come to get me"  
Eren struggled to keep his disappointment from showing  
"Alright... I... I love you"  
"I love you too. I'll call when I can"  
"Bye..."  
The call ended and Eren sighed. Letting go of Eli's hand, he slid his phone into his pocket  
"Mummy... dad's really going to come back right?"  
"Yeah baby. He's going to come home to us"  
"I miss him"  
"I know"  
Taking Eli's hand again, Eren pulled both boys closer to him as they finally arrived out the front of the high school. 

Given the fact the boys were so excited, and the fact it had been ages since they'd really gotten to hang out properly, Mikasa and Armin came over that afternoon. After attempting to fly the boys kites, even though they all knew it wasn't going to work, Eren ended up making chicken kievs and salad for dinner. While he was doing that, Mikasa helped the boys hang their kites up in their room and Armin hovered like a pigeon, picking at the carrot sticks from the salad. It didn't matter how many times Eren smacked his hand, Armin continued to thieve them quite happily. As Hannes was at work, he missed out on the "family" dinner and missed the boys boasting yet again about getting to talk to "their daddy". When dinner was over and done, the boys watched cartoons until the dishes were done, then Eren tucked them in. 

Finally alone, Eren all but staggered into the living room  
"Peace and quite"  
Mikasa snorted  
"I didn't know that was a thing here"  
"Oh yes it is, and it's a rare thing"  
Sinking down in the nearest dining table chair, Eren failed to stifle a yawn  
"If you're sleepy, we can get dad to pick us up"  
"No, its fine. It's just been a really long and good day"  
"So how come Levi called? Did something happen?"  
"Oh, it was his reward. When I was up there for the open day, we won a competition"  
"You told us about that right? The obstacle course"  
"Yep. Apparently we had the best time. Didn't even shift either"  
"Why not? I totally would have used that to my advantage"  
"Because Levi would have left me behind. His wolf form is kind of ridiculous"  
"And you've got the advantage with your longer legs"  
"But not for much longer. Levi's gotten so much faster, if I wasn't a Wolfblood couldn't have kept up"  
"Yeah, yeah, we know he's perfect. So what did you talk about?"  
"Just stuff. He was talking to the boys mostly"  
"Mhmm, naughty phone call much"  
"As if we would"  
"As if you wouldn't"  
Eren sighed and rubbed his face  
"I'm not going to win, am I?"  
"Nope. So, what do you want to do?"  
He honestly just wanted to sleep, but he still had to drive his friends home and that meant waiting until 9 when Hannes got back  
"I don't have any homework, what about you guys?"  
"Eren, we have an English assignment due, or did you forget"  
They did? Since when?  
"I might have forgotten..."  
"It's due tomorrow"  
"Hold on, let me get my laptop"  
Pushing himself up, he staggered into his room and grabbed his laptop. His bed looked so damn inviting... no. He'd told his friends he'd drive them home... returning to the dining table, he opened the device and logged in  
"Soooo... what's this assignment on?"  
"To Kill a Mockingbird"  
Eren groaned, he couldn't help it  
"Very funny. Do you want my notes?"  
"Mikasa. Be serious. We don't really have an assignment do we?"  
"Nope, but it was funny watching you freak"  
Snapping the laptop closed, Eren dropped his head against the lid, it felt wonderfully cool and he hummed as he rubbed his forehead against it  
"Do you two need a minute?"  
"No... maybe... I don't know"  
Armin laughed openly at his words  
"Eren, are you sure your alright? Or did talking to Levi rob you of your ability to think?"  
"Maybe. I don't know what it is, but I'm so fucking tired"  
Raising his head, he looked at his two friends, both of them were frowning  
"What's wrong?"  
"Come here"  
Scrunching his brow, Eren leant in closer, and Mikasa placed her palm against his forehead  
"You feel hot"  
"I always run hot"  
"No, like warmer than usual"  
"And how do you know how warm I run?"  
"Because we've been friends forever"  
"Touché"  
"Look, I'm just going to call dad. You should get some sleep. It'll be chaos in the household if you get sick"  
"Mikasa, I don't get sick"  
"Mhmm"  
"Armin, please tell her the last time I was sick... and being stabbed or in heat doesn't count"  
Armin sighed  
"I don't know"  
"See. I'm probably just over tired"  
"Then go take a shower while we wait for dad"  
The look he was getting from his friends told him there was no room to argue. Pushing himself up with an exaggerated groan, he made a show of dragging himself to the bathroom  
"Don't forget to wash behind your ears!"  
Mikasa giggled at her own words and Eren just shook his head.

By the time he'd finished showering, he had to admit that maybe his friends were right. He felt clammy and gross, even rinsing off under cold water hadn't helped. He really couldn't afford to be sick though. He had stuff to do at school... dressed in his pyjamas he forced himself out the bathroom, ignoring the way the world was spinning as he did. Crap. Yeah. Definitely sick...  
"Eren?"  
He blinked and realised he was staring at his friends  
"Sorry, what?"  
"Just got to bed already, you're paler than Levi"  
"No, I'll see you guys out"  
Armin rolled his eyes  
"As the boys would say "we're big kids now mummy", it's like 10 metres to the doorway. We won't get lost"  
"Fine, but can you flick the lock? Hannes has his own keys"  
Mikasa pouted, but her tone was joking as she replied  
"Why don't we get our own keys"  
"Because that's what you're getting for Christmas"  
The girl beamed  
"I'm going to hold you to that. Now go to bed before you fall over"  
Waving half heartedly, Eren watched his friends disappear from view, before rolling back and sliding down the wall. He hated being sick, and always did his very best to hide it. Hopefully Hannes would have a magical cure for whatever this was. He stayed down there until he felt slightly better and then headed off to bed, passing out the moment his head hit the pillow.

"Eren?"  
It felt like he'd just closed his eyes as Hannes shook his shoulder  
"Hannes?"  
The cough that came after saying the man's name caught him by surprise  
"You were coughing in your sleep"  
"Shit... I feel gross"  
"You've got a bit of a fever, but I'd say the boys probably brought you home a present from school"  
"They didn't need to... sorry, this is the last thing you need"  
"It's fine. Do you have cough medicine?"  
"No... can I just have some panadol and water?"  
"Alright, hold on"  
Hannes was in Doctor mode as he left the room and Eren shivered as he sat up. His chest hurt and his good day was starting to suck  
"Here we are"  
That was fast... or maybe he was slow? It hurt to think. He downed the pills and promptly coughed again  
"Sorry"  
Hannes placed his hand against his forehead and Eren groaned  
"Yep, it's a fever"  
"Mikasa said I felt warm. I didn't want to believe her"  
"You never argue with a woman, they can be scary. Try and go back to sleep, but if you're still sick in the morning, you'll be staying home"  
"I can't stay home. I have..."  
Coughing ruined his argument  
"You have?"  
The edge of Hannes lips twitches indicating he was trying to his his usual "know it all" smile  
"Cheerleading stuff to do"  
"Because nothing is sexier than a cheerleader coughing up half a lung. Doctors orders"  
"You love that don't you?"  
"Me? What? Nooooo, never..."  
Sliding back down into his bed, Eren sighed  
"Thanks Hannes"  
"Any time. If you get worse, come wake me up"  
He nodded even though he wouldn't and made a mental note to check both boys in the morning.

Come morning, he was coughing his lungs up and had a splitting head ache. According to Hannes, Ren had a runny nose but Eli seemed alright. Opening messenger, he opened the group conversation  
"Mikasa, you were right. Ren and I have a cold... yay..."  
That was as good as they were getting. Turning off his phone, he pulled the blankets higher  
"Mummy, I feel sick"  
That was Ren  
"Like vomiting sick? Or just yucky sick?"  
"Yucky"  
Lifting up the edge of the blanket, his son crawled under and Eren curled around him  
"It's alright baby, I'm here"  
Hannes came into the room a few minutes later  
"I'll take Eli to work with me and we'll come back to check on you at lunch time"  
"Can you pick up some medicine for Ren. I'll be fine, but I'd rather he not get any sicker"  
"I'll pick up medicine for the both of you"  
"Thanks... oh, my phones off too..."  
"Ok. Try and get some sleep"  
"We will"  
Hannes closed his door and Ren let out a small whine  
"Mum, my head hurts"  
"So does mine baby, just lay here and try and get some sleep"  
Covering his mouth, Eren coughed into his hand. Fuck this shit. 

Ren tossed and turned in his sleep, meaning Eren got no sleep at all. Every time he'd get comfortable around his son, he'd start coughing all over again. Shifting into his wolf form had helped, his son had rolled over and wrapped his arms around him, and he wasn't coughing as much. But his omega instincts protect his son seemed heightened and when Hannes came home, he couldn't even muster the effort to shift back  
"Hey Eren, how are you feeling"  
His tail rose and fell limply  
"That good. Ren's looking better"  
Again his tail rose slightly and flopped back against the bed, this time Hannes sighed  
"Can you shift back?"  
It took all his effort to manage it and he promptly dissolved into a fit of coughing as he did  
"Right, you need to sleep. Your lips are chapped, that tells me you haven't been drinking anything. Have you at least peed today?"  
Eren groaned as he shook his head, it felt like he slamming his brain against his skull  
"I'll give Ren some cough medicine and set him up in the living room, but I want you to finish the water in the glass while I do"

Eren couldn't stop himself from whining as Hannes woke Ren up and carried him from Eren's bed. He didn't want to let his son out of his sight, and moved to take the spot his boy had vacated. He nuzzled against the pillow and breathed Ren's smell in, before coughing all over it. This time he couldn't catch his breathe and Hannes came rushing back into the room, helping him sit up, before rubbing his back  
"Maybe I should take you into hospital? We can hook you up with an IV"  
Eren shook his head, he'd had enough of that place  
"I'm... fine... I just need to sleep"  
"You need water and to eat"  
Hannes picked the glass of water up and helped him hold it as he tried to drink. The tickle in the back of his throat made it hard and he coughed up half of it before it made it down  
"You certainly know how to get sick fast"  
"It's a skill. How's Eli?"  
"He's alright. He played my assistant this morning"  
"Ooooh..."  
Hannes waited for him to finish coughing  
"Eren, the boys will be fine. You're allowed to rest, I'll make sure to wake you if anything happens"  
If he was allowed to rest, why was Hannes insisting on talking and making his head hurt. Flopping sideways limply, he groaned as the man moved him into a better position and pulled the blankets up. Having someone take care of him was kind of nice, but as grateful as he was to Hannes, Hannes wasn't the one he wanted.

 

*  
After 8 days of coughing his lungs up, Eren was thoroughly and completely fucking miserable. It didn't help the fact that Hannes had completely over reacted and checked him into the hospital, it wasn't like he'd meant to faint from dehydration. He'd woken up to an annoyingly familiar ceiling, and an oxygen tank mask over his face. 

Pulling the mask off, the first thing he'd done was sort Hannes out, the man was sitting in the visitors chair, his feet resting on the edge of Eren's bed  
"Really?"  
Hannes grinned as he looked up  
"Nice to see you're awake. You decided you were going to faint in the shower"  
"Did I now. God, my mouth feels gross"  
"That's what happens when you don't brush your teeth"  
"And who's faults that"  
Coughing weakly, Eren continued to glare at Hannes  
"Don't be like that. You've been asleep for 6 hours, you shouldn't feel quite so shit now"  
"6 hours?"  
"Yep. I didn't even have to drug you"  
"I think I would have preferred the drugs"  
"That's nice. By the way, the boys are with Grandpa Arlert. He says you have to come round for dinner on Saturday"  
"Why?"  
"Because you haven't seen him in ages. Keep up"  
"Sorry. Can't. Sick"  
His fake cough turned into a real one and he collapsed back annoyed  
"Hannes, I'm sick of coughing"  
"I know. But, I have a surprise for you"  
"If it's not a magical cure, I don't want it"  
Hannes slid his hand into pocket and pulled out an envelope  
"Even if it's a letter from Levi?"  
"A what?"  
"It's addressed to you, and the back says Levi..."  
"Gimme"  
Hannes passed it over, making him stretch for it  
"So rude"  
"I know. But I haven't heard from him since I got sick"  
"Yeah, well, I also placed a call. Might have played up how sick you were, but he'll be calling tomorrow"  
"Really?"  
"Yep. A sick and depressed Eren was just too much to deal with"  
"I wasn't that bad"  
"Says the boy lying in a hospital bed. You were supposed to keep up your fluids"  
"I was..."  
His coughing stopped him from opening the envelope and he sighed in annoyance. He wanted it open already  
"Don't worry, now you're awake, I'll give you something for the cold, and you can go home tomorrow"  
"Why not today?"  
"Because the government are suspicious people, and they're calling here so Levi can talk to you"  
"That's just mean"  
"Shhh, don't you know you have a serious lung infection"  
"You couldn't have gone with something else?"  
"Damn. I should have said you were stabbed..."  
Eren rolled his eyes, but Hannes was soon out of his mind as he finally got Levi's letter open  
"Dear Eren,  
Can you believe I'm actually writing a letter? Because I can't. I had all these ideas but now I have no idea what to write. I hope you're alright, and I hope the boys are too. How's school? And how are Izzy and Farlan? We are currently sitting in English class, everyone is writing home. Yep. As for here, every day is the same. Mike's not talking to me, but I understand why. He was called disgusting for climbing into my bunk after a nightmare. The other boys told him they wouldn't tell everyone if he called me a faggot in front of everyone. Only problem was that I didn't react the way I was supposed to. I might have laughed at him... you would think they would have settled down by now? God. I can't wait to get home to you. I found myself cleaning my bed down yesterday and I realised just how dirty the bunkhouses are. It's enough to make your skin crawl. They made us clean the showers and toilets out the other day, nothing was getting down so I lost my shit. Kicked everyone out and did it myself. Now I'm known as that angry short guy with a hard-on for cleaning. I'll probably get push ups for this, because I'm pretty sure they actually read our mail. Anyway. I think I've filled enough of the page. Give our sons a kiss and I love you.  
Levi"  
Coughing as he tried to laugh, Eren shook his head. His alpha was a fucking dork  
"A good read?"  
"Take a look"  
Hannes quickly skimmed the letter and let out a sigh  
"I don't know how's he's getting B's, this is totally worth an A"  
"I don't think we're supposed to encourage him"  
"Too bad, doctors orders. I'll get you a notepad and envelope. You can poor your heart out to him"  
"Or you could. A love letter from you might make his day"  
Hannes wrinkled his face  
"No... see, you're used to it. Levi might take it too seriously and I don't want to have to break his heart"  
"Fine, but I'm still gonna tell him you love him"  
"Do that and I won't let you out"  
"You wouldn't"  
"I just might"  
Eren faked his distress over the news, slumping down over the side railing dramatically  
"Yeah, yeah. I'll be back"

Passing him back the letter, Hannes left him to read it alone. It was so like Levi, but he was still shocked the alpha had actually written him a letter. Smiling slightly, he sniffed at it, Levi's lingering scent had him smiling wider. He really was loved.


	44. Chapter 44

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys I had school today. This report is fooking with my head. We have to monitor the biodiversity of a site and then write about it, and then plan a monitoring plan for it... currently at 67 pages and 3355 words... I can write that much in smut in like 3 hours... but it's taken 8 weeks on this damn report

Slumped across Hannes's desk, Eren was tired of waiting. Thanks to the persistent cold Ren had gifted him, he'd coughed most of the night, and just when he'd thought he might get some sleep, the man had showed up with the boys  
"Eren, coffee"  
Pushing himself back with a hum, Eren blindly reached for the cup, coughing before sniffling  
"Thanks"  
"You should lay back down"  
"I'm fine... wait, what did you do with the boys?"  
Eren eyed the empty space behind Hannes suspiciously  
"We found a box of out of date bandaids..."  
Eren groaned  
"You're the one cleaning them up"  
"It's fine. Bandaids make them look tough remember"  
"Maybe, but bandaids usually give me a mini heart attack"  
"I thought you'd be used to to it"  
"I don't think I'll ever be used to it"  
Hannes snorted, before sitting on the edge for the desk  
"So no call yet?"  
"Nope. I'm so sick of waiting"  
"You could just go home?"  
Shooting him the best glare he could, he sipped his coffee, before scrunching up his face  
"What did you do to it?"  
"Just a little something to help with that cold of yours. Now drink up"  
It was revolting, the taste off the coffee and the medicine was nauseating. He downed it as fast as he could and stuck his tongue out  
"Gross"  
"Yep"  
Zero sympathy  
"Hannes, go watch the boys"  
"But I want to listen in on you and Levi"  
"I know, but that's just because you're a dirty old man"  
Hannes faked a gasp as he slid off the desk  
"If that's..."  
The man's sassy comeback was cut off by the phone ringing. The noise irritated the omegas tender head, but he was so fucking happy to hear it. Reaching past him, Hannes answered. His heart was pounding by the time the handset was passed to him  
"Hello?"  
"Hey baby, I heard you're sick"  
"Yeah... but it's alright"  
"You sound like shit"  
"Thanks. Hannes made me drink something and it was revolting"  
"You trusted him?"  
"I suppose I have to say yes given he'd standing just here"  
"What, he doesn't trust us?"  
Eren coughed as he tried to laugh  
"Princess?"  
"I'm alright"  
"You don't sound alright"  
"It's just a cold, Ren had it too, but he got over it and luckily Eli missed it out"  
"At least that's something... are they there?"  
"Hannes gave them a box of bandaids"  
"Oh god. I hope he's prepared to clean up the mess"  
"I think he's going to play ignorant. Did you want me to send him to go get them?"  
"Yeah... fuck I miss them"  
Looked to Hannes, Hannes raised his hands   
"Fine, I'll be back"  
The man slowly wandered from the room and Eren placed his forehead down against the cold wood of the desk  
"He'd gone now. Tell me what's been happening there?"  
"Did you get my letter?"  
"Yeah, last night..."  
"So you know about the Mike thing"  
"It sucks"  
"Yeah, but he was getting a bit too clingy"  
Eren frowned  
"Clingy?"  
"He went through the box you gave me, and wanted to know all about each drawing and what the boys did and stuff..."  
"And stuff?"  
"Yeah, like about you. What you liked, what you did... it's a bit relieving having a breather from it"  
"Yeah... I'm not even that interesting"  
"I think you're plenty interesting, but that doesn't mean I want to share"  
"How about Eld? And Gunther?"  
"Same old same old, but as of Friday, I can call you each week now... but we only get 5 minute calls"  
"It's better than nothing. I don't even know what to talk to you about, I've been sick for like 10 days now and haven't really ventured out"  
"Well, it must be bad if you're in hospital"  
"Hannes totally over reacted. I fainted, and next thing I know, I'm waking up here"  
"Shit! Eren, no. That's not cool, you've got to look after yourself"  
"It wasn't intentional. I just got a little dehydrated"  
"And you're alright now?"  
"Yep, well other than the coughing. Hannes put an IV in for me"  
Levi let out a long breath through his nose and Eren knew the alpha was struggling to hold back whatever it was that he wanted to say  
"I promise that I'm fine, well going to be soon. You don't need to worry"  
"It my job as the alpha to worry, knowing you, you'd probably say your fine even if you were missing an arm or a leg... I want to talk to Hannes at the end of the call"  
Eren couldn't help but feel a little annoyed, he was sick, sure, but he was going to be just fine. He didn't need or want the fuss. They had limited time to talk, but instead of talking about anythings important, they were talking about him. Not sure how to reply, the line remained awkwardly silent until Hannes reappeared with the boys   
"Here's Eli"  
Both boys were covered from head to toe in bandaids, and Eren groaned at the thought of having to pull them off. He passed the phone to Eli and Eli climbed on him  
"Daddy!"  
"Baby, you don't need to yell, daddy can hear you"  
Punching the bridge of his nose, Eren ignored the increasing throbbing in his head, Eli was just too excited to listen. His son filled Levi in on everything he could think of, before climbing from his lap and passing the phone to Ren, just about pulling the whole thing down off the desk as he did. Levi once again got the daily run down, but Ren told the alpha how he'd been sick and how mummy was still sick. When Ren blew kisses to Levi, and went to hand him back the phone, Eren waved it off, he felt gross and still annoyed   
"He wants to talk to you"  
Hannes took the phone, and Eren lifted Ren down  
"Are you alright mum?"  
"Yeah..."  
"Then why don't you want to talk to daddy"  
"It's not that I don't want to"  
He just didn't know why he felt so pissy. Sliding from the chair to the floor, he rested his head on his knees,   
"Eren?"  
Hannes was holding the phone towards him  
"Sorry... I can't"  
Hannes put the phone back to his ear, obviously telling Levi that he was now sitting on the floor and that he had to go. The man hang up and then squatted down in front of him  
"You alright?"  
Biting his lip, he shook his head  
"My head hurts"  
"Ok. It's probably because you haven't slept. I'll give you a shot and then run you back home"

Letting Hannes drag him up from the floor, the man sat him back in the office chair  
"Is mum alright?"  
"Yeah, he just needs some sleep"  
"Is that why he didn't talk to daddy?"  
"Yeah, but daddy understands. Now, you wait here until I come back"  
Eli climbed into his lap, though Eren really didn't want him too. It felt like forever before Hannes came back, and Eren pushed his sleeve up without complaint. He barely felt the injection, and Eli stuck bandaids on his arm when Hannes was done   
"You boys ready to go?"  
Both twins nodded and Hannes helped him up, keeping an arm around his waist as they moved outside to the man's stupid blue ute.

 

*  
It took him a full two weeks to finally get over the stupid cold. Mikasa and Armin had kept up with daycare, so he'd been able to sleep during the days... pretty much because despite his initial enthusiasm, he hadn't been able to figure what to put into his letter to Levi  
"Mum, are you sure you're ready to go back to school? We can stay home..."  
"I know you want to watch cartoons, but we're all going to school"  
"But I don't want to"  
"Eli, please. Not today"  
"Yes today! I don't want to go!"  
"Too bad"  
Eli took off his school bag and threw it  
"No!"  
Eren snorted, he couldn't help it. The bag hadn't gone far, and Eli was standing there with his arms crossed and a huge pout across his face  
"It's not funny!"  
This only served to widen the smile on Eren's lips  
"I know, it's the end of the world. Now, why don't you tell me why I should keep you home"  
Ren sighed, so Eren looked to him  
"It's not for the cartoons is it?"  
"We're doing a play..."  
Why didn't he know this!?  
"Since when?"  
"Since before you got sick. Eli doesn't want to do it"  
"Eli, is this true?"  
Eli looked down at his feet  
"Why don't you want to do it?"  
"Because..."  
"Ren, do you know why?"  
"He doesn't want you to come"  
Eren felt like he'd been slapped across the face. His son didn't want him?   
"W-why?"  
"Because dad's not here, and it's not fair if you go and he doesn't"  
That was slightly less painful to hear, but all the more painful to know his son would prefer neither of them to one  
"So I'm not allowed to come?"  
"I want you too... but he wants dad"  
"I know you miss daddy, but can't I come and see anyway?"  
"No, because its your fault he left! You said that to Hannes! I hate you mum! I want my dad!"  
Eli pretty much yelled at him, before running down the hall... so he was hated? He probably deserved that. Pulling his phone out his pocket, he called Grandpa Arlert. Hannes had stumbled in sometime around sunrise. One of the local farmers had rolled his tractor, giving himself a nasty compound fracture to the fibula. He didn't want the boys waking Hannes, but he couldn't stay home with them. He didn't want to stay home with them, not when he'd been rejected so wholeheartedly   
"Eren?"  
"Hey, sorry for calling so early"  
"It's fine, is everything alright?"  
"Kind of. Eli doesn't want to go to school, and he hates me. Hannes is great with the boys, but they don't love him like they love you... I was hoping you'd be able to take Eli for the day"  
Tilting the phone from his mouth, he looked down to Ren  
"Do you want to go to school?"  
"I'm the tiger!"  
"Yeah, just Eli. Apparently Ren is the tiger"  
"Sure, he can help me pot out the succulents"  
"You are a life saver, we'll be over soon"

Grabbing Eli's bag, he placed it on the table, before grabbing the car keys off the kitchen bench. He was going to have to drive into Trost, he wouldn't make the bus now that he had to drop Eli off. Walking down the hall, he opened the door to the twins boys  
"Eli, you're going to Grandpa's"  
"No"  
"Eli"  
"No! I don't want to do what you say!"  
Marching across the room, Eren hefted Eli up, his son kicking and growling   
"Eli. Stop!"  
Struggling to keep his son under control, he carried him out into the living room  
"Ren, can you grab my bag for me please?"  
Ren nodded, clearly shocked by his brother's reaction. His son followed him out, and opened the ute door so Eren could dump Eli inside. 

Armin's grandfather was standing out the front when they arrived. Eli had tried to grab the wheel, and then the shock of the car swerving had made him cry. Climbing from the car, Eren turned and lifted Eli down  
"Sorry, he's not a happy camper. He misses Levi and doesn't know how to deal with it"  
"It's fine. I went through something similar when Armin's parents died. I'll have him smiling by the time you get home"  
Eren hugged the old man  
"Thank you so much. I have to drive into Trost, is there anything you need?"  
"Not off the top of my head, but I'll take a look and message you"  
"Sounds good. Eli can I have a hug?"  
"No. I don't want to talk to you"  
"Eli!"  
Eren shook his head at the old man's shocked tone  
"It's fine. I shouldn't have asked. He blames me for Levi not being here"  
"But it's not your fault"  
"Apparently they heard me telling Hannes it was"  
"Damn, that's tough. You better head off, or you won't make it before the bell"  
"Ok. Thanks again, and don't forget to text"  
Rushing back the ute, he threw himself in  
"Alright Ren, it's just you and me"  
"Are we really going to Trost?"  
"Where else would we be going?"  
"I don't know"  
Ruffling his sons hair, Eren sighed, before trying to convince the engine it wanted to turn over.

 

*  
"Eren! What are you doing here?"  
Jerked from his own little world, Eren looked up to find both Armin and Mikasa staring at him confusion   
"I got to school here?"  
"But you weren't on the bus... we thought something must have happened"  
Letting out a sigh, the teen stretched before replying  
"Something did happen. Eli had a tantrum, so he's spending the day with your grandfather. Thanks to that I had to Drive to school"  
Mikasa wrinkled her nose and Eren nodded his agreement  
"He blames me for Levi not being home, he heard my telling Hannes that..."  
"But it's not your fault! How many times do we have to tell you?"  
Biting his lip, Eren hung his head. His actions causing both his friends to wrap their arms around him  
"Eli will calm down"  
"I don't know. The daycare is putting a play on, and because Levi's not there, he doesn't want me going"  
"Ouch! That's harsh"  
"I know. Ren explained it to me this morning, and I had to drag Eli out the house"  
"Like drag drag?"  
"Yeah, kicking and screaming"  
"This is the reason why you don't have kids"  
"I know I'm blowing it out proportion in my head, but it still hurts. I've been with them since they were born..."  
"We know. Having Levi around is still exciting and new, and now he's gone again... it sucks for all of you"  
Nodding his agreement, he let his friends continue to cling as they made their way inside.

By lunch Eren was sure his brain was melting and that it would pour from his nose at any moment, but he forced himself to pay attention to his friends. Izzy and Sasha were gossiping over something stupid, Farlan was off smoking and everyone else was on their phones. He needed to talk to Izzy, but it was for a kind of selfish reason, he wanted the girl to write to Levi, so that when he finally penned his letter it wouldn't seem to shitty and stupid  
"Earth to Eren? Anyone in there?"  
Blinking and reeling back, he realised Armin had been trying to get his attention  
"What's with you and scaring me today?"  
"I like to think I scare you everyday"  
Eren raised and eyebrow and Armin just shook his head, telling him he had no idea why he'd said it either  
"Is he alright?"  
By "he" Sasha meant him  
"Probably daydreaming about Levi again"  
"No, I wasn't"  
"You totally were, you had a dopey look on your face"  
Jean snorted  
"He always had a dopey look on his face!"  
"Fuck off horse face. What's up, Armin?"  
"I was asking if I you wanted us to take Ren this afternoon?"  
"Nah, it's alright. I told your grandpa to text me if he wanted anything, I was going to do some shopping"  
"Alright..."  
There was almost a whine in the teens voice and Eren had a feeling of what he was really hinting at  
"Armin, you know that the Utes legally only licenced for 3 people. You can't make Mikasa catch the bus home alone"  
Mikasa nodded  
"Yeah, you don't know what mischief I could get up to"  
"I know... I don't know, I just don't feel like sitting on the bus"  
"Does anyone?"  
"Touché. Hey, I forgot to ask, have to talked to Levi lately?"  
Izzy instantly was all ears   
"You've talked to Big Brother!"  
Eren bit down his sigh  
"Yeah, I've been meaning to talk to you. I have the postal address so you can write to him"  
"Gimme! I have art next block, so he's going to get an Izzy special!"  
Pulling his bag up and into his lap, Eren rummaged around in it for the envelope from Levi's letter. Finding the poor dead looking thing, he passed it over to her  
"Yay! I've missed him sooooo much! How is he?"  
"Good, he's got a few friends and he's learning lots"  
Izzy nodded  
"Big Brother was always much smarter than he gave himself credit for"  
"He's getting A's and B's"  
Izzy let out a whistle  
"Maybe I should get myself sent there"  
"Given it seems to be all boys, I don't think Farlan would be too happy"  
"Eww... on second thoughts, no"  
Having copied down the address, Izzy passed him the envelope back   
"Gonna write him the biggest letter ever!"  
All Eren could think was, thank fuck.

Having picked up Ren, Eren drove to the closest shopping centre, his son seemed less than impressed, even letting out a long sigh as if he'd rather be doing anything. Lifting the boy from the cab of the ute, Eren placed him on his hip  
"What's up baby?"  
"I miss Eli, it was so boring without him"  
Eren nodded, of course he did, they were insanely close after all  
"I know, I'm sorry he's so mad at me"  
"I heard you tell Hannes too... but he said it wasn't your fault"  
"Daddy asked me if he should go, and I told him it was up to him... and he got in trouble thanks to it"  
"So daddy chose?"  
"Yeah... but he didn't know he was going to be gone this long"  
Ren let out another sigh  
"I really miss him"  
"So do I baby"  
"Would you miss us this much if we were gone?"  
The thought of them being gone turned his blood cold and he pulled Ren closer against him, nuzzling into the boys smooth black hair  
"You have no idea. I love you so much, you and your brother... you guys are my world"  
"Mum, you're squashing me"  
"Sorry baby. Let's go do this shopping and then we can go get your brother"  
Wandering around the supermarket, Eren chucked the few things they needed in. Ren sat in the trolley, the boy was happily chatting away on the phone to Armin's grandfather. Apparently the man wanted batteries, duct tape and sausages. Eren bit back his retort about the items being from a bad horror movie. Walking down the stationary isle, he paused to look at envelopes, he hadn't thought to ask Levi if they were expected to provide their own envelopes, grabbing a packet, he tossed them in, before grabbing a nice notepad. He knew he was procrastinating, and he knew he'd built all this up in his head, but now that he had he didn't know how to free himself from the thoughts. Ren was still chatting to Armin's grandfather while Eren paid for everything. The omega opted to swing by the donut shop and pick up 2 dozen mixed flavours, and then picked up Italian for dinner, making sure to order enough for the Arlert's as a thankyou, and placed a seperate order for Hannes. He really wouldn't be surprised if the man was still asleep.

 

*  
Arriving back at the Arlert's, Eren gathered up dinner and the bag of shopping, before letting Ren run ahead and open the door for him. The house was almost suspiciously quiet, and he padded through to the kitchen. Eli was sitting at the table with his face in his hands, and Armin's grandfather was once again tinkering at something   
"Hey guys, did you have a good day?"  
Eli perked up immediately, a smile came across his face, before dropping just as fast as it had appeared  
"You didn't have a good day?"  
"He has something he wants to say to you, but seems to be a bit shy about doing it"  
"Well, how about Eli and I go into the living room, and Ren, you can tell grandpa what I bought us all for dinner"  
"Eren you didn't have to"  
"It's fine, it's been ages since we've sat down and had a family dinner, besides, it's also to thank you for taking Eli"  
Armin's grandfather looked to the bag  
"It's iyaliian"  
"Ren, its Italian..."  
"Yeah, that one"  
Armin's grandfather pushed back his chair  
"Why didn't you say so sooner?"  
Eli slid from the chair silently, and started towards the living room, leaving Eren to follow in his wake.

Sitting on the sofa next to Eren, slid picked at the fabric of his pants  
"What did you want to tell me baby?"  
Eli opened his mouth, before closing it and shaking his head  
"Did I do something else wrong?"  
Eli shook his head   
"Did you do something wrong?"  
There was a pause before Eli nodded  
"It's alright, you can tell me baby"  
The boys voice was low and his words mumbled  
"I'm sorry I said I hate you. I don't hate you..."  
"I know you don't hate me baby. But I know you really miss daddy. I miss him too, that's why I feel like this is all my fault"  
"But you said it was"  
"I did, but that's because I have a terrible habit of blaming myself for everything"  
Eli nodded, his whole body seemed to be shaking, so Eren lifted him into his lap, before wrapping his arms around him  
"I love you baby. I always will"  
"Even though I said you couldn't come"  
"Yeah, that really hurt mummy's feelings, but I understand"  
"I just want daddy to see it"  
"I know baby"  
"You can come if you want too"  
"I would love to baby. Now, Ren has really missed you today, why don't you go talk to him. I'm going to go see your uncle Armin"  
"Alright mum"

With Eli off in the kitchen, Eren headed upstairs and into Armin's room. His friend was lost I concentration at his desk, so Eren plonked himself down on his friends bed and waited. It was a good 10 minutes before Armin finally noticed he was there. His friend let out a yelp, and Eren couldn't help but laugh  
"Jesus Eren! What the hell man?"  
"Consider it revenge. Dinners ready"  
"Oh... what's for tea?"  
"Italian. I picked some up while I was in Trost"  
Armin nodded as he closed his notebook  
"That sounds soooo good. Did you talk to Eli?"  
"Yep. He apologised and said I was allowed to see the play"  
"That's good. It was weird seeming he so quiet"  
"If they're quiet, that means you have to worry. I swear he and Ren are always scheming something"  
"You say that, but we both know you wouldn't change them"  
Eren nodded, still smiling   
"Yeah, they've had me wrapped around their little fingers since day..."  
His words were stopped by Armin face palming   
"Are you alright?"  
"Yes, but I totally kept forgiving to give this to you"  
Opening the draw of his desk, Armin pulled out a thick envelope of photos   
"What's this?"  
"It's all the photos of the twins I could find from before they turned two"  
"What... you still had them?"  
"Yeah, they were buried in my laptop. There's some with Carla in them"  
Eren's hands shook. He didn't know what to do or say. He'd thought any photos of the boys were gone forever  
"Eren? Are you alright?"  
Nodding, he wiped the tears that were forming away  
"Y-yeah... thank you Armin. You have no idea how much this means to me"  
"Well, you should thank Levi. He wanted to know all about the boys"  
Levi. Fuck  
"Come on, lets go get dinner"  
Armin grabbed his arm and pulled him off the bed, giving him a long hug before realising him  
"Thanks Armin"  
"You've already thanked me, now feed me!"  
Snorting lightly, Eren followed his friend down and into the kitchen. Ren and Eli were sitting at the table, whispering conspiringly   
"Did you two wash your hands?"  
"They did. You bought way too much food"  
"Well some of its for Hannes, he had a rough night"  
"With that tractor driver right?"  
Drawing his brow, Eren eyed the man in confusion  
"You've been living in Trost too long. Everyone knows what happens around here"  
"I just wasn't expecting it... do you know if he's alright?"  
Armin's grandfather let out a sigh  
"He died. Coded during the flight to Trost, apparently a clot formed and ruptured in his brain"  
"Fuck... I should be there for Hannes..."  
"I think he probably just wants to be alone for a while"  
Eren said a mental prayer for Hannes, hopefully the man hadn't drunk himself senseless to numb the pain.

Arriving home, Eren found that Hannes had done just that. The smell of alcohol had his stomach clenching in fear. He knew it wasn't Grisha, but he couldn't help but be afraid  
"Mummy, why's Hannes asleep on the sofa?"  
"Because he's had a long day, a bit like you two. Come on, let's go brush our teeth and I'll read you a story before bed"  
Both boys nodded, before carefully sneaking through the living area and down the hall to the bathroom. It was a little over an hour before the boys finally fell asleep. Eren tucked them both in, and turned the nightlight on, before heading out to deal with Hannes.

"Hannes, come on, you've got to wake up for me"  
Shaking Hannes's shoulder, Eren fought back the panic that threatened to bubble up. It seemed like dozens of beer bottles were scattered across the living room floor, and the man stank of alcohol and sweat  
"Hannes! Please!"  
"... ngh... fuck off, I'm sleeping"  
He couldn't deal with this. Leaving Hannes on the sofa, he started cleaning up the living room, tears streaming down his face as he did. He didn't want to he scared of Hannes, but he was. He still had tears in his eyes as he pulled off the man's boots and placed a blanket over him. He knew he was being paranoid but he felt the like the stench of alcohol seemed to follow him, unable to take it, he scrubbed himself red, scolding himself as he did. Hannes wouldn't hurt him... Hannes wasn't his father.

Retreating to his room with his notepad, he started penning his letter to Levi. He was feeling so many stupid and confusing things, and needed to get them out. He didn't know if he'd actually send it to Levi, but he could always throw it out if it was too bad  
"Dear Levi,  
I'm sorry for not writing earlier, to be honest, I was scared. I mean, last time we talked, I was sick and upset. I know you meant well and all, but I didn't want to keep talking about it. But it's funny, here I am balling my eyes out and I'm finally writing to you. Nothing happened here, that's not why I'm writing. It's just, Hannes had a patient die and I'm hiding in my room because he's passed out in the living room and I'm scared he's going to hurt me, which is stupid because Hannes wouldn't hurt me. I feel so stupid. Maybe it's because Eli told me he hated me. He heard me telling Hannes it was my fault you aren't here and he doesn't know how to deal with his feelings over it. They're having a school play and he didn't want me to go because you weren't here. I'm trying to keep going, and some days are better than others, but it's like I can't remember how to live without. Which probably sounds really pathetic. I miss you so much. I gave your address to Izzy, but it was selfish. I was scared to write to you incase you sent the the letter back... but right now I really need you.

As for school, it's still the same. I go to class, I cheer for a team of idiots. Without Reiner and Bertholdt the team is hopeless almost to the point of being embarrassing. Us cheerleaders could do better. Um. Oh. Armin finally gave me those photos you asked about. I can't believe they still exist. The boys were so tiny and helpless, but so perfect. Fuck. You aren't going to be able to read this, I'm sorry for all the tears. I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm sorry for rambling. I just miss you and I love you.  
Your Princess"

Placing the notepad down, he curled around Levi's pillow. It didn't even smell like the alpha anymore, and he began to panic when he realised he couldn't remember Levi's smell. He knew the alpha smelt like the forest, but it wasn't the same. Slowly but surely his sobs faded away and he fell into a fitful sleep.

In his dream he was walking through the house. He didn't know how he knew but he knew Levi was waiting for him, but no matter how hard he looked he couldn't find his alpha. He was walking back through the house and he could feel his heart racing in terror. Stepping into the living room, he looked to the kitchen. Levi was standing there, but Grisha was behind him. The same knife the alpha had used was at his alpha's throat, but Levi was smiling. Desperately begging his father not to do it, the man ignored him. Eren was screaming as Levi's warm blood sprayed across him, the alpha falling with the same smile still on his face. He was so scared. So confused. And so alone. 

He woke screaming, his whole body drenched in sweat, tears poured down his face and he screamed into the he was still clutching tight  
"Eren!"  
Hannes's voice scared him further. Scrambling off the bed, he curled into a ball, his chest heaved as he tried to breathe  
"Mum?"  
Shaking his head, he wanted to tell his son to stay away. His chest was so tight, it hurt so badly to breathe   
"Eren?"  
Watching the man approach, Eren flinched away, trying to disappear through the wall. His stomach wound, though long healed, throbbed painfully and he couldn't stop himself as he threw up on his legs   
"Boys, go back to bed"  
"But mums upset"  
"He's had a bad dream. I'll make sure he's alright"  
"But..."  
"It's alright. Go back to bed"  
The boys must have gone, as a few seconds later, Hannes's hands were on his face. The smell of alcohol caused him to whimper  
"D-don't hurt me..."  
"I'm not going to hurt you"  
Eren shook his head, he was lying. Hannes was lying to him...  
"Come on, let's get you cleaned up and then you can tell me about it"  
Hannes's hands moved to his wrists, the man pulling gently, but it only served to freak him out further  
"Let me go... please... I'll do anything but don't hurt the boys..."  
He didn't even know what was coming out his mouth anymore. He couldn't stop shaking and he couldn't calm. Black dots danced across his vision and he couldn't fight against them  
"Deep breaths, you can do it"  
"L-let m-me g-go"  
The pressure on his wrists disappeared and he felt the tiniest bit safer for it   
"I'll go make you some tea. Take your time"

It took him nearly 2 hours to calm back down. Completely exhausted and having showered yet again, he was too embarrassed to face Hannes. Instead he crawled back into bed, barely falling back to sleep before his alarm went off.


	45. Chapter 45

"Ackerman! You've got mail"  
Trying to hide his happiness, Levi limped towards where Shadis was standing with a thick yellow envelope in his hand. His excitement fell, and instead he became confused  
"Thank you, sir!"  
Shadis passed the envelope over  
"Ackerman! What's wrong with your ankle?"  
"Nothing sir! Nothing that won't heal its self!"  
"See that it does!"  
"Yes sir!"  
Limping up the slope towards the barracks, Levi bit down a groan. He'd landed badly when he'd jumped from the sheer wall, but his pride wasn't going to stop him. Sure his ankle stung like a bitch, but the support and padding of his boot was keeping it stable.

Once inside his bunkhouse, Levi climbed up to his bunk and flopped down. They now had half an hour of free time before dinner. Most students used this time to shower, but he didn't particularly feel like facing the annoying shits in his squad. The situation with Mike was still annoying, the boy was now the lackey of the 3 dickheads that had tormented him and pushed him in the pool. As frustrating as it was, Levi just kept reminding himself he'd be out of here soon. 7 weeks. 7 weeks and he'd finally be free  
"Yo Levi! Got a love letter from your missus?"  
Rolling his eyes at Eld's comment, the alpha groaned as he rolled over   
"I don't know, I suppose I'll have to open it and find out"  
Sliding his finger into the envelope, he tore the paper easily enough and soon found out why it was so big. There were 6 self addressed envelopes, each stamped and ready to be used, as well as a photo, a sketch from his boys and a crumpled letter. His heart ached, he could almost feel the pain behind it. Putting the letter aside, he picked up the photo first, a small sad smile appearing on his lips. It was Eren and Carla, with the twins. This couldn't have been taken that long after birth, the omegas stomach was still slightly distended from pregnancy, and although Eren looked exhausted, he looked so damn happy. His eyes practically shone with love as he looked down to the two tiny boys in his eyes. Fuck... they were beautiful. What he wouldn't give to hand been there   
"Hey Eld, wanna see something?"  
He couldn't help wanting to brag a little. He'd missed his chance all those years ago, but that didn't mean he had to miss it now  
"Do I want to see?"  
Hanging over the edge of his bunk, he passed the photo carefully to his friend  
"Holy fuck. Is that Eren? Shit man, he looks like a little kid"  
"He was 13. That's him, his mum Carla and the twins"  
"Damn. 13 and twins. You never told me you were Wolfblood, or is he?"  
"We both are. Don't they look so perfect"  
"Yeah. Sure. Here"  
Eld passed the photo back, and Levi slipped it into his pillow slip with the others  
"13, geez, you two started young"  
"He was my first crush. I was minding my own business and this brat with the most amazing green eyes turns up..."  
"I never took you for a love at first sight kind of guy"  
"Eren's special"  
"Here that! His boyfriends spethial!"  
There conversation was interrupted by Mike's voice. Levi swallowed down his anger. He wasn't going to hit a 12 year old  
"Look! He doesn't deny it either!"  
The three idiots must have been showering and arrived to stand behind Mike  
"What's that little Mikey?"  
"Levi's omega is retarded. Levi just said so"  
"Is that that hot number that was here on open day. I wouldn't mind getting up and between those legs"  
"Yeah, but would you want to? Who knows what kind of diseases he's got"  
"Do you think he's really had sex? I mean Levi's pretty short in stature, the kids probably still a virgin"  
Mike shook his head  
"He's got kids. He's totally easy"  
"Holy fuck! He was desperate enough to let someone knock..."  
The teens final words never came. In a blind fury, Levi threw himself off the bunk and was on the teen before the guy knew what happened  
"Don't fucking talk about Eren like that!"  
It felt incredibly good to punch the teen in the face and once he started, it turned into a full on brawl. All the anger, frustration and pent up desires that had been suppressed exploded, and the alpha's gave into their secondary dynamics. Not caring who he was hitting, Levi couldn't stop himself. They deserved it after all. But 2 against 3, wasn't exactly fair, and when the rest of the group joined in, Levi found himself in trouble. A firm arm had snaked around his neck, and he was being choked from behind. He kicked and clawed, while snarls poured from his throat. Eld was on the ground, the teen had dragged himself up against his bunk, but his face was a bloody mess. Angered further, Levi slid his hand back, groping for a second before finding what he was looking for and striking back as hard as he could. The teens arm left his throat immediately and the alpha collapsed cradling his bruised bits.  
"Ackerman!"  
Everything came to a halt with just that one word and Levi landed painfully on his knees while gasping for breath  
"What in blue blazes is happening here!"  
Glaring up at Shadis, Levi tried form the words. His throat felt like some had stuffed sandpaper down it, and his tongue felt thick and heavy. All he could do was hold his throat as he shook his head  
"Jinn!"  
Eld stumbled to his feet  
"Sir!"  
The word was mumbled, probably because of his clearly broken nose  
"Get your arses to the infirmary. The rest of you, I expect this place spotless within the next 20 minutes. Then outside. You're going to run the course until someone feels like explaining what I walked into"  
Looping his arm around Eld's waist, Levi staggered with his friend towards the infirmary   
"Sorry..."  
Fuck, it hurt to breathe, let alone talk  
Eld shook his head  
"It was all fun and games until this"  
"I shouldn't have lost my cool"  
"Mike should have known better than to start you off. No one fucks with and alpha that's bonded to his omega"  
Levi nodded, he readjusted his hold on Eld and they continued on to the main building.

This was Levi's second visit to the infirmary. The first had been on admission, they'd taken all his stats for their personal records and a photo. Returning here wasn't totally unpleasant, the place was at least clean   
"Can I help you?"  
Both teens jumped at the voice behind them. Not looking back though, Levi guided Eld to the nearest bed and helped him sit down  
"My friends nose was broken"  
The nurse let out a sigh  
"This is what happens when teens lack discipline"  
Levi's eyes narrowed, but Eld placed a hand on his arm  
"We were roughhousing and it got out of hand. My friend Levi here was choked from behind"  
The nurse sighed again  
"Go take a seat over on the bed"  
Hobbling over to the next bed, Levi practically collapsed back on it. He didn't know why, but laughter began to bubble up and he couldn't stop himself. 

Eld was lucky his nose wasn't badly broken, the nurse set it in place, before giving him a dose of pain meds and within 10 minutes, the teen was snoring loudly  
"How are you feeling?"  
Now is heart had stopped pounding, Levi just felt tired, but his throat hurt every time he swallowed  
"I'm fine"  
"And your throat"  
"Sore"  
The nurse busied herself with another needle and Levi cringed at the thought of it  
"Just something to take the pain away. We have to monitor you over night incase your throat swells and cuts your oxygen supply"  
Levi glared at the woman, but sat still as she jabbed him  
"There, all done"  
Rubbing the site, Levi moved to lay back on the bed. He didn't regret standing up for Eren's name, but it was fucking shit that he and Eld were the ones in the infirmary.

 

*  
Levi wasn't sure what woke him. Eld was still snoring and the main light had been replaced with light from a single lamp. Closing his eyes, he tried to fall back asleep, but the squeak on the floor told him he wasn't the only one awake. Staying perfectly still, he opened his eyes just enough to see. A small figure was creeping through the infirmary, and Levi's heart sank with the realisation it was Mike   
"I'm sorry Levi, but I have to do this"  
The kids words were mumbled, and the drugs in Levi's system stopped him from reacting as fast as he should have. The kid was holding a small pocket knife, and he swung down, Levi went to dodge to the right. The blade still connected and he snarled as pain flared through his shoulder. With his heart racing, and his body spurred into action, seemingly now deciding it was time to ignore the drugs, Levi ripped the blade from his shoulder and flung it across the room, before rising and glaring down at Mike in fury. The kids pyjamas grew dark around his crotch, and the smell of piss reached Levi's nose  
"I'm sorry! They said if I didn't take care of you, they'd do the same to me!"  
Mike sank to the ground, the kid sobbing as he did  
"And that makes this alright! Why didn't you fucking tell Shadis!? I've been nothing but fucking nice to you! Eren was fucking nice to you! And now you go and pull this fucking shit!"  
"You don't understand! You don't know what those boys are like!"  
"I understand fucking plenty! And unlike you, I don't sell out or mock my fucking friends"  
The smell of the blood running across his hand, had him swaying slightly. Stumbling back, he landed on the bed. It fucking hurt. His alpha side wanted to tear the kids to shreds. Instead he used his right hand to reach for the call button, smearing blood across it as he did. He couldn't believe how much one small stab wound hurt. Eren must have had a huge tolerance when it came to pain, there was no way he could have called for help and then called to leave that kind of message, not when this pissy little wound had him whimpering like a bitch.

"Oh for fucks sake!"  
The nurse finally appeared, her hair piled up in a messy bun, and Levi tried to ignore the fact that her buttons weren't done up properly. Someone had been getting some...  
"What the fuck is this!"  
Rushing past Mike, she yanked Levi's hand off the wound  
"You've been stabbed. Keep pressure on it while I call for an ambulance"  
He was keeping fucking pressure on it, biting down a snarl, he pushed his right hand against the wound, while the woman whisper yelled into the phone. A few moments later, she rummaged through the draws beside her desk, and then came at him with a large wad of gauze  
"Lift your hand"  
He lifted it enough for her to stuff the gauze against the wound   
"What happened?"  
She looked to Mike, the kid was still crying on the floor  
"Don't blame him. He was bullied into it"  
"Like I care. Shadis needs to be notified immediately"  
Returning to her desk, the woman was once again whisper yelling into the phone. She didn't seem happy at all that she actually had to do some real work. Casting a look at Eld, he snorted at the fact his friend was still asleep.

An hour later, he was finally in the back of an ambulance, headed to Trost. Shadis had found one of the teachers to travel with him, but Levi didn't know the man. He supposed he must teach the students that stayed on after the boot camp. If he didn't have Eren, he'd definitely consider it, but all he wanted was to see his omega and be home away from all this shit.

 

*  
Eren hadn't talked to Hannes properly since that night. He just felt embarrassed about it all and he couldn't stop the burning that crossed his face every time he thought about it. Hannes now wanted him to go to counselling, but Eren had already figured out it was the man's drunken state that had set him off, and figured if he could just avoid the trigger, things would settle down.

Given it was Saturday, the teen was laying in bed with the twins. The boys had snuck into his bed during the night, and both were peacefully asleep. Their faces looked so sweet and innocent, that he couldn't help but want to watch over them. His perfect morning however was broken by the soft knocking on the door  
"Eren?"  
Letting out a sigh, Eren counted to 5 before sliding out of bed and padding over to the door, cracking it just enough to talk to Hannes  
"What?"  
The man looked a little upset, but he didn't know if that was because of his accidentally harsh tone  
"You need to get dressed, and get the boys dressed. Levi's in hospital. He's fine, but he got stabbed with a pocket knife"

Like a marionette with its strings cut, Eren dropped to the floor  
"He's fine. The wound wasn't deep at all, and he's going back to the camp tomorrow, so if you want to see him, today's the only time"  
Eren had put the lack of last nights phone call down to Levi being busy, he'd told himself that the alpha was fine... pushing himself up, he staggered over to the bed and shook the boys awake  
"Mummy?"  
"Babies, I need you to listen to me. We can go see daddy today, but you have to get dressed right now"  
Both boys were instantly awake, rushing to get off the bed. While Eren forced himself to find something to wear. He grabbed the first shirt his fingers touched, and a same for his skirt. He hadn't actually meant to grab a skirt, he'd bought those for alone times with Levi... but he couldn't think enough to hang it back up and chose something else. He was ready in under 3 minutes, and rushing to practically force his sons into their clothes. Given they didn't have time to eat, well they probably did, but he was way too panicked, he grabbed the boys each and apple and was racing towards the ute before he realised that Hannes was still getting ready. His annoyance was high as the man took his sweet time. How could Hannes be so fucking calm. This was Levi! His alpha, the father of his children... forcing himself to bite his tongue, the buried his face in Ren's hair, until Hannes finally climbed into the drivers seat  
"We ready?"  
"Do we really get to see daddy?"  
"Sure do! He's in Trost"  
"Yay! Will he be coming home with us?"  
"Not today, but he'll be home next month"  
Both boys huffed, but Eren was too on edge to care. He just wanted to get to Levi.

The drive took forever. Eren was sure he had grey hairs by the end of it, and when the hospital finally came into view, his stomach cramped uncomfortably, almost like he was in heat, but Hannes had given him another shot of suppressants so he wouldn't be going into heat until March. Pushing the sensation aside, he scrambled out the car and grabbed Ren out, pulling him onto his hip and holding him as closely as he could  
"Mum? What's wrong?"  
"Daddy got hurt baby, apparently it's not too bad, but you know how much I worry"  
"Yeah, toooooo much. You're going to get wrinkles and all saggy if you worry too much"  
Ignoring Hannes's laugh, Eren shook his head  
"It doesn't work like that"  
"Then why do old people get wrinkly and saggy?"  
Not sure what to say, he passed the question on  
"Why don't you ask daddy when we see him"  
"Ok!"  
Letting Hannes lead, Eren followed the man into the hospital lobby and then over to the enquiries counter. Hannes explained the situation, and the woman looked Levi's room up for them. Eren smiled politely as the woman continued to talk about complete shit. It was about visiting hours, but he totally didn't want to hear it. It felt like his heart was going to explode at any moment and he couldn't stand just standing still. Finally she shut up, and Hannes gave her a wink before walking towards the elevator with a red line leading to it. Eli pushed the up button, and the button for floor 6, once they were inside. The closer they got to Levi, the more Eren was panicking. He didn't want his alpha to be in pain, and of all people knew that being stabbed fucking sucked. Once the doors dinged open, Eli ran ahead, ignoring Eren calling him back.

Levi's room was evident, there was a single man standing guard and Hannes explained he had permission for Eren and the kids to visit. Eli seemed in awe of the man's uniform, but Eren mentally shot him down. He had tremendous respect for everyone who served, but the idea his boys serving scared him something fierce. The officer opened the door and Ren practically jumped from his arms in a rush to get to Levi. Both boys called out "Daddy!" joyously, before attempting to conquer the hospital bed on their own. Crossing the gap quickly, Eren lifted them up before they could disturb the machines around his alpha   
"Hey boys! Hey princess! I didn't know you were coming"  
Both boys didn't give two shits about what Levi was saying, the both wrapped their arms around him, while Eren found himself crying  
"No, I'm alright princess. 'Tis but a flesh wound"  
"You idiot! I was so scared"  
Leaning over the boys, Eren buried his face against Levi's neck as he awkwardly hugged his alpha  
"I'm fine. It really wasn't that deep and nothing important was damaged"  
"Shut up! I don't want to hear it. God... I missed you..."  
Levi snorted  
"I know baby. I missed you too. I got your letter, but I didn't get a chance to read it"  
"That doesn't matter. Nothing matters, I was so scared, but now I'm so relieved"  
Levi nuzzled at side of Eren's face, pressing kisses as he did, while Eren's tears dropped onto his alpha's shoulder   
"I love you"  
"I love you too, princess. Why don't you come around the other side? You can lay against me"  
Eren shook his head  
"I don't want to hurt you"  
"Trust me, your love is the perfect medicine"

Almost timidly, he crept around to Levi's left side, before dropping the bed railing and climbing up. He slid down and curled around Levi, with his head on the alpha's stomach instead of his chest  
"You can't possibly be comfortable"  
"It's fine. Unless you're uncomfortable"  
"No, I'm fine. Hannes, can you grab another blanket, Eren's making me cold just looking at him"  
Eren couldn't help but blush slightly  
"Sorry. I couldn't think straight and just put on the first thing I grabbed"  
"I know, I can tell"  
"How?"  
"Your hairs an adorable mess, the way it is when you've just woken up"  
Feeling slightly self conscious, Eren attempted to flatten his hair  
"Leave it princess, its fine. It's perfect. You're perfect"  
Burying his face against Levi's chest, he felt Hannes place the blanket over him. Levi's smell filled his senses and calmed his fear. Yes his alpha smelt hurt, but it was only faintly, and there was no smell of pain or sadness. Pressing kisses to Levi's belly, he listened as the boys competed with each other to tell daddy what had been happening. The idea that he could have lost this left him feeling cold. He couldn't live without Levi.

Letting himself doze off and on, Eren stayed by Levi's side. Even when Hannes took the boys to get lunch, Eren refused to leave. He was scared Levi would get himself into trouble without him around  
"Princess, why don't you come up here so I can talk to you"  
"But I don't want to hurt you"  
"And you won't. Trust me. Now come up here, you haven't even given me a proper kiss"

Instead of climbing off the bed, Eren moved to straddle Levi's lap, before continuing to Levi's other side, and sliding up to place his head on the alpha's shoulder   
"Mmmm, thanks for the peep show"  
"Peep show?"  
"You're in a skirt remember"  
Eren couldn't help the mortified groan that escaped his lips. Reaching across his alpha, he grabbed the blanket from before and used it to cover himself   
"Damn, I shouldn't have said anything"  
"I'm not going to kiss you if you keep teasing me"  
Levi moved to look at him, the alpha's look bordering on scandalised   
"How can you say such things?"  
"Easily. You're the one who gave me a heart attack. I was so fucking scared... it hasn't helped that things haven't been great at home"  
Levi sighed  
"Eren, close your mouth for a moment"  
Wondering if maybe he'd made his alpha mad, Eren obeyed, but a soft sweet kiss was pressed to his lip and he couldn't help but deepen it. Eventually Levi broke the kiss, and Eren felt a shiver run through him. No. He couldn't just jump his alpha. Levi was probably feeling shit, especially given how much being stabbed fucking hurt  
"Mmmm, I missed this so much"  
"I missed you too..."  
"I can tell. So what's this about things not being great at home?"  
Eren shook his head  
"It's not important. You on the other hand are. How did you get stabbed? I couldn't ask with the boys around, but you can tell me now... because it's just us..."  
His words faltered, he sounded so pathetically desperate to hear Levi's explanations   
"Mike stabbed me"  
Eren tensed, he hadn't expected that   
"You know how he was handing with the other boys, the ones who were picking on him?"  
"Yeah..."  
"Well tonight when I got your letter, I was explaining to Eld about the twins. Mike was trying to be cool, and started making fun of both us. But then the other boys showed up and joined in. I can take them talking shit about me, but never about you. I lost my cool"  
"Leeeeeevi...."  
He drew the alpha's name out in a long whine  
"I know. I know. Anyway... Eld and I ended up in the infirmary, and the nurse is a total cow by the way... and anyway, I don't know why I woke up, but Mike was creeping around. He said the boys had told him it was me or him, but I think they wanted him to get caught so they could pin it all on him"  
Eren nuzzled against Levi's neck, his whole body was shaking with anger. How dare they fuck with his family   
"Eren?"  
Eren shook his head  
"Sorry... I'm just so fucking angry"  
Levi snorted  
"I was too. It hurt like a bitch when it happened. I have no idea how you remained calm enough to call for help and then call me"  
"I... I just need you to know that I love you and I knew you'd be an amazing dad"  
"I pale in comparison when it comes to you"  
Once again, Eren shook his head. His hand slid across Levi's stomach, and down to take the alpha's hand   
"I told you mine, will you tell me yours?"  
"I... I had a panic attack or something the other night and since then things have been weird between me and Hannes"  
"What do you mean you had a panic attack? What happened?"  
"Hannes had a patient that died and he got rolling drunk..."

 

*  
The moment Eren started with   
"Hannes had a patient that died and he got rolling drunk", Levi was on edge. He had a horrible feeling he knew where this was going, despite hoping otherwise  
"... I came home and found bottles across the living room floor, and the house stank of beer. I was so scared and I know it's stupid, but I was scared he was going to hurt me. I tried to wake him, but he told me to fuck off, so I started cleaning the house. But..."  
Eren was as stiff as a board, the omega was struggling with his worlds and small sniffles filled the gap in his sentences   
"It's ok... take your time. It's not stupid and you couldn't help it"  
"I feel stupid though. I had a nightmare. Grisha slit... slit your throat and you were smiling"  
Shit. Eren would probably be blaming himself some how for his current state. He could imagine how worked up Eren would be over it all, and he pressed kisses to his omegas forehead in an attempt to calm him  
"It's alright. I'm alright. It was just a dream"  
"It felt really fucking real. I woke up screaming... I woke everyone else up too. Hannes, he was trying to calm me, but he still smelt of alcohol..."  
Eren's sentence trailed off, ending with a small sad sigh  
"And he set you off even worse. Princess, I'm sorry I wasn't there"  
Eren didn't reply, but he did squirm impossibly closer  
"Levi, I don't know if I can do this without you"  
"You make it sound like I'll be gone forever. When I get home, I'm going to fuck all these stupid thoughts out of your head"  
His words had the desired effect. Eren blushed bright red and his green eyes were impossibly wide  
"Levi! I'm trying to be serious!"  
"So am I. You have all these bad thoughts, and you worry about everyone so much. Like this, I bet you're worried about how to talk to Hannes"  
"Maybe... but you didn't see me Levi... it was so bad"  
His heart ached for his boyfriend, he almost wished Mike had done a better job, that way he wouldn't have to go back. Before he could reply, the boys and Hannes returned.

"Daddy! We have food!"  
Trying to keep his hold on Eren, Levi shifted in his bed  
"I'll get off and help the boys back up"  
"Eren..."  
Eren shook his head, before sliding from the bed and moving to lift Eli up first  
"Sooo, what have we got?"  
"Gravy fries!"  
Eli grinned happily as he raised a fry, the small boy didn't give him a chanced before trying to stick the fry in his mouth   
"Uh, thanks Eli"  
The boy was cleared proud of himself, and had seemed to think it his job to feed him. Even when Eren places Ren up on the bed, his son didn't stop  
"I think I'm going to get something to drink... I'll be back soon"  
Eren cast him such a sad look before heading out the door, and if he didn't have both boys on his lap, he would have gone after his omega. It was like he could hear Eren mentally apologising  
"He's been like that since the other night. He had the holy mother of a nightmare and he'd been off since"  
"That's because he was terrified of you, and now doesn't know how to make things better"  
Hannes looked to him with a frown  
"Scared of me? I mean, he pulled away, but I didn't know it was because of me specifically"  
Levi nodded, if Eren wasn't going to tell Hannes, he was  
"It was the alcohol, it acted as a trigger. Apparently he tried to wake you up, but you told him to fuck off. He's now got it in his head that you're upset and even though he knows you won't hurt him, he can't help being scared you will"  
"Fuck. I had a patient die. We thought it was just a compound fracture, but he threw a clot. I knew the guy. Tough as old boots, never came to hospital if he could help it"  
"I'm sorry your friend died"  
He really wanted to continue with "... but you're living with my omega, who's scared and struggling right now and you some how think it's alright to get drunk?", but he didn't. Hannes looked genuinely hurt over the fact he was the one who upset Eren  
"Thanks. Will you be alright with the boys, while I go check on Eren?"  
"I think I'm being fed, so it's great. Don't come back until you two have talked properly. But I don't want him in tears"  
Hannes shot him a half grin and a nod, before leaving.

Eli fed him a few more fries before stopping. His sons had told him all about the Christmas play they were putting on. It was a kind of butchered version of the wizard of oz, or at least that's what he figured from the boys jumping explanation. Both boys had begged him to be there, but it was on the 22nd, which meant there was no way. Despite their disappointment, Ren had been the first to smile again, assuring him that it was alright. The boy smiling even though his eyes looked so sad. This only served to anger him further, before everyone had arrived, he'd been cursing Kenny, now he was cursing him triply so.


	46. Chapter 46

Leaving Levi behind in the hospital bed all alone had physically hurt. His omega side was going crazy with the need to be by the alpha's side, but they just couldn't. They'd stayed as long as possible, but the boys were tired and it was evident Levi was just as sleepy. Eren had gently kissed his alpha's soft thin lips one last time, before Hannes had to physically drag him from the room. Levi had spilled his secret fear to the man, and he wasn't sure if he was relieved or not. He hadn't wanted to hurt Hannes, but pushing him away was hurting them both... thanks to the alpha's meddling Hannes had come and found him to apologise. It wasn't like he'd gone very far, just to the vending machine at the end of the hall. Hannes's apology made him feel shitty, his legal guardian was awkwardly apologising for something he no clue over. When Hannes was finished, the look the man gave him clearly said "just forgive me already, I'm floundering here". 

It had been a week since then and Eren had received one new letter. His alpha had been placed into the camps version of solidarity confinement, which was complete and total bullshit. Levi wasn't allowed to talk to anyone at the camp, he wasn't allowed to go anywhere unsupervised. The only reason Levi had been able to send him a letter was because it was basically telling him he couldn't send anymore for the time being or call. As much as it sucked, deep down he grateful Levi was away from the ones who'd instigated this whole mess, and that his time at the boot camp hadn't been extended.

The next few weeks passed excruciatingly slowly. Christmas was well and truly in the air, and Eren found himself more and more depressed that his alpha wouldn't be home for it, the boys had made gifts for him and Levi, Eren had carefully wrapped and placed Levi's gifts away, he still needed to shop for everyone. He still intended to gift his friend keys to the house, as well as Izzy. He figured the pair only needed on key, there was no way Izzy and Farlan were breaking up anytime soon. But other than that, he really wasn't sure and he wasn't sure if he should shop for Levi's presents to the boys, or if his alpha wanted to wait. 

Before he knew what had happened, it was the 22nd. The boys play started at 5, so Eren spent the day shopping for presents. It was complete and total chaos, the only relieving factor was that they were having Christmas lunch and dinner with the Arlert family, so he didn't have to do food shopping for that. He opted to say everything was from the both of them, Levi could buy individual presents later if he wanted. The boys were getting a huge supply of art supplies, Disney pop-up books, more DVDs, a low bookcase for said DVDs and a whole heap of Lego. He forced himself not to buy anymore soft toys. They boys beds were covered with them to the point it looked like they were mini-hoarders. For Mikasa, he was gifting her a new red scarf to replace the one he'd given her when they were kids, and Armin was getting a thick pictorial dictionary on ancient symbols and ancient religions. Grandpa's gift from the boys was a new set of tools and a toolbox. It was mostly to save the man's more expensive tools from their hands. Eren's gift to him was paying the man's Netflix subscription for the next year. The man had a whole heap of shows on the go, and Eren couldn't let him fall behind.

Locking everything away in the cab of the ute, Eren tugged down his new dress as he started towards the twins daycare. He was half an hour early, but other parents were already there, so he figured it would be alright. Letting himself into the yard, he ignored the whispers and stares. They probably thought he was someone's big brother, not their mother. Or perhaps they just hated the fact he was wearing a blue sundress, even though it was cold as fuck and he was a guy. Finally escaping into the foyer of the daycare, he was presented with a program and told to head on through. He's thought about inviting the Arlert's and Hannes, but given the boys had wanted Levi to be there, it seemed a little cruel for everyone but Levi to be. Inside the main room of the daycare, the dividing concertina curtain had been pushed to one side and a stage had been made. The backdrop had been obviously painted by the kids, it was adorably bad, like he was sure the play would be.

It was bad. Not even adorably bad. Eren might have been slightly biased, but the twins were the only good bit. They were supposed to be the witches henchmen, but got into a fight over who was supposed to be on which side and Ren kicked Eli in the shin. Eli promptly kicked Ren back and then there both evicted from the stage by the daycare worker who was playing the witch. More than one person turned to look at him as he couldn't help but laugh over his boys.

After the play, the day care did awards for the stupid little things and every kid got an award. The boys got awards for dressing nicely, and Eren supposed that was something. It was only 7:30 when things began to wind down, and the two boys came running to find him  
"Mummy! Mum, did you see us?"  
Eren snorted as he caught them  
"I did baby. You probably shouldn't have kicked each other"  
"But Eli was supposed to be on the left and I was supposed to be on the riiiight"  
"No! I was supposed to be on the right"  
Eren could tell both boys were exhausted, hence their sniping at each other   
"How about we get McDonald's on the way home?"  
"Really?"  
Eren nodded, he stood carefully, once again pulling his dress down as he carried the boys towards the door. He was nearly free when some old woman stopped him, her hand grabbing his arm unexpectedly made him jump  
"Sorry, can I help you?"  
The woman looked him up and down  
"It's such a shame a nice young man like you is in a dress. Have you no shame?"  
Both boys instantly went into protective mode as he tensed  
"I'm sorry you feel that way"  
"Mum...?"  
The woman's eyes narrowed  
"You're not their older brother?"  
"No. I'm their mother"  
"Such a disgrace..."  
Biting his lip, Eren forced himself out the door and towards the car. That woman had no fucking right... but maybe he was stupid for buying a new dress and trying to look nice for his boys. He shifted the presents into the tray of the ute, before lifting both boys up into the cab  
"Seatbelts and then we can finally get food"  
Ren and Eli both yawned as the slowly fumbled with their belts and Eren fished his stuff out his pockets before climbing into the ute and closing the door a tad too hard. Ren stared up at him in confusion  
"Mum, are you sad because of that lady?"  
Eren shook his head, before fumbling to get his keys in the ignition   
"No baby"  
"Good. 'cause I think you look pretty"  
"Really baby?  
"Yeah. You're much prettier than she was"  
Eren opened and closed his mouth, before shaking his head. He didn't know how he was supply to reply to that logic.

Picking up Happy Meals for the boys, and a quarter pounder for himself, the boys were happy to eat quietly while he drove. He couldn't get the woman's words out of his mind, no matter how hard he tried. 

When he finally arrived home, the first thing he noticed was Hannes sitting on the front steps smoking. He so didn't feel like peopling, but Hannes could take the boys through to their room while he carried all the presents in. His boys stumbled the moment that he set them down, they were kind of adorable as they wove their ways over to Hannes, practically walking straight into him   
"I'll take them ahead"  
"Awesome. Thanks"  
It took two trips to carry everything inside and dump the lot in his room. He hadn't gotten anything for Hannes, but that was because all he could think of getting the man was a nice bottle of alcohol, but he was too young.

 

*  
Levi was agitated, the bright red numbers on the alarm clock read 23:53. In less than 10 minutes he'd be turning 18 and it sucked that he was stuck in this shitty tiny room all alone. It wouldn't be the first birthday he'd spent alone, but it was the first one since he knew how good birthdays could be. He'd planned Christmas with Eren and the kids so completely different to this. They'd fall asleep in a tangled mess, but Eren would wake him up super early so they could have a quickie in the shower, before changing the sheets and falling back to sleep until the boys woke them up because Santa had been. They'd spend the morning with the kids, doing the whole present thing and Eren would be dressed in that little red number while he made lunch. Levi would have offered, but the omega would have kicked him out so he wasn't in the way. After lunch, they'd play with the boys, maybe go for a drive, see the Arlert's, that kind of thing. And then come dinner, they'd pick at the leftovers from lunch. The day wouldn't be about him, it would be about the boys, but after the went to sleep, Eren would present him a cup cake. His gorgeous boyfriend would carry it over and present in to him as he straddled his lap. Eren would break the first piece off and feed him, before breaking a piece off for himself and giving him that dazzling cheeky smile as he ate it. It was his quiet little dream, that no one but he knew about. The reality however sucked. He had no money for presents, he was all alone lucky if he even got to call Eren. He was lonely and bitter. Even the photos he had didn't help, if anything they made it worse. 

It was another few hours before he finally fell asleep. Even then his dreams decided that he needed to be reminded of what he'd be missing out on. It was the first wet dream he'd had in as long as he could remember. Eren's body was moving atop him rhythmically, his boyfriends warmth felt so real, as did his omegas whines and mews. He woke to his alarm with his underwear completely soaked and his chest heaving. Fuck.... he missed Eren.

Having made it from his room to the shower, he stood under the lukewarm water trying to calm his still racing heart. He wished he hadn't woken up, but there was no way they'd let him spend the day in bed. There were meals to be made, and a kitchen to be clean. Levi headed back to his room, dressing in his uniform before making sure there was no trace of his morning mess. He'd never hear the end of it if anyone found out.

The mess hall was just as cold usual. There was nothing at all that even hinted it was Christmas. Slipping into the kitchen, Levi moved to wash his hands, and put the blue latex food gloves before walking through to the cool room. The usual catering woman was struggling with a large tray of bacon, and Levi couldn't help but perk up a little  
"Here, let me"  
The woman gave him a nod, and he took the tray with ease  
"If only the boys that came through the wall could be this helpful"  
Levi ducked his head, not sure what to say  
"Go ahead and take that through, then you can come back for the eggs"  
Apparently Christmas did have its perks here after all.

Given he was in "insolation", he was permitted to sit in the kitchen and eat. This too had its advantages. He had first choice when it came to the bacon and eggs. His toast was actually warm as he buttered it, and most importantly, his cup of tea was made with hot water from the kettle, and not the semi-warm shit that flowed from the urns. It didn't even matter that he had dishes for a few hundred people, the dishwasher made short work of it and it gave him something other than brooding to do. In between loading and unloading the dishwasher, the caterer chatted away with him about his family and if he'd be hearing from them today. Levi kind of felt bad for not knowing her name, but being able to gush about his boys and Eren eased a little of his loneliness.

Whatever he had said had the woman bustling around in the back room, while he waited for the load of dishes to come from the dishwasher. Given that the woman had left him alone so suddenly, he was sure he'd said something to hurt her feelings, but soon she called him to the cooler room and he was shocked when the woman pushed a phone into his hand   
"Go on, call this Eren of yours"  
Looking down at the device in his hand, and then back up to the woman he shook his head  
"I couldn't..."  
"You can and you will. I might just be a sentimental old fool who's children are too busy to call her, but having you stay back and help has made this day that much better"  
He was never really a hugging person, but before he really knew what he was doing, his arms were wrapped around the woman   
"Thank you so much... I honestly didn't think I'd be able to call him today"  
"If anyone asks, I'll tell them I have you rearranging the cool room for me"  
Levi nodded as he pulled back  
"I..."  
"It's fine. Go ahead already"

Leaving him alone, Levi's fingers shook as he punched in Eren's number  
"Come on baby, pick up..."  
He was well aware his omega might not answer as he didn't know the number, but he kept repeating himself until finally  
"Hello?"  
"Hey princess, Merry Christmas!"  
"L-Levi?"  
"The one and only"  
"I didn't... I mean how?"  
"I made friends with one of the caterers here and she's letting me use her phone"  
The line went dead, but a moment later Eren was calling him back  
"Everything alright?"  
"Yes, I just didn't want her using her money on the phone bill. God. It's so good to hear your voice"  
"I know, I still can't believe it. I have the stupidest smile on my face right now"  
"You think you look stupid? I literally just ran and jumped on my bed, I'm laying on my stomach and swinging my legs like a teenage girl"  
Levi snorted, he wished he could see it for himself  
"Anyway. Happy Birthday! I'm so happy I could actually wish you a happy birthday. I was scared I couldn't. I sent you a card, but I don't know if you got it or will get it"  
"I haven't yet, but I haven't run into any of the instructors yet"  
"Does that mean your still in solitary?"  
"Yeah, but it's not too bad. This morning was actually alright. It would have been better if I could have been home, but..."  
"Yeah... tell me what happened this morning"  
"Well, first I had a dream about you. And then, for the first time since I got to this shitty place, it was bacon and eggs for breakfast. Because I'm stuck on kitchen duty, there's a million and one plates, but I'd rather be this side of the counter"  
"How's everyone else? I'm assuming not good if you want to be on that side of the counter"  
"Eld and Gunther give me waves, but we can't talk. I don't want them getting into more shit. The three idiots glare at me like it's their fault they got time added..."  
"And Mike?"  
He's quiet, like really quiet. I think he's been shunned by everyone. But the way I look at it, there's only 3 more weeks and then I'm home"  
"Yeah. I can't believe it. I was thinking about bringing the boys to pick you up, but I kind of want to spend some time with you before we get home"  
Levi nodded, he honestly didn't know if he could keep it G rated around the boys. Especially after his dream... just thinking about it had his dick twitching interest and he scolded himself quickly   
"That sounds good... can I talk to them?"  
"Yep, I'll go get them. They're destroying the living room at the moment"  
"Why do you sound so happy about them destroying it"  
"Well, technically they're playing with the Lego we got them. I just said everything was from the both of us. That way if you want to do individual presents or whatever when you get him, you can"  
Levi felt a prang of self hatred at the fact he hadn't got them anything   
"Yeah... thanks for that"  
"I'm going to put you on speaker, Hannes is here too. Don't forget to ask about the school play..."

Levi waited a few seconds before tentatively saying   
"Hey boys!"  
"Daddy!"  
"Dad I miss you!"  
"I miss you guys too. Soooo, tell me what you're doing?"  
"Hannes is helping us build our house with Lego. We didn't know what to build..."  
The boys didn't sound that enthused about building the house, but he could see them happily destroying it later  
"Really. What else have you been doing?"  
"Mum made us waffles for breakfast, we even got to have icecream!"  
"No way!"  
"Have you ever had waffles dad?"  
"I think so..."  
"Mums waffles are awesome"  
"I bet they are. What are you guys doing for lunch?"  
"We're gonna go see grandpa and uncle Armin. Mum says we can't take our Lego with us"  
"That's probably for the best... god, I miss you both so much"  
"We miss you too daddy... when are you coming home?"  
"Three more weeks, and then I'm home for good and I'm never leaving home again"  
"You can't stay home all the time"  
"I can't?"  
"Nope! You're so silly daddy"  
"But why can't I stay home?"  
"Because who's gonna take us to school and pick us up?"  
"Oh, so you want me to take you school?"  
"Mummy always takes us... sometimes Uncle Armin or Aunty Mikasa will come with us, but that's not very often"  
"I see... maybe I could be persuaded to take you to school, but only if you give me big hugs"  
"Do we have to give you kisses"  
"If you want to"  
"Fiiiine..."  
Levi let out a long breath. 3 weeks suddenly seemed a lifetime   
"Oh, mummy told me you guys had your school play. How was it?"  
"Ren stood in the wrong spot"  
"No, you stood in the wrong spot!"  
Eren's voice came faintly through  
"They kicked each other on stage and were gently herded off"  
"Did you guys really do that?"  
"He started it"  
"I did not"  
"Did too!"  
Oh god, even them fighting was adorable  
"Boys, it doesn't matter now. All that matters is that you had a good time"  
"We did. Mum wore a new dress, but this old woman was really mean to him"  
"Boys, that's enough. No dobbing me into daddy"  
"You're mums right. Today isn't the day for fighting. It's the day for eating too much and regretting it all tomorrow"  
"Are you trying to make me boyfriend fat?"  
Hannes laughed loudly   
"Maybe. He could use some meat on him"  
Or in him... down boy, down   
"I'd still love him if he was too fat to fit out the doorway"  
"Can we not talk about how fat I am. I'm happy with my current weight"  
"Still, I'd love you not matter what princess"  
"I love you too"  
"And we love you daddy!"  
"And daddy loves both of you, very very much"  
It had gone from fighting to a love fest in 3 seconds flat. Tears were starting to form, and Levi didn't want Eren to realise he was about to cry  
"I have to go. But I love you guys"  
"We know. Happy Birthday Levi, and hopefully I hear from you soon"  
"Yeah princess. Hannes, you better be taking care of them all"  
"I am. You take care of yourself and we'll see you real soon"

Ending the call, Levi covered his face with his hand. He missed them so much, but at least he'd heard from them. Taking a breath, he let his hand fall and looked around the cooler room. This place actually could use a good clean... walking from the room, he realised how cold he'd become and put the idea of cleaning the room up out of his mind as he moved to covertly return the woman's phone  
"How are they?"  
"Good. Really good. Thank you so much..."  
"It's fine. Now, I need some help with these potatoes. I know you aren't scheduled to be in here all day..."  
"No. No, it's fine. I haven't seen any of the instructors so I don't actually know where I'm supposed to be"  
The woman smiled, understanding that just because they hadn't found him, didn't mean he couldn't go find them.

Lunch was roast pork, beef, lamb and chicken. He didn't love turkey so he wasn't disappointed to find none. He set about following the woman's instructions with the potatoes, and lost count of how many he'd peeled before the end of them. Shadis came and found him a little before 12. The man seemed shocked that he was still happily working in the kitchen. His "punishment" was that after lunch he was expected to run the 5km in full uniform and with the weighted backpack. He couldn't really call it a punishment. Everyone else would have to run it too, and not having anyone around meant he just concentrate on the feeling of running.

In a lot of way this was his best birthday. He wasn't high. He wasn't drunk. He wasn't in bed with some random stranger who's name he'd forget the moment they disappeared out the door. He had a family who loved him, who were waiting for him... yes it sucked more than words that he couldn't be with Eren and the boys, but he would be soon and that was good enough.


	47. Chapter 47

Today was the day! Today was the day! Today was the day!

Eren was beyond excited, and nervous, and happy, and scared. His heart was racing with anticipation and the morning had been a mess, but that didn't matter. He'd gone out and organised Levi's surprise, and then come home to find the twins awake. He'd swept and mopped the floors, got into a fight with the boys, promptly burst into tears and then baked cookies all within the first 2 hours of being awake... not that he actually slept. In his head he had everything planned, but the boys were upset that they couldn't come pick daddy up... Hannes had told them the previous night that Levi would be coming home tomorrow and trying to tell them he they had to wait at home wasn't working.

This was the first hiccup in his plan.

It was a little after 10 when they arrived at the boot camp. Eren's plans for a slightly naughty trip home had gone out the window and his head was beginning to throb from the lack of sleep. The boys hadn't helped, they'd asked how much further basically every 3 minutes until they finally pulled up at the gate house. Then they'd demanded to know why Levi had been here and Eren was exhausted. Pulling into the parking lot, he sighed as he turned the ignition off and slumped over the wheel   
"Muuuuuum, where is he?"  
"I don't know baby. Wait here while I go find out"  
"No! I want daddy"  
"I know you want daddy, but I have to go find him"  
"You just want dad for your self"  
Yes. Yes he really did. His boy was so touched starved that sex had been all he could think about for the last 2 weeks. Even when he'd tried to have a moment to himself in the shower, the boys had walked in because he was taking too long. He'd tried again after putting the boys to bed, but they decided that night they didn't want to sleep in their own room and Eren was forced to abandon his plan. He was so totally pent up, he was surprised he hadn't exploded for it  
"Just wait here"

Sliding from the cab of the ute, Eren looked across the lawn. There were other kids with their families, and he even caught a glimpse of Mike. The urge to smack the little shit was strong, but he looked away and moved to drop the back of the tray down and sit. Waiting sucked and as it turned out, Levi was one of the last to appear. Eren slid down from the tray, and moved to walk to his alpha. He'd dressed with the intention of finding a back road and having Levi sex him senseless, so was wearing the red dress from his birthday. He also had the gold hoop earrings in, the dior watch on and the bangles. He'd skipped the necklace as he didn't want it getting in the way, but that wasn't going to be a problem now... he could feel the eyes of others on him as he cross to Levi, the alpha grabbed him possessively the moment he was close and their kiss was anything but a simple hello. Eren was panting and shivering by the end of it   
"Fuck you're beautiful"  
The alpha's hands slid to massage his arse and Eren let out a small mew  
"Lets get out of here..."  
God... he needed this... he needed something. The way Levi was looking at him was beyond hungry   
"T-the kids are in the car"  
Levi nodded, a mixture of confusion and frustration graced the alpha's features for a second, before he pulled himself together   
"I couldn't get out the house without them"  
"It's fine. Let's go home?"  
"Y-yeah"  
It didn't sound fine... but Levi kept an arm around him as they walked over to the ute and the alpha hefted the bag with him onto the tray  
"Apparently we get to keep all our clothes and bedding... and I finally got my phone and shit back..."  
"I don't think I've got a charger in the car, but we can just buy one when I get fuel"  
"Can't we go straight home?"  
"Not unless you want to walk. I only get 300kms to a tank"  
"That sucks"  
"Yeah. $80 bucks to fill her and that's all she gives me. Anyway. You better get in, the boys will kill me if you make them wait any longer"  
He meant that in the most literal of senses. His sons both had no off switch when it came to Levi. Rushing from his alpha's side, Eren climbed in first. He needed to compose himself and he couldn't understand why he felt like he'd done something terrible when it came to bring the boys. It was most likely in his head, but... no. Today was the day. He was going to be happy.

The moment Levi climbed into the cab, it was a competition between their sons as to who could tell him everything the loudest and fastest. Their nose did nothing for his headache, but he couldn't scold them just for being happy. Starting the ute, he carefully pulled out the parking lot and finally began towards home.

Levi was clueless, that's all Eren could think. When they'd stopped for fuel the first time, he'd announced that he needed to use the bathroom, and tried to give Levi the hint that he needed to fool around a little and take the edge off. The alpha missed it completely. He was too busy talking to the boys, and Eren felt like a moron as he paid for the fuel, a car charger, and drinks and snacks  
"You were fast"  
Eren rolled his eyes as he hoisted himself into the ute and shoved everything at Levi. There was a reason for that.

During the drive, Levi's hand had made it to his thigh, it wasn't like Levi was massaging or teasing him but that didn't stop Eren from growing slick. So when they'd stopped in Trost for lunch, he thought the alpha might finally take the hint... but he didn't. Instead all he got from Ren was "Why do you have to pee again? Can't you wait until we get home?". After that, he gave up.

Arriving home, the boys dragged Levi into the house before he could say anything. Farlan and Izzy were coming down tomorrow, as we're Armin, Grandpa Arlert and Mikasa. Today was just a family day... but it was like the boys had forgotten they had another family member. Grabbing Levi's bag off the back or the ute, Eren stalked into the house. The twins were already "forcing" Levi to eat cookies as they rushed to show him all the DVDs they had and the Lego. Given he had become practically invisible, Eren carried Levi's bag into their room, before toeing off his flats and grabbing his pyjamas. He couldn't help how upset he was that he'd been discluded. It was petty, but this was part of the reason why he wanted alone time with Levi first. His omega side felt like he'd been rejected, and his eyes were brimming with tears as he closed the bathroom door, double checking that he'd locked it. The last thing he needed was to be sprung crying. He hurriedly stripped himself down, before pulling his hair up into a bun. Why'd he always have to be so stupid? The shower did nothing but leave him more drained. The slick had soaked his underwear and left his thighs a sticky mess, even the dress had slight traces of it across the back and he hoped he hadn't been walking around looking like an idiot, but the little voices in his head head told him he probably had. Nothing about today was going as he'd planned, and with that in mind, he dried and dressed before heading to Hannes's room  
"Eren! I hear Levi's back"  
"He is"  
"And you've been crying"  
"I'm sorry... I just..."  
Sitting carefully on the edge of the man's bed, Eren buried his face in hands  
"I just need a few minutes alone. I'm not really upset, it's just a lot"  
"So you want to hide in here"  
"Yeah. Sorry"  
"Eren, its fine"  
"No it's not, this is your room"  
"We both knew it was only temporary"  
Eren looked to Hannes in confusion  
"You didn't think I was going to stay here forever did you"  
"Well... no... but you make it seem like you're leaving right now"  
"Not this very instant, but sometime soon. My hospital bed misses me"  
Hannes's joke left him feeling hollow  
"Eren?"  
"Oh, what, yeah. I think I might take a nap. I didn't sleep last night. Can you make sure the kids don't get into trouble"  
"Isn't that what Levi's for?"  
"He's the biggest trouble maker of the lot"  
Hannes snorted   
"Sure. Oh, don't worry about dinner. I'll pick up a couple of pizzas from town"  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yeah. It's fine"  
"Thanks"  
Retreating from Hannes's room and back to his, Eren's heart hurt at the laughter spilling from the living room. It was like they didn't even care he wasn't there.

Hannes came and woke him up a little after 5. The nap had helped, but he still felt shitty over his emotions and grabbed the car keys before Hannes could leave him behind. He shot the man a look, practically begging him to let him come, and Hannes scratched the back of his head  
"Looks like Eren's driving. Do you want anything?"  
Levi was curled up on the sofa with the boys in his lap watching one of the kids movies   
"Just a pack of smokes, I'll grab my wall..."  
"It's fine"  
Eren snagged his own wallet and stalked out towards the front door.

Hannes sighed as he slid in to the ute, a lit cigarette dangled from his lips  
"What happened to you driving?"  
"I don't want to drive"  
"I kind of figured, but then why are you coming"  
"So I don't have to be at home"  
"I thought you were happy Levi was coming home"  
"I am, I'm just giving him time with the boys"  
"Also known as hiding?"  
"Maybe. Today's just... well nothing went to plan... can we please not do this"  
"You had a plan?"  
"Yeah. You were supposed to look after the boys. I was supposed to pick Levi up, having some alone time with him, come home and then play mum. I can't believe I was stupid enough to think that would happen..."  
"I wish you'd stop that. You aren't stupid"  
"I wish I could agree, I know my moods shit, that's why I don't want to say anything. Anyway. Can we just go get dinner"  
"I'll drop you off at the pizzeria, you can order while I get Levi his smokes"  
"You'll need my card. It's like $180 for a carton or something"  
"He only asked for a pack"  
"That's because he probably has no money"  
"Then you use my card for dinner and I'll use yours for the beer and smokes"  
"That works"

Ordering 3 pizzas, he opted for supreme with no mushrooms, a meat lover and a custom one topped with cheese, tomato, green capsicum and pepperoni. Given how much Hannes and Levi could eat, he'd end up sharing with the boys, that's why he'd picked the two alpha's favourites. It was only once he was outside that he realised he was still in pyjamas... no wonder they'd looked at him funny. Hannes was already waiting in the ute, and took the pizza boxes from his hands so he could climb in  
"Is three enough?"  
"Yeah. I'm not that hungry, so the boys will eat most of mine"  
"You need to eat more, no wonder you're in such a bad mood"  
Eren frowned as he took the pizza boxes back  
"Whats that supposed to mean?"  
"You didn't eat breakfast did you?"  
"No, but I had lunch"  
Hannes raised an eyebrow   
"We had lunch in Trost"  
"Well that's alright then. I'm just worried about you"  
"You don't need to be. I'm fine..."  
He wasn't sure what Hannes was on, but he didn't need Hannes thinking stupid shit.

 

*  
Something was up with Eren, and Levi wasn't sure what. First the omega had brought the kids with him, saying he couldn't get out of it... then he'd been weird on the drive him and the final straw was his boyfriend taking a shower and going for a nap almost immediately upon arriving home. According to Hannes, Eren hadn't slept the previous night, but that didn't explain the strange awkwardness between them.

It was hard to keep up with the twins, both boys were trying to fill him in on so much all at once and wanted all his attention. He'd missed them so much, but he couldn't concentrate when he was so worried about Eren. He'd thought they'd spend his first day home as a family, but apparently not.

Eren carried the pizza in like nothing was wrong and Levi had to wonder if maybe all this was in his head. He had been away for 6 months, and he knew he'd have to readjust...   
"Alright, dinners served. Do you guys want milk or juice"  
There was a moment of silence, the boys hadn't even heard Eren by the seems of it. Sliding forward, Levi evicted them from his lap  
"Mum wants to know if you want juice or milk?"  
The twins replied to him instantly   
"Juice!"  
"Juice... can you get it for us?"  
Eren had already started getting the boys cups out, and the juice, so all that was left was to pour it. The omega grabbed out a third cup, presumably for himself and had just started pouring  
"Mum! We want dad to do it! I don't want if you do it"  
"Me neither"  
Alright... this wasn't cool  
"Relax, mums just getting his own drink. You don't have to talk to him lip that"  
Both boys didn't seem impressed with his words, but Eren walked away from the bench without comment. His boyfriend grabbed a slice of pizza as he sat at the table and Levi frowned. He wasn't imagining things   
"You two go wash your hands, I'll get your juice while I do"  
The boys ran off with smiles on their faces, and Levi moved to wash his own hands in the sink before pouring the juice out and carrying the cups to the table  
"I have beers if you want one Levi, and your smokes are on the bench"  
"Thanks Hannes. I would love a beer, but I think I'll just stick with juice tonight"  
"Your loss"  
Detouring past Eren, he went to place a kiss on his boyfriends cheek, but Eren hurried to jerk out the way, in the guise of reaching for another slice of pizza  
"Eren, have I done something wrong?"  
He didn't get to hear the answer as the boys came running back   
"Dad! I want what your having!"  
"Me too!"  
Levi looked to Eren  
"Eren?"  
"It's fine. You better decide what you want"  
Ouch. Ok. No. Something was definitely up with his boyfriend...  
"What have we got?"  
"Supreme and meat... and I don't know what that one is"  
"It's gotta be meat"  
His sons grinned happily, both taking slices as he continued into the kitchen   
"Dad, what are you doing? Sit down already"  
"Hold on, I'm just getting a drink"  
"Hurry up"  
His boys had sat so there was a free seat between them, obviously he was supposed to sit there. But he wanted to sit next to Eren...

He didn't get his wish. He was headed back when Eli patted the space in front of the empty seat  
"See dad, now you can sit with us"  
Eren wasn't looking up, but Levi was sure he'd see tears in his omegas eyes if he did. Eren only ate two slices of pizza, before busying himself cleaning the already ridiculously clean kitchen. Levi thought he'd finally get a chance to talk to the omega, but once Eren had done whatever task he'd invented for himself, he disappeared down the hall  
"Dad, will you give us our bath tonight?"  
"Didn't you have one this morning?"  
"Nope. Mum was busy in the bathroom for ages"  
Levi looked to Hannes  
"It's no good looking at me. I thought I was on babysitting duty, but these two weren't having it"  
"Pleeeeeeease dad!"  
Ren gave him the most adorable pout and Levi knew he was fucked. He couldn't say no to that look  
"Alright. But you have to finish all your pizza first"  
"And then you can read us a bed time story"  
"You guys want a story?"  
"Yep! You owe us!"  
"Fine, but you better pick a good one"  
"We will!"

Eren came back to the table, but only briefly   
"Levi, I put a towel in the bathroom for you. It's the green one"  
"Oh! Sweet. The boys want me to read them a story after their bath"  
"Cool. I've got some school stuff to finish, so I'm off to bed"  
Wait. What. Noooooo  
"Eren, why don't you come read a story with us?"  
"But we want you daddy"  
"But what about mummy?"  
"Mum does it all the time"  
Eli some how managed to sound completely unimpressed with Eren's efforts  
"But I want to spend time with mum too"  
"Levi. It's fine. Your sons have missed you"  
Levi looked to Hannes  
"I'll go check on him"

 

*  
Pulling his laptop into his lap, Eren opened up Facebook. He wanted to put something up, but didn't know what. Fake positivity... that's what he needed   
"After 6 very long months, Levi is finally home! It's insane how much you can miss some one!"  
Yeah. That would do. Minimising the browser, he opened up the report he actually had to work on. It wasn't due for a few more weeks, but he needed the distraction. As tears filled his eyes, he wiped them away. He needed to stop being stupid.

Before he could even start typing, there was a knock on the door and Hannes let himself in   
"Eren..."  
"Don't. I know, alright. I know. I'm just..."  
"Levi's worried"  
"He doesn't need to be"  
"Well, he is. And you know the boys love you"  
"I know... fuck. It's stupid being jealous of my own fucking kids. That's why it's better I just stay away"  
"Or you could just tell Levi"  
"No. He's missed the boys. It's fine. I really do have a report due"  
"Whats it on?"  
"Mikasa went an jinxed us. It's on the personality of Atticus Finch"  
"Fun times"  
"Yeah... I better get back to this"  
"Alright. But you can't avoid him forever"  
"I know. I just want to do this, maybe take a sleeping pill, and then try all this again tomorrow"  
"A sleeping pill?"  
"I don't want to have a nightmare his first night back"  
"Fine. I don't think you will, but if you're going to take one, just take a half"  
"I will. Night Hannes"  
"Night, Eren"

The first thing he did after the man left was pull the blister pack of pills out, and pop one free. He snapped it in half and swallowed it dry. Yep. He was a total coward.

 

*  
Levi was cleaning up the pizza when Hannes came back from checking on Eren   
"Soooo?"  
"He's alright. He's just working on his report for school"  
Levi nodded, he wanted to call bullshit, but he had Ren hanging off him  
"He's just going to finish it off and go to sleep. Try not to worry about it"  
How was he not going to worry about it?

By the time the dishes were done, the boys were bathed and three stories later. He was dog tired. Hannes was watching something on TV and Levi didn't know how the man could be still wide awake. Dealing with the boys was way harder than a usual day at the boot camp. Stumbling back into the bathroom, he didn't bother trying to stifle his yawns. He stripped and folding his clothes before dropping them into the laundry hamper, he had no idea why he'd bothered folding them, but it was something he'd learnt at the camp and had a feeling it would take him a long while to get out of the habit. Shaking his head at himself, he moved to the shower and thanked the lord for good water pressure and actual hot water. By the end of it, he could barely keep his eyes open. The plan was to cuddle with Eren, get his omega talking and then hopefully some mind blowing sex and sleep...

But walking into the bedroom, he found Eren snoring with his laptop in his lap. His boyfriend looked so peaceful, he couldn't bare to wake him. Maybe Eren would wake him up later or something? He really wanted to talk... ok, he really wanted sex, but first he had yo know what was going through Eren's head. Lifting the laptop from his boyfriends lap and saving the open document. At least Eren hadn't been lying about working on his report. After placing the device over on the dressing table, Levi slid under the blankets and pulled Eren close. His omega didn't wake at all, and Levi tried not to be too disappointed. There was always tomorrow.

Given he wasn't used to sleeping in such a nice bed, it had taken him a bit to fall asleep, but when he woke up, Eren wasn't there. His boyfriends side of the bed was long cold and he couldn't help but panic. Climbing from the bed, he tugged on the first pair of pants he could find and a jumper, before heading out to look for Eren  
"'morning Levi"  
Hannes yawned, and Levi eyed in him confusion   
"It's a little after 3"  
"What are you doing awake then?"  
"Fell asleep on the sofa, was just taking me pills and then off to bed"  
Levi nodded, looking around the room hopefully   
"Have you seen Eren?"  
"No. But I heard him heading out. That's what woke me"  
"Hannes. Enough with the shit. What's going on with him?"  
"He was having a bad day. He didn't sleep, and then the twins trashed the place and refused to stay home. He was hoping for some alone time with you, but the boys soon ruined that and then they wanted nothing to do with him once they had you"  
Levi groaned  
"Well, I was wondering"  
"Yeah. He's got himself all worked up because he was jealous of the boys. He's probably gone for a run"  
"Will you be alright with the boys?"  
"Yeah, yeah. Go sort this shit out. I'm too old for this"

Heading outside, Levi couldn't help but shiver. It was freezing and there was no signs of Eren close to house. Shifting for the first time in months, he started sniffing out Eren's scent, which was annoying as fuck given the whole place smelt of the omega. It took him longer than it probably should have to realise where Eren would have gone. He couldn't remember the exactly path through to their spot, but it didn't take him long to pick up Eren's scent on the path towards it.

Eventually the tree cleared and he was stopped in his tracks. Eren had obviously planned this just for his return. Just down from the outcrop, was a tent set up around it, lanterns hung in the trees and small fairy lightly sparkled. Levi had no idea what he was supposed to say, but the whole place felt so magical and it would have taken hours for his omega to set up. Picking his way slowly down towards the tent, he eyed the line of unlit candles and sighed. His boyfriend was way too good for him, and there was little wonder Eren was so upset.

Opened the tent flap partially, he found Eren asleep in a thick pile of blankets. There were more fairy lights strung around the top of the tent and Levi felt like a huge arsehole. Stripping down to his underwear, he once again climbed under the covers and pulled Eren close. This time he nuzzled at his boyfriends neck until Eren swatted at him  
"Go 'way"  
Laughing lightly, Levi rocked his hips gently, his hand sliding down to tease his boyfriend. It was worth it. Eren shot up in clear surprise   
"What the hell are you doing here?"  
"You weren't in bed and I got worried..."  
"You didn't have to... I was going to come back in the morning"  
"I'm glad I came. Eren, I'm sorry. I knew you weren't happy, but I didn't know what do, and you kept avoiding me"  
"I..."  
"Hannes filled me in"  
Eren groaned, throwing himself down and rolling away from him  
"I know it's stupid... I mean, you guys are my family... but it totally felt like there was no space for me"  
Hearing it from Eren hurt. It felt like his heart had been torn out  
"Princess, no. You are the glue that keeps this family together"  
"Well, it didn't fucking feel like it. I had this whole day planned out in my head. I was going to look good for you, and we'd stop off on the way home to fool around, and it would be just us, Eren and Levi... and then when we got home, we'd be mum and dad... I was stupid to think about it. Even this was stupid..."  
Eren's whole body shook as he started to sob  
"No, it wasn't stupid. I was kind of hoping the same thing, but you brought the boys with you, so I didn't know what to think"  
"You don't need to lie to me... I tried to hint... but you were completely fucking ignorant... I can't help it. My omega's been going crazy and Levi... just leave me alone..."  
Since when was he lying, letting out a snarl, he hefted into Eren into his lap  
"I love you Eren. I've wanted to be alone with you all day..."  
"But..."  
"But nothing. Now, we're all alone, in our spot. Hannes is keeping an ear out for the boys and no one is going to interrupt. What do you say we have some amazing sex"  
"But I'm a total mess and this isn't what I had planned at all"  
"So what. It's you and me princess and you're always perfect, even when you think you look a mess"  
Eren sniffled and wiped at his face  
"I... I love you"  
"I know you do, and I love you too"  
"I'm sorry... I knew I was upset so I tried to stay away"  
"I don't want you to ever stay away from me"  
Tilting his boyfriends face towards him, Levi wasn't gentle as he claimed Eren's lips. He wished his omega could spend 5 minutes in his head so he could see how loved he was.

Their hungry kisses turned to moans and pants as they ground against each other. All he could smell was Eren's slick and pheromones. His alpha was going wild and he couldn't help wanting to consume Eren entirely. His omega was so precious and he wanted the teen to never be sad again. He took his time to open Eren slowly, the omegas whines and trembling form had him on edge before he even slid into Eren's heat. Carefully he slowly slid in and out, trying to keep his forming knot from popping embarrassingly fast. He needed to do this properly, but Eren was just...  
"Fuck... you're like a bitch in heat... so wet and needy..."  
Eren tensed, and Levi realised his fuck up  
"Nooo baby, no. Not like that..."  
"I'm like a bitch in heat..."  
"I didn't mean it like that... you're my omega and it's so hot how horny you are"  
"Levi shut up. You're only making that hole bigger"  
"I can make your hole bigger?"  
If looks could kill, he'd be dead  
"I'm sorry... I'm fucking this up completely... it's just, when I'm with you. I don't know what to say"  
"Well telling me I'm like a bitch in heat isn't cool. I'm an omega, I can't help my heats and you have no idea what they're like. It hurts Levi. It unless I'm knotted... I can't control my body or my actions..."  
Eren scrunched his eyes closed, the omegas hands pressing down hard against them with the heels of his palms  
"I didn't know it was that bad... I didn't mean to upset you. I just love having you like this, so open and accepting... Eren, you're so beautiful and I am so incredibly lucky to have you..."

Pulling Eren's hands away from his face, Levi nuzzled against Eren's nose until the omega finally began to nuzzle him back  
"You are lucky to have me"  
"I really am"  
"And I'm still mad at you"  
"I can tell"  
"I'm not going to forgive you unless you give me the best orgasm I've ever had"  
Levi smiled slightly, but Eren looked at him like it wasn't a laughing matter  
"One amazing orgasm, coming right up"  
Rolling his hips to make his point, Eren's back arched as he let out a needy moan. Taking his to mean he was forgiven, he couldn't help but set a brutal rhythm until Eren's back arched and he came hard across his stomach and chest  
"More..."  
Fuck that was hot. He didn't stop until Eren was purring in his arms, his omegas hands were against his stomach, and Levi nuzzled Eren's neck, his hand slipping down to rest atop them  
"You're not?"  
"No, no... I..."  
"I understand. Some day soon though princess"  
"Mmm... it's hard... my omega wishes I was"  
"And my alpha too, but until then, we can practice all we like. Right?"  
Eren nodded while sighing sleepily  
"Can I sleep on top of you"  
"If you want"  
Eren climbed atop of him, before wrapping his arms around his neck. Pressing kisses to Eren's sweaty locks he hummed happily.


	48. Chapter 48

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today has been one of those days. Went out to do a site assessment and got rained on. yay.

"Shit! Levi, we've got to get up!"  
Shaking his alpha, Levi responded with grabbing him and grinding against him  
"Leeeeevi, we don't have time"  
"Relax, Hannes has the kids covered"  
"It's not that... come on"  
"But I don't wanna move"  
"Levi. Izzy and Farlan are coming down"  
"So? They can wait. I on the other hand don't want to"  
Eren couldn't help but moan as Levi's erection brushed tantalisingly close to his opening   
"Please..."  
How was he supposed to say no, especially when his legs were starting to tremble. Rising up slightly, he sank down easily, letting Levi's erection fill him completely  
"Shit princess, you feel so amazing... I can't last long"  
"Then don't... we only have enough time for a quickie..."  
"Princess, you're the only one I've ever knotted, I don't think my body knows how to be quick"  
Flipping them over, Levi pounded into Eren, each thrust hit his sweet spot perfectly, he couldn't help but melt under Levi's touch, cuming so hard he saw fireworks behind his eyelids. With Levi's knot filling him perfectly, he was confused when his alpha awkwardly gathered him up   
"L-Levi... what are you doing?"  
"There's a perfectly good lake out there, and we should wash off..."

The water was freezing, and Eren yelped the moment his arse brushed the water, he tried to climb away from the feeling, but Levi stepped deeper into the water  
"Levi... its freezing!"  
"It's not that cold"  
It really was. Goosebumps erupted across his flesh and his balls tried to climb back up inside of him. He had no idea how Levi could stand this. And then Levi dropped him. He'd been so cold he hadn't noticed the alpha's knot go down, and his body went into shock as his head went under. Coming up with tears in his eyes, he began to cry immediately making Levi realise his mistake  
"Hey... hey... don't cry"  
"I... I told you it was cold..."  
"I'm sorry, I don't find it that cold"  
"Please can we just go home?"  
Levi wrapped his arms around him  
"I'm sorry... I thought you were joking"  
"Levi... stop... I want to go home"  
"Alright. Do you want to run? We can shift?"  
No. He didn't want to run. He wanted to rewind time to before they'd had sex and convince Levi this was a bad idea... but running would warm him up...  
"Ok..."  
His voice was low as he mumbled the words and once back on the rocky shore, he shifted and shook himself off.

He'd warmed up a little by the time they'd reached the house. Thankfully Farlan and Izzy weren't there. Scratching on the front door, it took a few moments for Hannes to let them in  
"I don't think I want to know"  
Padding past the man, he headed straight into the bathroom, waiting for Levi to join him before closing the door and shifting back. He couldn't stop shaking, and Levi looked at him with clear concern  
"Your lips are blue... I'm so sorry"  
"Stop saying you're sorry... I need to get warm"  
Turning the shower on, he waited before stepping into the water. It felt like needles against his skin, and he started crying all over again  
"Eren?"  
"I'm sorry... I'm so cold"  
Levi moved to join him in the shower, the alpha rubbing his arms in an attempt to warm him up   
"Better?"  
"A little... can we not do that again... I was scared when my head went under the water"  
"Fuck. I didn't even think about that"  
Levi wrapped his arms around him, and Eren buried his face against Levi's neck. Staying like that until he finally calmed   
"We should clean up..."  
"Let me clean you..."  
Levi's fingers were gently as he did. The alpha scrubbed and cleaned every inch of him, including shampooing and conditioning his hand. The omega couldn't help but feel loved by the time his alpha was done. They dried off in the bathroom, while sharing small secret kisses.

They'd barely made it into their room when Eli and Ren appeared   
"Daddy!"  
"Hey boys, can you guys give us a moment so we can get dressed"  
Ren ran across the room and threw his arms around Levi  
"We thought you'd left us again"  
Fuck... he should have taken his phone, but he didn't think they'd be gone so long  
"No, I was just out running with mum"  
"But you didn't tell us"  
"I didn't know I had to"  
"You do!"  
Levi awkwardly kneeled down  
"Why don't you and your brother go wait in the living room, I'm going to make lunch for us all"  
"Daddy, you can't cook"  
"I can... well, some things. But first I need to get dressed"  
Neither boy seemed too sure about this  
"Daddy isn't leaving. But he's right, we need to get dressed, which means you two need to skedaddle"  
"But muuum..."  
"If you want daddy to cook, you've got to do what he says"  
Both boys sighed and walked from the room as slowly as they could And Eren moved to close the door  
"So you think you can cook now?"  
"I make a killer mashed potato"  
Shaking his head, Eren dropped the towel and walked over to their wardrobe  
"I don't think that counts"  
"I do, and if you want bland tasteless oatmeal, I'm your man"  
"I was kind of hoping you were my man without the need for oatmeal"  
Levi laughed lightly, the alpha coming up and wrapping his arms around him  
"I love you so much princess"  
"I love you too... but we need to get dressed and I need some panadol"  
His hips were tender as fuck, not that he wanted to admit it. It was proof of how deeply Levi loved him  
"I'm sorry... I couldn't hold back"  
"It's alright... you gave me a few amazing orgasms"  
Levi snorted, his warm breath brushing against his ear and he shivered  
"Levi... we need to get dressed"  
"I know. But you're so beautiful"  
His alpha was a sap. A complete and total sap.

Sitting at the dining table, Eren couldn't help but watch Levi in the kitchen  
"You two look like you had fun"  
Hannes elbowed him gently and Eren's fingers came to his throat  
"Maybe..."  
"It's nice to see you smiling again"  
"It feels nice to be smiling again..."  
"Hannes, you better not be teasing my omega"  
"He is"  
"Yeah, but he loves it. So what are your plans now your back?"  
Eren hadn't even thought to ask Levi what his plans were. He sat a little straighter and pushed down the feeling of tightness in his chest as his heart began to race  
"I want to go back to school"  
"Oh thank god"  
Hannes looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and Eren clamped his hand over his mouth  
"I have my transcripts from the boot camp and now I'm 18..."  
"That's a good decision. I'm proud you've got such a level head on your shoulders"  
"Well, I want to be a good alpha for Eren and the boys"  
Eren shook his head  
"You're already a good alpha"  
"But I want this for me too, so don't worry"  
"Levi, its like you've never met Eren. He worries all the time"  
"That he does, but hopefully it won't be so bad now I'm back"  
"Guys, I'm right here"  
The boys looked bored as they weren't the centre of the conversation, but Eli wanted to change that  
"Dad, what's for breakfast"  
"I was thinking bacon and eggs..."

Eren said a mental prayer for his fry pan, but kept his mouth shut. Levi seemed determined to do this. He was all nerves as he watched Levi, and when there was a knock on the door, he flew out of his chair to open it  
"Eren, what's wrong?"  
Armin was looking at him in alarm   
"Oh what? Nothing. Levi's cooking though..."  
"And that's a bad thing?"  
"He tried before and killed it..."  
"And that's why you look so scared?"  
"Yeah... come on in"  
Standing back, Mikasa and Armin moved through the house ahead of him and sat down at the table  
"Hey boys"  
"Hey Aunty Mikasa"  
"What no love for me?"  
"Hi uncle Armin"  
Both his friends looked towards him  
"We're all secondary characters at the moment. The boys are super possessive of Levi at the moment"  
"That must be nice?"

The sound of the frypan thudding against the wooden chopping board made them all jump, but Levi just grinned like it was his plan all alone   
"It's pretty good"  
"So what was the camp like?"  
"I learnt to cook, and I got stabbed, so there wasn't much down time"  
"Wait, you got stabbed?"  
Eren sighed, he hadn't really talked about it and it still hurt to think about it  
"He got stabbed with a pocket knife"  
Armin let out a small gasp   
"No way!"  
"Armin, can we not sound so happy about Levi being stabbed"  
Armin shook his head quickly   
"It just... you would think the pair of you would have used up all your bad luck by now"  
"Don't jinx us"  
"So Levi, where were you stabbed?"  
"Shoulder, wanna see the scar?"

Levi started to raise his shirt, but Eren shook his head quickly  
"Can we not talk about this in front of the boys?"  
His alpha looked towards their sons, both boys seemed a little too curious and the last thing Eren needed was them stabbing each other   
"Fair point. Are you two wanting breakfast?"  
Armin and Mikasa both nodded   
"Alright. But my princess gets the first plate"  
"I can't believe you still call him princess"  
Mikasa seemed genuinely confused as to why he would  
"Because he's my princess.. he's beautiful and I want him to live a happy, worry free life"  
Eren ducked his head as he blushed and Hannes snorted  
"Someone's whipped. Wouldn't a worry free life be nice?"  
Levi plated up the first lot of bacon and eggs, before carrying it over to Eren and placing it down  
"Wow... it's not burnt"  
Levi dropped a kiss on the top of his head  
"Of course it's not. I learnt how to do this Christmas morning, so it would be embarrassing if I didn't remember something this easy"  
Raising a piece of bacon to his mouth, he nibbled the end, pleasantly surprised   
"It's edible"  
"Of course it is. Boys are next, then Hannes and then Armin and Mikasa. Any problems with that order?"  
"Yeah, cause we aren't on it"  
Eren just about choked on his bacon at the sound of Izzy's voice. The girl had launched herself on Levi before anyone knew what happened   
"Big Brother! Happy Birthday! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year"  
Levi snorted as he wrapped his arms around Izzy  
"Thanks. Did you miss me?"  
"Like crazy! You didn't even write to me"  
"I had no time"  
"But you wrote to Eren"  
"Well, he is kind of my omega and the mother of my kids..."  
Izzy was still frowning as Levi tried to pull back  
"Nooooo, I need cuddles! I've missed you!"  
"You might need cuddles, but I need to finish making breakfast"  
"Can't you cook like this?"  
"Not really... Farlan, some help?"  
"I think you're stuck with a permanent growth now"  
Levi looked to him, but Eren shrugged, even though he was the tiniest bit jealous, he didn't want to fight again.

By the time Levi had plated up enough food for everyone, Eren was long since finished and ready for a nap. With Levi sitting in his lap, due to the lack of seating, Eren had his arms wrapped around his alpha's waist and his forehead against his boyfriends shoulder letting the conversation wash over him  
"Princess?"  
"Mmmm?"  
"You alright? You're being so quiet"  
"I'm fine, just sleepy"  
"Do you want to take a nap?"  
"Nah, I'll be fine. Besides, I don't want to move"  
Tightening his hold slightly, he nuzzled Levi's back. Levi felt so nice and cuddly in his hold, his alpha's muscles had definitely become more defined, but he was still just as cuddly in Eren's eyes  
"Daddy, can we go play now?"  
Eren nodded against Levi's back, saving Levi the effort of asking  
"Sure, why don't you're favourite uncles and aunties join you guys, while I do the dishes?"  
Eren shook his head, letting out a yawn as he did. Levi had just cooked breakfast for them all, cleaning up was the least he could do  
"I'll do the dishes"  
"Nope, you'll sit on the kitchen bench and keep me company"  
"It's a good thing I have to go to work, or I'd be feeling very left out"  
"It's alright Hannes, we love you"  
"Aw I feel special"

 

*  
His boyfriend looked so sleepy as he sat on the kitchen counter and swung his legs unconsciously   
"Eren, why don't you nap?"  
"I'm alright... besides, everyone's here"  
"So?"  
"Sooo, I invited them all. I wanted to have a party but I didn't know if you'd want to. Besides, we still have to organise a party for your 18th"  
"We don't have to have a party"  
"Maybe I want to have a party for you?"  
"Princess, its fine. I'm home now, I have you and the boys, what more could I possibly need?"  
"But..."  
Placing the tea towel down, Levi moved to stand between Eren's legs, his hands came up to cup Eren's face and he stared into the omegas amazing green eyes  
"I don't need a party. But I do need you to take a nap"  
Eren snorted  
"Here I was thinking you were going to be all romantic, but instead you send me to bed"  
"Don't worry, I have intentions of romancing you the first chance I get"  
Moving in, he had to tiptoe slightly to steal a kiss  
"Levi..."  
"I know, don't worry, I'll save all that for tonight"  
"But there's school tomorrow"  
Levi snorted and shook his head   
"Now who's killing the romance. Yeah. I suppose we can go to school tomorrow"  
"You're coming back so soon?"  
"Well, there's not much point me being home alone"  
"I thought you might like some chill out time... and I have cheer practice tomorrow"  
"Eren, if you don't want me coming to school, you can tell me"  
His boyfriend shook his head  
"I just don't want you rushing back and burning yourself out"  
Stealing another kiss, Levi smiled  
"I'll be fine. Now, you're going to bed"  
Eren let out a small cry of surprise as Levi lifted him down from the counter   
"Guys, Eren's having a nap. I'll be back out in a minute"  
"Yeah, yeah. We know what you two are off to do. Don't worry, we'll look after the kids"  
Eren leant in close to whisper into his ear  
"I'm sorry, but I'm way too tired. I mean, if you want to do all the work..."  
"Mmm, as much as I want to, I can tell you're joking and it's mean to tease"  
Eren pulled back and pressed a kiss to his jaw line, before nuzzling against the spot  
"I missed you so much"  
"I know. Come on, it's nap times for sleepy omegas"

With Eren tucked in and snoring softly, Levi closed the door quietly and headed into the living room  
"So, Eren's asleep. What do we wanna do?"  
"That was fast"  
Levi raised an eyebrow   
"I don't know if you're meaning I have no stamina, or teasing Eren about the fact he was so sleepy"  
"A bit of both"  
Smacking Farlan upside the back of the head, Levi continued through the room and flopped down on the sofa  
"Dad, can we play soccer?"  
"Alright. Do you know where the soccer ball is?"  
Mikasa nodded unexpectedly   
"Eren put them in the wardrobe, the boys kept wanting to play inside"  
"I'll got get the ball, why don't you wait out the front for me?"

Levi was confused as to why Farlan followed him into the bedroom and he struggled to keep his alpha in check. He forced himself to walk over to the wardrobe and began to hunt for the soccer ball   
"What's up?"  
He tried to keep his tone casual, after all, it wasn't like he wasn't happy to see his friend  
"We got you a little something as a welcome back"  
After pulling the soccer ball free of its hidings, Levi turned to face his friend, his eyes narrowing in on what Farlan was holding   
"You brought pot?"  
"Yep. I've got 3 nice big buds for you"  
As tempting as it was, Eren would flip  
"Dude, no. I appreciate the thought, but not while the boys are around"  
"Come on, no ones gonna know"  
"I'm going to know, I'm supposed to be watching the boys"  
"Let Armin and Mikasa do it. We haven't hung out in ages, and now you're acting all whipped. Seriously not cool man"  
"No, what's not cool is trying to get me to smoke pot when I told you I don't want to. If we were at the apartment, it'd be fine. Eren even said he doesn't mind, just as long as I keep this shit away from the kids"  
"Eren's got you wrapped around his little finger. You ended up in boot camp because of him"  
"I ended up there because Kenny fucked me over. It wasn't Eren's fault"  
"God man, you've changed since you met him. You used to be fun, but now you're Eren this, and Eren that... even today, you wanna stay home and sit around doing nothing"  
Levi sighed softly   
"Look, I don't wanna do that stuff anymore. But that doesn't mean I don't want to be friends"  
"Sure. Whatever"  
Farlan stuffed the ziplock bag back in his pocket, before storming out the room ahead of him. Levi didn't see what the big issue was. Maybe it was the whole not calling or writing thing? It wasn't like he had much to tell them... and it wasn't like camp was a hotel, he couldn't just call whenever he'd wanted... shaking his head in annoyance the alpha started out towards where the boys were waiting. 

"Daddy, do the wooooooolf"  
Somehow soccer had turned into both boys "pinning" him down on the gravel, both were grinning down at him as they laid across him  
"Do I have too?"  
"Yeeeees!"  
"Like really have to?"  
"Yep"  
"But what if I don't want to?"  
"Daaaaaaaad!"  
Seeing his peril, Izzy jogged over  
"What's happening?"  
"Dad's being mean"  
"How is dad being mean?"  
"He won't turn into a wolf for us"  
"But he's big and scary when he's in wolf form"  
"No he's not! He's so pretty"  
Izzy snorted  
"Hear that Levi, you're pretty"  
"I know I am. Alright, you two have to get off of me if you wanna see me shift"  
Both boys scrambled back, and Levi pushed himself up, before grabbing his sons up and spinning them around   
"Daaaaaddy no! You said you'd turn into a wolf!"  
"I know, but I'm having tooo much fun like this"  
"Noooo, that's not fair"  
Placing the boys down, Levi stared down at them and sighed  
"Izzy, I'm gonna have to shift aren't I?"  
"Yep!"  
"Fiiiiine. The things you do"  
Letting himself shift, he sighed internally as the boys immediately wrapped their arms around him  
"I still don't know how you aren't scared of him"  
"Because dad is dad... mum won't tell us how to shift"  
"He probably just wants to keep you safe"  
"But we're big boys now!"  
"Hmm... I don't know if you are, you look tiny against Levi"  
"That's because he's an alpha wolf!"  
"So Eren's smaller?"  
Both boys nodded, and Levi moved to sit. He tried to tell Izzy not to, but the girl couldn't resists  
"Sit boy sit! Good boy"  
She scratched him behind his ears and Levi let out an annoyed huff  
"Now shake hands"  
Izzy stared at him creepily until he finally raised his paw   
"Who's a good boy! You're a good boy!"  
"Aunty Izzy, stop picking on daddy"  
At least Eli had his back  
"I can't help it. I don't get to see him in his wolf form much"  
"We don't either. It's not fair"  
Ren ended his sentence with a deep sigh, and Levi shifted back  
"That's enough of that. Why don't you two go see if Aunty Mikasa and Uncle Armin will get you some ice cream. Daddy wants to catch up with Aunty Izzy"  
"But dad"  
"But dad nothing. Go on, we'll be in soon"  
Both boys gave him mournful looks, like being separated was the end of the world  
"Boys, you need to go"  
"You're mean daddy!"  
Ren ran off first, and Eli took off after him  
"I thought they were supposed to get better with age"  
"My children aren't wine. Anyway Iz, I wanted to say I'm sorry I couldn't call or write much. I know you missed me and I missed you like crazy, but there honestly wasn't any time. For the first 3 months, I wasn't even allowed calls out. Then when I thought it was in the clear, I ended up in solitary and I wasn't allowed to call over again"  
"But you talked to Eren..."  
"That's because he's my omega. If I could have called both of you, I would have"  
Izzy sniffled, before wrapping her arms around him  
"It was fair! You like disappeared and we had no idea what was going on and Eren didn't tell us much..."  
"That's because there was nothing to tell. We mostly talked about the boys or all you guys. And even then, I only got to call him like 4 times, and write him twice"  
"Really?"  
"Yeah. I should probably tell you though, I did get to see him. I was Trost over night last month. One of the boys at camp stabbed me..."  
Izzy pulled back with a gasp  
"What!"  
"It's fine. It was just in the shoulder, but Hannes had to fight to even get Eren into see me. I'm a dangerous criminal and all"  
"But... why didn't he..."  
"Because he didn't want you to worry"  
"Doesn't he trust us?"  
"That's not it at all. He just didn't want to upset you. He has like this fear that he's always doing something wrong... I think most of it comes from his piece of shit father..."  
"But he always seemed so confident"  
"He has his moments, but most of it's a show. If he's laughing and making everyone feel better than that's enough"  
Izzy fell silent, the girl chewed on her lip before looking down at her feet and then back up at him  
"Iz?"  
"I was really mad, I thought you didn't want us anymore"  
"Of course I do. Though Farlan probably doesn't think I do"  
"He had to put up with my complaining"  
"I think he's pissed at me. He offered me some bud, but I want to stop with all that shit"  
Izzy frowned  
"He shouldn't have, we didn't have the money for it this pay"  
"He said it was a welcome back present. I don't want upset you, and if we were at yours I'd probably have said yes, but I don't wants to do that stuff with the boys around"  
"No, that's fine. You and Eren are really trying hard at being good parents aren't you?"  
"Yeah, but I've still got a lot to learn"  
"You'll be fine. Now, can I get in on this ice cream action?"  
"It depends, the boys might have finished all the sprinkles. Will you able to survive not having them?"  
Izzy hummed, her eyes narrowed as if she had to seriously think about it   
"Yes. Yes, I think I can do it!"

 

*  
Eren woke from his nap a little after 5. He was still sleepy, but he was plagued by the overwhelming urge to pee. Climbing out of bed, he stumbled as he made his way to the door and then around the corner and into the bathroom. He really shouldn't be so damn tired, but he could barely keep his eyes open. Finishing his business, he washed his hands and then stumbled out into the living room  
"He lives!"  
With a yawn and a nod, Eren padded across to the sofa and collapsed down  
"Barely. What'd I miss?"  
"Nothing really, we kicked the soccer ball around for a bit, and Levi shifted"  
Nodding at Izzy's words, he couldn't help but yawn again  
"Jeez Eren, why don't you go back to bed if you're this tired?"  
"I'll be alright. Are all of you staying to dinner?"  
"Yep. Dad can't pick us up until after work"  
Mikasa smiled at him, before looking down to her drawing. Her, Armin, Levi and the twins were sitting in a circle, working on their sketching  
"Sorry I needed to nap"  
"It's alright, we can tell you we're up late"  
"More like early... I don't know, but the sun was up"  
"Eren!"  
Armin sounded shocked, Eren merely shrugged. He was too tired to think about what was coming out his mouth  
"I have mince and spaghetti, is bolognese alright?"  
"Sounds good... but not too much garlic please"  
Hefting himself up with a sigh, he looked back to Izzy  
"Izzy, do you want to come and help me? It's pretty easy, but I don't know if I can knife successfully"  
Izzy's eyes lit up  
"That would be awesome. We never did get to have cooking lessons"  
Eren nodded  
"Yeah, that was my bad. I was a mess over Levi, so everyone was trying to keep me distracted, then Hannes made me get my licence"  
"You did?"  
"Yeah, its manual too... his truck is horrible to drive"  
Moving to the fridge, Eren started grabbing out what needed, but when Izzy didn't reply, he pulled back in confusion  
"What's wrong?"  
"Oh, I was just wondering how to get home"  
Eren frowned  
"Izzy, small words. Can't brain"  
"Well, we have your dad's car, don't you want it now?"  
Oh, so that was it   
"No. I gave that to you guys. Dad's gonna be gone for another couple of years"  
"But what about you?"  
"I'm sharing with Hannes. It works most of the time, and if I need to stay in Trost late, he comes to pick me up. It's fine..."  
Tooooo many words... he yawned again  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yeah. Positive. You guys are family"  
Izzy jumped on him, and given how unstable he was they ended up in a pile on the floor  
"I'm sorry! I got too excited"  
"It's fine. But we should probably get up before our boyfriends get jealous"  
Izzy giggled and pulled him up. He ignored the pain flaring through his arse and hips. After last night, landing on his butt had fucking hurt  
"Izzy, you can start by washing your hands and then washing the tomatoes and that... I need to find the spaghetti and tomato paste"  
"And the mince"  
Oh yeah. That would help.  
"Levi, can you come find the mince. I don't feel like getting cold again"  
"Again?"  
"He dropped me in the lake this morning"  
"Wait? There's a lake?"  
"It's like a river and pond"  
"Oh! Is that the one from Facebook"  
With words being too much effort, Eren nodded and Levi came to find the mince.

Putting himself in charge slicing the onions was a bad idea. After cutting his finger for the second time, he put down the knife with a sigh. Izzy looked towards him  
"Eren! You're bleeding!"  
Moving to the tap to wash his bleeding finger, he nodded  
"Yeah... don't worry, I didn't get any on the onion"  
"Big Brother, can you get Eren a bandaid... and maybe convince him to sit down?"  
"On it!"  
Some how while he was standing there, he'd nearly fallen back to sleep. When Levi's arms wrapped around him, he jumped in panic  
"Whoa! Princess, it's just me"  
"Shit. You scared me. Don't be so sneaky"  
"I'm not sneaky, you're just tired. Give me your hand"  
Spinning slowly in Levi's hold, he stood stillish while Levi placed the bandaids over his cuts   
"No more knives for you. Go sit down on the sofa"  
"But"  
"I think we can figure this out"  
"Fry the onions and garlic first, then the mince and then the vegetables and when they're cooked add the tomato paste"  
"You always have to have the last word don't you"  
Eren hummed and Levi dragged him over to the sofa  
"Now sleep"  
He didn't need telling twice. The moment his head hit the cushion he was asleep.

 

*  
Levi snorted, Eren rolled over once and then bam, he was asleep  
"Wow, that was kind of impressive"  
Nodding at Armin's words, the alpha snagged a blanket from the floor to cover Eren  
"Yep. I'm wondering if he should just stay home tomorrow"  
"Wait, he's coming back to school? I thought he'd want to be home with you?"  
"We're both going to school tomorrow"  
Crossing to the kitchen, Levi washed his hands and looked around the kitchen. They could do this  
"So you're coming back to school?"  
"Yeah. I've got my transcripts organised so it shouldn't be too bad"  
Izzy was bouncing on the spot with excitement  
"You can't have possibly missed me that much"  
"You know I did! It's gonna be so good having you back"  
"It's gonna be weird. No morning run, no afternoon run... no room inspections..."  
"You had to do two runs a day?"  
"Yeah. 3kms in the morning and 5 in the afternoon with an obstacle course... didn't you notice how ripped I'm looking"  
Izzy squeezed his arm with a giggle  
"Ooooh, very nice! At least looking after the twins shouldn't be all that hard"  
Levi rolled his eyes  
"Are you kidding me? They were completely horrible to Eren yesterday because I was back"  
"No way"  
"Way. I get that they're kids and they missed me, but making him feel like he wasn't even the family... that shits not cool"  
"They were probably just happy to have you back"  
"Doesn't make it anymore alright"  
"Still, its kind of cute how much they love you"  
"I suppose. It's still a little weird, I get so happy when they call me daddy... sometimes I wonder if I'm too happy"  
"Aw, Big Brother is growing up!"  
"I'm plenty grown up. Now, let's get dinner done"

After a slight incident with burnt onions, they succeeded the second time. It wasn't as good as what Eren would make, but Izzy was positively glowing as they started to serve  
"Armin, can you wake up Eren? And boys, you need to go wash your hands"  
"But dad, we're busy"  
Eli's tone bordered on being a whine, and Levi sighed  
"Mikasa, you can smack their butts if they don't start moving"  
Mikasa looked to the boys, the smile on her face eerily happy  
"Hear that! I can smack your butts"  
The girl rubbed her hands together and both boys looked shocked  
"You wouldn't..."  
"I would... especially now I know you've been to your mum..."  
"But mum didn't say anything..."  
"That's because I love you more than anything else in this world..."  
Eren rubbed his eyes as he sat up and both boys looked at him with frowns on their faces  
"Now go wash your hands"  
Ren looked to Eli, and Eli nodded. Levi was curious just what the boys had in mind. Apparently it was to jump on Eren  
"Mum, Aunty Mikasa said she'd smack us"  
"That's because you didn't do what daddy said"  
"But our hands are clean"  
Holding up their hands  
"Really? Then why do they look so dirty"  
"Because you're old and seeing things"  
Eren groaned, lifting both boys as he stood  
"Yes, I'm ancient..."  
"If you're ancient, what does that make us?"  
Armin scratched his head as if actually trying to work it out  
"My ancient accomplices..."  
"I don't wanna be ancient"  
"Too bad, the wise 4 years old have spoken..."  
Eren set the boys back down  
"Go wash your hands"  
The twins finally left and Eren began stumbling towards him  
"It smells good. Well done guys"  
"It was mostly Levi"  
"Izzy, you should give yourself more credit. I bet you could make this at home now"  
"Well... maybe... it is pretty simple"  
"See..."  
Eren washed his hands, before coming to stand behind Levi, his boyfriend rested his chin on his shoulder and pressed a kiss to his neck  
"Feeling better?"  
"Mhmm. Thanks for making dinner"  
"It was easy. Do I need to serve up a plate for Hannes?"  
"Yeah. That would be awesome. He probably won't be home until 5 or 6 tomorrow"  
"Fuck that"  
Eren nodded and yawned lightly. How much more adorable could his omega be  
"Go take a seat princess"  
"Ok. I feel so spoilt..."  
"Good. I want to spoil you rotten"  
"Alright you two, don't turn me off my dinner"  
Levi glared at Farlan, his friend hadn't seemed so shitty since he'd talked to Izzy, but he was enjoying this little moment of domestic bliss. Levi's back felt cold the moment Eren pulled away and began over to the dining table.

Dinner was a messy affair. The boys covered basically themselves in bolognese, and Eren practically fell asleep at the table. Armin and Mikasa gathered the dishes while Levi lifted Eren from his chair   
"Say goodnight to everyone, it's time little omegas were in bed"  
"I'm sorry guys, I don't know why I'm still so damn tired"  
"It's alright, we'll see you tomorrow at school right?"  
"Yeah... provided I don't sleep in"  
If Levi had his way, he'd let Eren sleep as much as he wanted too... but his boyfriend would be mad if he did  
"Well, I've been waking up at like 5 for 6 months now, so I think there's no danger of doing that"  
"Ewwww"  
"Yeah. Guys, you can leave the dishes, I'll do them later"  
"No, it's fine. Armin and I can do them, your fed us twice today. It's only fair"  
"That would be awesome Mikasa"  
Eren nuzzled against his chest, fuck he was so cute. Carrying Eren into their room, he gently helped Eren out his clothes and into bed, before kissing him softly  
"I love you princess"  
"I love you too... sorry I'm so sleepy"  
"It's alright..."  
"Wake me when you come to bed?"  
Eren was looking at him with a small smile on his lips  
"Only if you go to sleep right now"  
"I'm going, I'm going"  
Snorting lightly, Levi slid the blankets up to Eren's shoulder, before kissing his omegas temple and leaving the room.

Farlan and Izzy bailed pretty much straight away, leaving him with Armin and Mikasa. The boys were sitting on the kitchen bench and supervising. Eli wouldn't stop squirming   
"Dad. Can't you play with us?"  
"Nope. I've got to do this"  
"Can't you just leave it?"  
"No. If you're bored, why don't you go play"  
"Because we wanna be with you"  
"Well, if you're going to sit there, you've got to behave and be quiet"  
"Daddy... are you mad at us?"  
Levi sighed as he turned to look to the boys  
"Should I be mad at you?"  
"N-no?"  
"There we go then"  
"But you won't play with us"  
"Didn't we play enough today?"  
"But we didn't get to be alone with you"  
"Of course you didn't. Today was a family day, that's why we were all together"  
"But mum wasn't there... mums not very fun..."  
"That's enough. You're being really rude to your mum. He loves you and he tries his best. He was really upset that you guys didn't want him around yesterday and so was I. I know you're happy I'm home, but that doesn't mean you can ignore mummy"  
"But we see him all the time... and they talk about him at daycare"  
Armin and Mikasa stopped and turned to look at the boys  
"Ren, did you know about this too?"  
"They say there's something wrong him 'cause he wears dresses and has long hair. It's so embarrassing"  
Levi struggled to keep his voice even  
"Is that why you've been mean to your mum"  
"Dad, you don't understand..."  
"I can't believe this. Eren showers you with love, he lets you get away with everything..."  
Lifting Eli down and the Ren, he smacked both their bums, causing immediate tears  
"Now get to your rooms, and no coming out until you think about how you would feel if we were saying those things about you"  
Both boys wailed, and Levi could see the struggle in Armin's eyes not to comfort them  
"Go!"  
He pointed towards the hall way and the boys ran off crying.

Once they were out of earshot, he slammed his hands down on the bench as hard as he could, while letting out a feral snarl. He was so fucking furious. Taking a few deep breaths, he tried to compose himself, before looking to Mikasa and Armin   
"Sorry"  
"It's fine. I'm pretty pissed off too. They have no right to talk about him like that"  
"I don't want the boys going there if that's what it's like"  
Armin sighed  
"It's not the first time, but the boys didn't have you before..."  
"It's not the first time?"  
"Yeah, he's been called a slut and all that for having the boys so young. I know he ignores it, but I think it would break him to know his boys seemingly agree"  
This only added to Levi's rage. Eren was smart and sexy and funny and would do anything for anyone, so what if he liked to wear feminine clothes? It wasn't like he was a mass murderer...  
"I'm going to talk to Hannes about this, but can you not tell Eren?"  
Both teens nodded  
"I just can't believe the boys are siding against him. He does everything he can to make sure they're happy"  
"Yeah. I'm so fucking angry right now. Sorry, I need a cigarette. Leave the dishes"  
"It's fine, there's not that many left"  
Grabbing out the first pack of cigarettes and the over lighter, Levi headed out the front. The boys were in for a harsh wake up call. This shit wasn't going to stand.


	49. Chapter 49

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gotta hit the floor before you get back up...
> 
> Yep.
> 
> As always, I love your comments... I always read them and take your suggestions into mind :p
> 
> Love you guys! Xx

Eren was confused when he woke, it took him a moment to realise Levi had pulled him into his arms and was nuzzling against his a back  
"Levi?"  
"Hey baby, feeling better?"  
"I am now..."  
But why do you smell so angry? He wanted to ask, but he didn't want to upset Levi incase the alpha was mad at him  
"Soooo, why was I supposed to wake you up?"  
Eren snorted and squirmed as he tried to roll over, but Levi wouldn't let him  
"Because I want kisses, but now I'm stuck"  
"Oh, I thought you were just trying to escape me"  
"Nooo... unless you want me to?"  
"Nope, I want my kisses now"  
Finally given enough space to roll over, Eren turned and threw his leg over Levi's hip, proceeding to roll them so the alpha was under him  
"I thought you said kisses"  
"I'm greedy, every time I see you, all I want is more"  
"Really?"  
"Yep"  
Claiming Levi's lips, his hands roamed across the alpha's chest. Levi had such a nice body, and he didn't have to share it with anyone. His left hand slid up, moving to gently caress the stab site. He was still so angry over it. Pulling back, he stared down into Levi's eyes, but was confused when the alpha looked away and then back to him  
"Levi?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Have I done something wrong?"  
His alpha scrunched his brow and shook his head  
"No, why?"  
"Because you stank of anger when you came to bed, and just now you looked away"  
"It's nothing"  
It didn't feel like nothing. Sliding from Levi's lap, Eren felt the harsh bitter taste of rejection turning his stomach  
"Princess..."  
"No... it's alright. I'm sorry"  
Laying down on his side of the bed, Eren curled around his pillow, making it hard for Levi to hold him  
"Hey, come on now"  
"It's fine. Just go to sleep. We have school tomorrow"  
"Eren"  
"I said it's fine Levi"  
Burying his face against his pillow, he let the tears slide down his face. Maybe the alpha was made at him for being so sleepy? In that case, he should probably get up and do something. Sliding from the bed, he felt Levi grab his arm  
"Hey, come on, come back to bed"  
"I'm going to take a shower. You can go ahead and go to sleep first"  
"But I..."  
"Just go to sleep Levi"

Instead of taking a shower, he filled the bath. He hasn't actually been going to shower, but then it just came out his mouth, so he figured he probably should. Stripping off his underwear, he tentatively dipped his toes into the water. It was a tiny bit too warm, but he stepped in away and let himself slide down until the water reached his chin. He couldn't work out how he'd fucked up... maybe now Levi was home, he didn't want him... but the alpha had come and found him that morning... and they'd had such amazing sex... maybe Levi regretted it? 

After staying in the bath until the water had gone cold, Eren forced himself from the water and dried himself off. Given he had no clothes in the bathroom, he made do with the towel around his waist. From the bathroom, he headed into the living room, his fingers finding the light switch easily. The whole area had been cleaned and Eren's eyes filled with tears. Levi shouldn't have to do all this, his alpha was supposed to be home relaxing... grabbing the cleaning products out the closet, he placed them on the bench and began emptying the fridge. It was clean as it was, but it would be cleaner.

Eren was still crying and cleaning when Hannes came home. The man took one look at home and took the sponge from his hand  
"What happened?"  
"I'm a failure as an omega"  
The man sighed deeply, and Eren couldn't help but flinch   
"Let's sit down and then you can tell me all about"  
The teen quickly shook his head  
"No, you must be tired... I'll just put the washing on..."  
Hannes wasn't having any of it, the man wrapping an arm around his shoulders before guiding him over to the sofa and forcing him to sit  
"Now, spill"  
"I... I don't know what I did wrong. Levi smelt really angry when he came to bed... I was just so tired today..."  
"You aren't making sense"  
"I didn't get much sleep last night and I was so tired. I tried to stay awake, but I fell asleep twice and then after dinner Levi sent me back to sleep..."  
"He wouldn't be mad over that"  
"I don't know. He's supposed to be relaxing, but he hasn't had a chance since he got home..."  
"You do realise he got back on Monday and now it's Wednesday morning. I doubt that's why he's mad"  
"Then what happened? Everything was fine when I went to bed"  
"I think you're over thinking it. He loves you to bits"  
"Maybe... I'm sorry for wasting your time"  
"It's not a waste of time. It's just going to take a while to get into synch. Now, how about you stop cleaning and go to bed?"  
"I still have to put the washing on"  
"The washing fine. It can wait until later"  
"But..."  
"Eren, as your doctor, I'm sending you to bed"  
Offering Hannes a small smile, Eren nodded slowly  
"That's not fair"  
"I know, but you were supposed to be going to school today"  
"It's fine, I slept all of yesterday"  
"Nope. You're going to take the day to recenter yourself. Levi and I can deal with getting the boys ready"  
"But you've been awake all night"  
"And I'm just going to sleep all day. It's fine"  
Overcome with the sudden feeling of exhaustion, he nodded. Maybe Hannes was right?

 

*  
Levi had fallen asleep. He hadn't meant to, but when he'd followed Eren to the bathroom, he'd heard the bath tub running and figured Eren probably wanted some space. That didn't mean he wasn't about to let this go... but yeah, no, he'd fallen asleep.

The alpha was just waking up as Eren slid into bed, he wanted to reach out and grab his boyfriend, especially because Eren smelt so upset, but his boyfriend curled up on the very edge of the bed, practically screaming at him to stay away. Levi found himself holding his breath, until Eren's soft snores told him it was safe to move again. Sliding from the bed, he grabbed his pants off the floor and tugged on a shirt, hoping that going for a run would help calm the niggling anger.

Walking into the living room, he was momentarily blinded, before having the shit scared out of him by Hannes  
"What is this? Tag?"  
Frowning at the man, he eyed the cleaning products on the bench  
"Doing a bit of cleaning, are we?"  
"Me, no. Eren was"  
Levi sighed  
"Don't tell me he was cleaning this whole time"  
"Yep. Also, be careful when you open the fridge, it's a masterpiece"  
Hannes opened the fridge door. Everything was nicely stacked, organised and labelled  
"Shit, that's kind of impressive"  
"Isn't it? Shame it won't last"  
Levi nodded, before moving to lean against the kitchen bench  
"So you talked to him?"  
"He convinced himself you were angry at him"  
"At the boys and the world, but not at him"  
"Oh? Trouble in paradise?"  
"Apparently they've been badmouthing Eren at daycare for having long hair and wearing a dress"  
"Oh for fucks sake"  
"Pretty much. I don't know how to tell him"  
"Maybe it's best to let sleeping dogs lie"  
"If only it was that simple. The boys have been copping it, and now they're embarrassed by Eren"  
Hannes looked positively livid  
"This is unbelievable. He does everything for those boys"  
"Yeah, that's why I was so mad. They got their arses smack sent to bed"  
"I don't blame you, what are you going to do about it all?"  
"Well, I'm intending on raising hell if I need to. This is so not ok"  
"Just remember Levi, Eren doesn't have a back up for daycare and as much as I want to look after the twins, they are exhausting"  
"How can you say that. The boys are embarrassed by their own mother"  
"I'm not saying to let this go, I'm saying just think carefully about what you're going to say"  
Levi nodded, pushing himself away from the bench  
"I'm going for a run. It doesn't feel right not running"  
"Ok, just leave the back door unlocked, I'm going to bed now"  
"Do I say goodnight or good morning?"  
"Morning. As soon as it hits 12am, it's morning in my world"

 

*  
Getting the boys up and bathed was a chore. He seemed to still be in the doghouse with them, so they didn't want to cooperate at all, even when he put extra bubble bath in the tub. His troubles only continued once they were out. Eli took Ren's socks and even after being told, Eli refused to return them and Ren didn't want to wear another pair. This ended up with neither boy getting to wear the socks and both with a sore bum as they were marched into the living area and forced to sit at the dining table. Levi didn't even give them the choice for what they wanted for breakfast. All three of them had cornflakes, and the boys cried the whole time   
"Where's mum..."  
Ren was the first to cave, his bottom lip quivering as he looked towards the hallway  
"I thought you were embarrassed by him"  
Levi's tone was cold, and both boys sat a little straighter  
"He's not mean like you"  
"That's because he's proud of you and he loves you. You wouldn't like it if he was embarrassed by you"  
"He wouldn't be!"  
"Then why are you embarrassed by him?"  
"Because..."  
"Because your friends tell you, you should be?"  
Eli looked down and nodded  
"I love you both, but that's not alright. You should be proud to have such a loving mother. Not everyone does"  
Standing up, he took the bowls and stacked them in the sink. He didn't have enough time to do the dishes and make it to the bus stop  
"Grab your bags, it's time to go"  
"But what about mum?"  
"He's staying home today"  
"Then why do we have to go to school?"  
"Because you do"

The feel of the school uniform and having his bag slung over his shoulder was weird. He found himself missing the fatigues of the camp school and this whole tie thing was awful. When the bus pulled up, the driver looked him over  
"Been a while"  
"You could say that"  
"Where's Eren?"  
"Asleep. He needed a holiday"  
The man nodded and the twins climbed onto the bus before him, making a beeline straight for Mikasa and Armin. Taking the seat in front of them, Levi pulled his phone out   
"Where's Eren?"  
"He thought I was mad at him, so he stayed up all night cleaning"  
"Damn"  
"Pretty much"  
"Did you tell him?"  
"No. I'm going to talk to the daycare today"  
"Did you want us to come with you?"  
"Nah, Eren's probably going to be mad enough as it is when he finds out. Can't have him being angry with you guys too"  
Ren buried his face against Mikasa's shoulder  
"So why are the boys upset?"  
"They got their bums smacked again"  
"Already?"  
"Yep. They've been playing up all morning. Though they seem to have realised that it wasn't cool to be mad at Eren"  
"At least that's something"  
"Yeah. I'm hoping all this can be sorted without Eren finding out"  
Armin nodded quickly   
"Well, we're here if you need us"

The rest of the bus ride was quiet, he talked to the pair off and on, and the twins had finally stopped crying. It wasn't like he liked hitting his boys, he actually felt like an arsehole for it, but they needed to learn when they were in the wrong and it wasn't like he hit them with his full strength.

 

*  
Standing at the gate of the daycare, Levi took a deep breath. He'd run and rerun the possible directions of conversation through his mind and he hadn't lost any of his determination to do what he felt was right. Eren didn't deserve to be mocked or ridiculed  
"Daddy?"  
"Sorry kiddo, I was just off in my own world, let's head in?"  
Walking into the drop off room, Levi watched the boys hang their bags up, before turning to look back at him. They were both clearly nervous and when he squatted down for a hug, they both ran over and threw their arms around him  
"I love you guys, very very much"  
"I love you too daddy"  
"Me too"  
"Have a good day, and try to ignore what the other kids are saying about mummy"  
Both boys nodded and he Levi pressed kisses to their temples before slowly pulling back. His eyes flicked around the room, before finally landing on the door named "office". He'd assumed the foyer was the "office", but apparently there was an actual office. Standing tall, he squared his shoulders and took a deep breath before striding over and knocking on the door.

The daycare woman was a tyrant... or something close... maybe some kind of monster even... He had no words for her clear disregard of the situation and it only served to make him angrier about the whole thing. She seemed to think it was just a phase and it would pass, and she didn't even blink an eyelid when he stated that both his boys were also suffering because of it. With his hands clenched, his whole body shook. It couldn't be fun running a daycare and putting up with all their parents and the bullshit, but she clearly wasn't fit to be a director. Storming from her office, he slammed the door behind him. What a colossal waist of time.

Once outside the daycare, he did the mature adult thing and flipped the bird at the building. People were completely over rated.

 

*  
Eren groaned as he rolled over, searching for the stupid annoying ringing device people liked to call a phone. He'd been having a nice dream, or he thought he had at least, it had disappeared from his mind the moment he'd woken. Finally finding the device, he was half hanging off the bed as he answer   
"'ello?"  
"Is this Mr Yeager?"  
"Yeah..."  
"Mr Yeager this is..."  
Rolling back on the bed, he sat up in confusion. Why the fuck was the director of his boys daycare calling and what the hell was she on about  
"Hang on. Sorry. What did you say happened?"  
"Your alpha came to see me today. I don't appreciate an angry alpha coming in here and making wild accusations about this daycare centre"  
"Levi did what?"  
"Your alpha stormed and started ranting about how your name was being slandered by the kids here and how your own children are embarrassed over you. Mr Yeager, if your children have a problem with your long hair and you wearing feminine clothes, I suggest you talk to them about it and not send your alpha in as some kind of scare tactic"  
Eren's whole body shook. The boys were embarrassed by him... and Levi knew...  
"I... I'm sorry, I had no idea he was going to do that. I'm actually home sick at the moment, or this would never have happened"  
"This is the boys last warning. I'm sorry, but I need to put the welfare of the other children first. I'll let today slide, but no more chances"  
"Yes, no, that's completely understandable. I really am sorry that this has happened"  
"I am to. That's all I had to say Mr Yeager"  
"Thanks for letting me know..."  
The line went dead and Eren felt numb. His sons were embarrassed by him... it felt like his heart had been torn out. Climbing from the bed, small sobs fell from his lips and he stumbled to the wardrobe he shared with Levi. He was so stupid. Of course they were embarrassed by him. He was a boy after all. Ripping his clothes from his wardrobe he grabbed everything that could be classed as remotely feminine into his arms and carried it outside, stuffing it into the metal rubbish bin. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Heading back inside, he dressed as fast as he could, before taking both earrings out his ears and then grabbing his wallet and the keys for the ute.

Driving into town, he tried to wipe his eye dry, but it didn't work. He still looked a mess as he pulled up in front of the hairdressers. Shinganshima was so small, that no one ever made appointments, so he'd have no troubles there. Wiping his face for the last time, he climbed from ute and headed into the hairdresser. The young woman tried to dissuade him, talking about how nice and long his hair was, but Eren stood his ground and an hour later, it was the shortest he'd had it since... since meeting Levi. There was no going back now.

Returning home, he raided his jewellery box, deciding the only thing worth keeping from it was the dior watch, because that was a gift and the E and R for the boys... he loved them so much... maybe it would have hurt less if they'd just told him to his face. He didn't really know what to do with the box, it was just a cheap one from some department store in Trost, but it would probably burn, so he grabbed the oven lighter on the way out to the bin. Dragging it into the middle of the clearing, he dropped the jewellery box into the middle of it, before letting out a desperate sob. All he'd wanted was to be a good mum, but he couldn't even manage that. Holding the oven lighter to the fabric, he watched as his red dress began to smoulder before finally catching.

He watched the mess burn, the orange flames mixing with blue and green, for a hypnotically beautiful effect. The smell wasn't so beautiful, and it didn't take Hannes long to come running out the house  
"Eren!? What are you doing!"  
Hannes grabbed him around the waist and pulled him back, both landing hard on the ground  
"What happened? What's on fire?"  
"It... it's doesn't matter..."  
"It matters to me. Tell me what happened, why did you cut your hair?"  
"Because my own kids are embarrassed by me! I'm stupid, all of this was stupid"  
Hannes let out a sigh, Eren fought his way from the man's lap  
"You knew! Does everyone know? Is everyone just laughing at me?"  
"Levi told me this morning, after you went to sleep"  
"And what?! You thought it was alright for him to go abuse the daycare director! The boys are on their last warning! What am I supposed to do?!"  
"Eren, calm down"  
"Don't tell me to fucking calm down! My kids are laughing at me while telling me they love me. My alpha couldn't even tell me to my face!"  
Taking a few steps away, he shifted before taking off running. He wanted his mum... and that's where he was heading.


	50. Chapter 50

Levi's phone wouldn't stop buzzing in his pocket. He was trying to complete his reenrollment, but the buzzing was getting on his nerves... just like the secretary who insisted on calling up the boot camp to confirm his being there and grades. How long did it take to press a few keys and get him back in the system.

His torment didn't end until the lunch bell finally rang and he was at last finally enrolled. As well as maths, science, English, sport and social sciences, he was going to be taking woodwork. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do in the future, but he was good with hands and wood work would be handy... escaping to the familiar halls, he fished his phone out his pocket and found a dozen missed calls from Hannes. Sliding his thumb across the screen, he unlocked it before calling the man back  
"Levi! Have you heard from Eren?"  
"No? What's wrong?"  
"He got a call from daycare by the sounds of it"  
Levi groaned and staggered sideways, until his shoulder hit the wall  
"Fuck. I didn't think she'd call him"  
"Well now he knows and he's totally flipped out"  
"Flipped out?"  
"As in he was burning something out the front, and he's cut his hair real short"  
"Are you serious?"  
"I wish I wasn't. He thinks we've all be laughing at him. The boys being embarrassed because of him has hit him really hard"  
"So where is he?"  
"I don't know. I wouldn't be calling you if I did"  
"Did you check our spot?"  
"What spot?"  
Levi groaned, of course the man had no idea what he was talking about  
"You know that picture, the panorama? With the lake and the rocks... in the forest?"  
"No, but I think I remember the place from when I was a kid"  
"Well that's out spot. That's where we met. That's the only place I can think of... provided his not at the Ackerman's or at the Arlert's"  
"No, he's not. I called them before you"  
"Fuck. Alright. Maybe I can get Farlan to drive me down..."  
"No. You stay there. He probably doesn't want to talk to you right now"  
"Hannes... I didn't..."  
"I know. Maybe you could ask Mikasa and Armin? Or is there anyone else he'd talk to?"  
"If Reiner or Bertholdt were still around, I'd say them, but they're in Marley..."  
"Well that's no help. Call me if you hear anything"  
"I will. Same to you"  
Hanging up, he pushed himself off the wall and headed to the cafeteria.

Walking into the cafeteria he found Armin and Mikasa easily. The teens were still using the same table they were using last year. Jogging over to the table, he grabbed Armin's shoulder  
"Sorry, I need to borrow these two for a minute"  
"Hello to you too, Levi! Long time no see"  
"Sorry Sasha, it's nice to see you again, but I kind of have to borrow these two"  
Mikasa and Armin both rose, following them a few metres away from the table  
"What's wrong? You look worried. Is it the boys?"  
"No. Its Eren. I tried to talk to the daycare director about the whole Eren issue, but the bitch went and called Eren and now he's taken off"  
"Did you check your spot or whatever it is?"  
"Mikasa, he's stuck here, like we are"  
"Hannes called me. He's going to check, but do you have any other ideas about where he could have gone?"  
"He's not with grandpa?"  
"No... fuck... he's totally broken down..."  
"Can you blame him? He went through hell keeping his kids safe from Grisha... he nearly died because of it, and then he finds out that they don't even love him"  
"They do love him"  
"We all know they do. But it's still got to hurt. Didn't you say they made him feel like he wasn't part of the family?"  
"Yeah..."  
"Maybe he went to see his mum?"  
Levi drew his brow in agitated confusion   
"But Carla died"  
Mikasa rolled her eyes  
"Her grace you idiot. They were always really close"  
"Alright, I'll call Hannes. Can you guys let me know if you hear anything"  
"Yeah, sure..."  
Pulling his phone back out, Levi cursed Hannes as it took the man a small eternity to answer  
"Levi?"  
"Listen, I just talked to Mikasa and Armin. They said to try Carla's grave"  
Hannes let out a groan  
"I didn't even think. Ok. I'll let you know if I find him"

 

*  
Laying on the cold marble of his mothers grave Eren was curled up in a ball of misery. The realisation that he might have slightly over reacted and so ashamed of himself... but the fact his sons couldn't even talk to him hurt  
"Why'd you have to die mum? I've ruined everything... Levi finally came back... and the boys hate me. I miss you so much"  
Burying his face against the marble, his body wouldn't stop shaking. He had no idea how long he was laying there, but he couldn't find the energy to move.

"Eren!"  
Eren jumped at the sound of Hannes voice. He wanted to run, but his body wouldn't move. The man came to the side of his mothers grave, before squatting down next to it and placing a hand on his back  
"I didn't even think to look here..."  
"I miss her..."  
"I know you do, do you wanna talk about it?"  
Eren sniffled and clumsily wiped at his face  
"They hate me"  
"They don't hate you"  
"They might as well... I feel like an idiot"  
"You're not an idiot... well, maybe a little..."  
"Thanks..."  
"Hey, it's not a bad thing, we're all idiots in our own way"  
"I cut my hair"  
Hannes snorted  
"You did. It's going to take me a while to get used to it"  
Breaking down into sobs, he let Hannes pull him into a hug  
"I just wanted to be a good mum"  
"You are. All kids go through this phase"  
"I just... why couldn't they talk to me?"  
"Because the kids at the daycare are shits"  
"That's another thing. What am I supposed to do. I hate that place, but I can't afford anything much... and it's wiping out my funds as it is"  
"How much do you have left?"  
"I don't know... maybe 7 grand..."  
Hannes let out a sigh  
"Why don't you see if Mr Arlert will take them?"  
"I can't. He's getting old, and they're a total handful"  
"Maybe you can find someone in town? Or I can take them to work..."  
"But you've done so much"  
"Eren it's alright to need help"  
"But that's all that ever happens... it's just me needing help"  
"Not always"  
"That's how it feels"  
"Come on, I think it's time we got you home. Levi's worried about you"  
Eren let out a groan, he didn't even want to think about Levi right now. His alpha must think him a total nut job  
"Don't groan at me in that tone"  
"Levi must think I'm crazy"  
"Eren, you've always been crazy. Can you stand?"  
"I don't know"  
"Piggy back it is"

Hannes moaned and groaned as he lifted Eren onto his back. The teen hadn't thought he was serious until he found himself on Hannes's back  
"You can put me down"  
"Nope, that's too much effort now"  
Hannes carried him all the way to the ute, before finally letting him slide down  
"Is there anything you want to do before going home?"  
"No... Hannes... I think I need help"  
"What with the door?"  
Eren shook his head, reaching over to open the door   
"I know what you mean. Do you want me to try and find someone in Shinganshima? Or in Trost?"  
"Trost... you can't have any secrets around here"  
"I'll see what I can do, but first things first. I need to call Levi"  
While Hannes called Levi, Eren climbed into the car. It sucked to admit he needed help. He felt like an idiot for saying the words out loud, but he was the one with the problems and he didn't want to keep feeling this way.

Hannes didn't push him, and once they got home, he headed straight to bed. Sasha would have probably messaged him over cheer practice, but he wasn't feeling particularly cheerful. Curling up on his side of the bed, he ignored the fact his hands and feet were dirty from running. It was probably stupid, but all he could think about was how weird it felt to have his hair so short again.

 

*  
As it turned out, Levi was in the same English class as Eren and Mikasa... well, it was just Mikasa today. Hannes had called just as the lunch time bell had rung, and Levi couldn't describe his relief at hearing that Eren had been found and was at home now. Sasha had spent almost all of lunch grilling him over the boot camp and then about Eren's absence. It seemed the general consensus was too much sex and now he was recovering. The alpha let them all think what they wanted, it was better than admitting that the boys were playing up and Eren was having a few issues with readjusting and controlling his omega side. He hated to see his boyfriend upset, but this had to have hit Eren extra hard. It was the last thing he'd expected to come home to and he had to wonder if maybe it would have been better if they'd taken the week off to relax and get used to each other all over again.

Still lost in his thoughts about what he could do to help Eren, Mikasa had to remind him it was time to pick the boys up. The English teacher was confused, and Levi bit down his annoyance over the schools lack of communication. He'd explained that he was a father, and that he needed to leave classes to collect his kids as they lived in Shinganshima and caught the bus home. It might have been his first day back, but after the mornings daycare incident, he wasn't feeling any love for the education system as a whole.

Arriving at the daycare, it was hard to ignore the looks he was given. Word had probably spread, and the staff probably warned about that angry alpha. It was hard not to march over to the woman's office and yell at her for being such a bitch... thanks to her Eren had had a complete breakdown from the seems, and today was supposed to be his boyfriends day to relax and have some time to himself. One of the workers disappeared, reappearing shortly with both the twins   
"Daddy!"  
"Hey kids, grab your bags and lets get out of here"  
Both boys wasted no time in doing as he asked. With Ren taking the lead, the left the day care and Eli let out a huge sigh  
"What's wrong?"  
"The teacher talked to us all. Apparently we aren't allowed to talk about other people 'cause that's bullying"  
The alpha was stopped in his tracks  
"She did?"  
"Yep. She said that it was mean, and anyone who did it had to sit on the time out mat"  
"Really... so did anyone talk about mum?"  
"Nope... we were too busy trying not to laugh at her"  
"That's good. Wait, why were you trying not laugh at her?"  
"'cause she farted"  
Levi had trouble not laughing over it. Karma was a bitch  
"Yeah... but everyone farts"  
"Her's was really loud"  
Oh god. It hurt not to laugh  
"Daddy?"  
Looking from Eli to Ren, the small boy seemed troubled, not at all carefree like Eli   
"What's up Ren?"  
"I don't know what to say to mum"  
Taking his sons hand, he gave it a firm squeeze  
"What do you want to say to mum?"  
"That I love him... even if he's embarrassing"  
"What's so embarrassing?"  
"He gives us so many hugs and kisses and he always tells us he loves us... but..."  
Ren bit his lip and Levi squatted down so he could look the boy in the eyes  
"But?"  
"I kind of like it... he just does it tooooo much"  
"That's because he loves you sooooo much. He wants you to know it all the time"  
"How much is sooooooooo much?"  
"Well, that depends. What do think there's a lot of?"  
"Stars!"  
"Ok, you know all the stars in the sky. How many do you think there are?"  
"Zillions..."  
"Well he loves you more than that"  
The boys eyes went wide   
"He loves you both more than that... and like all the time"  
"Wow... that's a lot!"  
"Yep. That's why he hugs you and he kisses you"  
"He really loves us that much?"  
"Yep. I'll even pinky promise it"  
Letting go of both boys hands, he held out his right pinky and the boys hooked it skeptically  
"Really? Like, really truly?"  
"Yep. And I do too"  
He shook his hand before his boy could pull away   
"Now, when we get home, I think you should tell mummy you love him"  
"But... he was sad wasn't he?"  
"Yeah. He thought you guys didn't love him anymore and he got really upset"  
"I don't want mum to be upset"  
"That's why you've got to tell him you love him and give him lots of kisses and cuddles"  
"That seems like a lot of work"  
"What if we give him too many kisses"  
"Trust me. You can't. Come on, we've got a bus to catch"

The boys were in a substantially better mood when they climbed onto the bus and this time they both wanted to sit on him, rather than Mikasa and Armin   
"You three look happy"  
"That's because we get to go home and see mummy. Isn't that right?"  
Both boys nodded quickly   
"And these two have something to tell him"  
"That we love him... that's right isn't it daddy?"  
Levi bit down a groan, Eli had made it sound like he'd pressured the boys into it  
"They had a talk at daycare about how talking about other people is wrong"  
Armin leant forward as he nodded  
"Did you?"  
"Yep... but the teacher farted... we all wanted to laugh, but we didn't"  
The look on Armin's face as he fought to keep his composure was perfect, the blonde promptly sat back and covered his mouth  
"Isn't karma great?"  
Mikasa nodded slowly  
"She didn't give two... this morning when I told her about what was going on"  
"She had it coming then"  
The girl ended her sentence with a shrug and Armin let a tiny giggle escape.

Climbing off the bus, Levi could smell the stench of burnt before his foot even touched the ground. Wrinkling his nose in disgust, he helped the boys down and took their hands  
"Dad, what stinks?"  
"I don't know"  
He honestly had no clue as to what Eren would have been burning. The boys weren't able to hide their curiosity and ran on a head. Given e didn't know if whatever Eren had been burning was still burning, he rushed to grab the boys hands before they got too close  
"Dad, it really stinks"  
There was horrible chemical smell lingering in the air, but given the lack of smoke, whatever it was was probably smouldering  
"Yeah. Let's get inside"

Inside was much better, someone had sprayed glen 20 and the house smelt lemony  
"Do you guys want a snack?"  
"Can we have cookies?"  
"Alright, but put your bags on the dining table first, and then wash your hands"  
As both boys headed off to do that, Levi found the cookies that Eren had made and poured out two cups of milk. It took the boys a few moments to return   
"When can we see mum?"  
"He's probably taking a nap. Do you think we should wake him up for milk and cookies?"  
Ren and Eli both nodded, so Levi set them up with their milk and cookies first, before heading into the bedroom to wake up Eren.

When Hannes had said his omega had gotten his hair cut, Levi wasn't expecting this. It was short... like really short and it only served to make his boyfriend look that much younger. Also gone were his boyfriends earrings and he was in jeans and a tee. Levi had a sinking feeling and a quick look in the wardrobe confirmed it. Eren's cheerleading uniform, dresses, skirts, tops and shorts were all gone. It was now a very basic wardrobe of a few printed tees, and a couple of pairs of jeans... other than his school uniforms. Fuck. Sneaking back out the room, he knocked lightly on Hannes's door, before opening it  
"Hey Levi, what can I do you for?"  
"I figured out what Eren was burning. 80% of his wardrobes gone"  
Hannes let out a sigh, before scrubbing his hands with his face  
"I had a feeling when I saw his haircut, but I was hoping I was wrong"  
"The boys want to see him, do you think it's alright to wake him up?"  
"Yeah. I should probably tell you, he's asked me to find him a councillor"  
Levi nodded, it made him feel sick though, that Eren felt so bad he'd actually had to ask for help  
"Ok... I don't know what I should say"  
"You don't have to say anything, but don't be surprised if he takes the car to Trost from time to time"  
"Right. No unnecessary questions. Oh. That bitch from the daycare actually talked to the kids, told them talking about people was bullying. She was a right royal... I don't have a word for it, but now they all know that if they talk shit about anyone, they have to sit on the time out mat"  
"At least that's something"  
Levi nodded  
"I'll try and talk to Eren tonight, but thanks for finding him today. I thought my heart had been ripped out when you said he was missing"  
"Maybe just let him talk to you. I don't think pushing him right now is going to help"  
"Ok. Anyway, thanks again. I'm going to wake him up"  
"Good luck!"

Closing Hannes's door, he headed back to where Eren slept. Gently shaking his boyfriend, sad green eyes opened to look at him  
"Levi..."  
"Shhh, it's alright. You don't have to tell me, but we're having milk and cookies and the boys wanna see you"  
Eren shook his head  
"They hate me..."  
"They don't hate you. They both regret it. You know how cruel kids can be, but I imagine that doesn't make it hurt any less"  
"I'm such a failure. You weren't supposed to come home to all of this"  
"It's fine. It's going to take some time to get into a rhythm and work everything out. Now, you better come and get some cookies before there's none left"  
Giving Eren no choice, Levi lifted him from the bed  
"I need to wash my hands"  
"Ok, so sink first and then milk and cookies"

The boys both gasped as Levi carried Eren in. The alpha felt his omega tense immediately   
"Mum! What did you do to your hair!? It's so short"  
"But it looks good right?"  
"It looks weird! I've never seen it so short"  
Eren began to shake in his arms. This wasn't going as smoothly as he'd hoped  
"Well, I like it. My princess can have his hair however he wants"  
Eren shook his head at the word princess. The rejection of the pet name stung, but given Eren had pretty much gotten rid of everything feminine, the name would have to go on the back burner until he was comfortable with it again. 

Once Eren's hands were washed and two glasses of milk poured, Levi opted to settle on the sofa with Eren in his lap. His boyfriend was so tense and quiet that it hurt  
"Hey, it's alright. I'm here and I love you"  
Eren didn't reply. Instead he sipped slowly at his milk and didn't touch his cookies at all  
"Boys, why don't you tell mummy what you told me?"  
"You mean?"  
"Remember what we talked about on the way home?"  
"About how much we love mum and stuff?"  
Levi waved them over and turned Eren so the omegas back was to his chest and facing the boys  
"Mum?"  
Eren stiffened further at being called mum so softly by Eli   
"Why don't you tell him what you said, Ren?"  
"Mum... we love you... even if you give us way too many kisses and cuddles. Daddy said you love us more than all the stars"  
"But... but you're embarrassed by me..."  
God. Eren sounded so broken  
"Because we didn't know how much you loved us... and everyone at daycare was talking about you..."  
"M-maybe they're right"  
Levi looked at the confused boys  
"They had a little talk at daycare today, about how saying that stuff wasn't cool. They didn't really feel that way, but they were being bullied over it"  
Eren let out a choked sob  
"Mummy, we do love you!"  
Levi didn't act enough. The glass slid from Eren's hand and shattered on the floor, as Eren slid from his hold and wrapped his arms around his sons  
"I'm so sorry... all I even wanted to be was a good mum for you"  
Levi hadn't expected the boys to cry, but the twins started wailing, and clung to Eren desperately  
"Why couldn't you just tell me?"  
"I think they didn't want to hurt you, and that they weren't sure how to tell you"  
It was hard to keep his voice from breaking, and he wanted to wrap his arms around the three most important people in his life, but Eren needed this moment with his sons. It was a few very long minutes before Eren finally let the boys go and wiped his face  
"I'm sorry... I love you guys so much"  
Both boys continued to hold onto Eren while pressing kisses to his cheek  
"It's ok mum"  
"Yeah it's ok... but why did you cut your hair?"  
Levi snorted before he could stop himself   
"I'm invoking my dad powers which means no more questions for the today. You guys can pick a movie, and we're going to curl on the sofa and watch it as a family"  
"Any movies?"  
"Is that a question?"  
"Maybe?"  
"Didn't I saw no more questions?"  
"But..."  
"Any movie. I need to clean up the mess before anyone gets hurt"  
Eli and Ren both pulled back, while Eli moved to the DVDs, Ren stood and stared down at Eren   
"What's wrong?"  
"He's bleeding"  
Fuck. Placing his glass down awkwardly, he had to let it drop the last little bit as his reach was just that bit too short. He momentarily cursed his stature, but was more concerned about Eren bleeding. Grabbing his boyfriend under the arms, he pulled him up and back into his hold, before sliding him across so he could see where the blood was coming from. The fabric of Eren's jeans was torn and a small shard was sticking out. It was like Eren hadn't even realised he was kneeling on it  
"It's alright, Hannes will have mummy cleaned up in a minute. I want you two to stay away from glass and the milk"  
Ren nodded, while Levi awkwardly lifted Eren. His boyfriends hands were covering his face, but given how lax Eren was in his hold, Levi assumed Eren was just too emotionally drained to realise much of anything.

Given he had Eren in his hold, and didn't particularly want to drop him, Levi kicked the bottom of Hannes door lightly instead of knocking  
"Hannes!"  
It took a few seconds for the door to open, the man evidently in the process of getting ready to leave. Hannes took one look at Eren and sighed  
"Why's he bleeding"  
"He and the twins sorted their shit out, but he knelt in glass"  
"Get him out of those jeans, I'll grab the first aid kit"  
Getting Eren out of said jeans wasn't exactly easy. When Levi lowered Eren onto Hannes's bed, his boyfriend tried to curl into a ball and in the end he had to be rougher than he wanted to be. Once he was done, he left the jeans on the floor, while climbing up to sit behind Eren and wrap his arms around him   
"Hey Eren, I love you"  
He'd nearly said princess. He wanted to say princess... even with his hair cut short, Eren was still the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen.

Hannes returned a few moments later, the man sighing again as he looked to Eren's leg  
"Well shit. He did a good job"  
The man was obviously talking about the pieces of glass in Eren's leg. Levi had been trying to ignore the fact that there was more than one  
"Yeah, thankfully he's pretty much asleep and doesn't seem to feel it"  
"Being upset tends to take a lot out of you, and the cemetery is a good 6 or kilometres from here, even if he did shift, he's probably exhausted from that"  
"Yeah, maybe. Anyways, can you please hurry up and fix my boyfriend so we can go watch a movie on the sofa"  
"Oh, movie is it? Where was my invite?"  
"You can come watch if you really want to. I left the choice to the boys"  
Hannes wrinkled his face  
"No, I think I'll pass. Cartoons on TV are fine, but when it comes to movies, they get really into them and get really scary"  
"I remember they told Eren off for singing before"  
"I got told off for moving"  
Levi smiled as he shook his head  
"Sounds about right"  
He knew Hannes was using the conversation to distract him from Eren's leg. Things were going well until Eren seemed to realising what was happening and squirmed in his lap  
"Shhh, it's alright. You cut your leg but Hannes is fixing it"  
Eren let out a shaky breath  
"I'm so stupid"  
Levi frowned, moving to rest his chin on Eren's shoulder   
"You are not stupid"  
"I am! Everything I do is wrong! Everything I like is wrong! I don't blame the boys for being embarrassed by me!"  
Great. Eren was crying again  
"No. You aren't stupid and I will tell you a million and one times that you aren't. You are amazing and gorgeous and smart and perfect. You're just having a bit of a down patch at the moment, but it'll get better"  
"How can you say that? How can you even stand to be around me? Aren't you disgusted by faggot Yeager who dresses like a girl?"  
Levi snarled at his boyfriends words  
"Don't you ever speak about yourself like that. Ever"  
Hannes seemed just as shocked as Eren was, but Levi wasn't done  
"Who gives a shit if you wear your hair long, or like to wear skirts and dresses, you look fucking amazing in them. Half the Hollywood stars would kill to look like you. I was never ever embarrassed by what you wore or who you are and given that we are going to be together forever, isn't my opinion the only one that should matter?"  
Bringing his hands up, Eren buried his face in them  
"It's like I don't know who I am anymore!"  
"And that's alright. It just means you need a little space and time, and I'll be right there for you"  
Levi looked to Hannes and Hannes cleared his throat  
"Eren, hold still, you've got glass in your leg"  
If Levi could have facepalmed, he would have, but it did get a snort out of Eren   
"I'm thinking maybe you and me could stay home tomorrow. See if grandpa Arlert will babysit and have some time alone?"  
Eren shook his head   
"When you're a parent, you never get alone time... and when you are alone, all you do is worry what they're up to"  
"I for one think that is an excellent idea Levi. Eren could use some sex and sleep"  
Levi gaped   
"That's really disturbing, you talking about our sex life like that"  
"Doctors orders and all that. Besides, who do you thinks going to be delivering your next lot of pups"  
Levi wrinkled his nose   
"Ok. Enough. Just because we want more kids, doesn't mean it's going to happen right this very second"  
"Can we please not talk about it"  
Eren's voice was soft and mumbled, so Levi pressed a kiss to Eren's neck   
"Alright. But I still love you"

It was a good hour later that they finally made it back to the sofa, they'd taken so long that the boys came looking for them, and had burst into tears all over again while Hannes worked on Eren's leg. Having settled down on the sofa and pulled Eren into his hold, he wasn't surprised when his omega fell asleep almost immediately. That night the boys had cereal for dinner, and then insisted on sleeping with mummy tonight. Even thought it was barely 8, Levi found himself in bed curled around Eli somewhat awkwardly, so that he could still touch Eren. Ren had the best bit of the bed, he was on Eren's other side, next to the edge and didn't have to fight for space.

That night Levi stayed awake until all three of his loves were snoring lightly, he couldn't help but feel protective of the all. The day had been a cluster fuck of drama, but hopefully now everything was in the open, things would finally start to improve.


	51. Chapter 51

Eren was awake when Levi woke, his boyfriend was laying there with both their sons sleeping against him  
"Hey beautiful, been awake long?"  
"N-no... why are they in bed with us?"  
"Because you fell asleep on the sofa, and when I tried to put them to bed, they kicked up a huge fuss and wanted you"  
Levi rolled over so he was curled up behind Eli, and leaning over the small boy he placed a kiss on Eren's lips   
"You can go back to sleep, it's probably only about 5"  
"No... I need to shower and the boys will need a bath"  
"I'll bath the boys, you just relax"  
Eren's lip trembled  
"I can do this..."  
"Of course you can. Do you want me to organise breakfast while you look after the boys"  
"I want to do it"  
"Ok, you know we aren't going to school today"  
Eren shook his head  
"I need to go back"  
"But you..."  
"Levi... please, I can't... I just need to be normal"  
"Alright. Whatever you need. I love you"  
"I love you too..."  
Rolling back, Levi pulled Eli gently with him, the boys hands immediately grabbed for Eren the moment he started moving him. Sliding his hand into his son, Levi finally got Eli to let go, and Eren gently moved Ren to the place he was vacating. The alpha watched his boyfriend pad quietly from the room, and reached to place his free hand on Ren. If only the boys could always be this sweet and adorable.

By the time Eren was out the shower, both boys had roused and the moment the omega stepped in the room, he was jumped on  
"Mumma!"  
"Mum!"  
There was a momentary look of panic on Eren's face, before he relaxed and sank down to kneel with a wince  
"Mum?"  
"It's alright. It's time for you bath"

While Eren was dealing with the twins, Levi wanted to be helpful. He got Eren's clothes out the wardrobe, before laying them on the bed. He then grabbed his boyfriends bag and phone, taking them into the living area and placing them on the dining table. Hannes was just getting home and the man shot him a look  
"Eren wants to go to school today"  
"I thought I told him he was staying home"  
"He's not having it. He says he wants to feel normal"  
"Well, he can drive in. That way if he needs to take off, he can"  
"I don't think you're supposed to e advocating for truancy"  
Hannes shrugged  
"What can I say? I've never done the parent thing before"  
"It's a shame, you'd have been a great dad"  
Hannes snorted   
"Yeah, no. I like being able to hand the kids back at the end of the day"  
Dropping the keys down next to Levi, Hannes yawned as he stumbled towards the hall way  
"Don't forget to tell him. Oh, I fuelled up too. He should be right"  
"Sweet, thanks Hannes"  
Hannes didn't look back as he gave a wave and continued on.

 

*  
Eren didn't particularly feel like driving... actually, he really didn't know what he felt. It was kind of like he felt a little bit of everything all at once. He'd showered on autopilot and washed the boys, before dressing them and settling down with cereal. Levi had already pulled his clothes out and laid them out for him, and despite how sweet the action might have been, he just felt slightly annoyed. 

Grabbing his bag and his keys, he let out a long sigh, not looking forward to being stared at all  
"Mum?"  
"It's fine baby... Ren, we should go"  
He didn't know if he should call the boys baby anymore or if that might be too embarrassing. Waking up this morning, he honestly hadn't expected the boys to be in bed with them, but at least it kept Levi's advances at bay. His inner omega was screaming for Levi to touch him, pretty much all the time, and he didn't know how to silent it. He'd thought the suppressants were supposed to help with all this stuff, but maybe because the bond between him and Levi was one sided, his omega was trying to get the alpha to present his nape... he had no idea what to think, but he wasn't going to force something that serious on to Levi. Even if the alpha wanted it now, that could all change... these thoughts ran on repeat, and no matter how many times he told himself he was being stupid, they wouldn't stop. After all, it's much easier to hate yourself, than it is to love yourself.

The drive to Shinganshima was quiet, the boys had fallen back to sleep, and Levi seemed to be dozing. Not wanting to disturb them, Eren had the radio on so he could only just hear it. If he'd been alone, he would have had it turned right up and would have been singing along. He didn't have the worlds greatest singing voice, but he could kick Armin's arsenal at singstar. Arriving in Trost, he headed to the daycare centre first. Though he was thoroughly ashamed of what Levi had done the previous day, he forced himself to hold his head high as he ushered the boys into the building. There were a few kids that stared and he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. Today wasn't going to be the greatest.

Levi was smoking by the time he returned to the ute. Eren couldn't be bothered with saying anything about it, and the awkward silence continued until he was parked in the student car park. Grabbing for his bag, Levi intercepted his hand and laced their fingers together  
"You ok?"  
Counting to 3 in his head, he then nodded  
"Yeah. Can I have my bag please"  
"Not until you give me a kiss"  
Pressing a kiss on Levi's cheek, he pulled his hand back  
"Bag?"  
Levi rolled his eyes as he passed Eren his bag  
"You know I love you, so don't look so sad"  
He didn't feel really loveable and bit down a hiss as he scrambled out the ute in an attempt to get away from his boyfriend, but Levi caught him easily, the alpha took his hand away  
"Hannes says you don't have to go to school if you don't want to, and you can leave any time you feel like it"  
Even if he left, it wasn't like he had anywhere to go. He honestly missed his shitty little unit. At least his life has been easy then, and he hadn't had to worry about embarrassing his family, as the only family he had was the boys and they loved him. For Levi it had been a year and a bit since coming back into his life, but for Eren, the alpha had never left. What they felt for each other was probably miles apart... this is why he'd admitted to Hannes he needed help. He just wanted someone to tell him it was alright to be confused and that what he was thinking wasn't crazy, but most importantly that he wasn't going to end up being a deadbeat parent like his father.

"Hey Levi! Hey Eren! Oh my god, what did you do to your hair?!"  
Sasha meant nothing by it, well nothing mean, but he could feel everyone looking at him  
"It was time for a change"  
"But its so short"  
Levi's released his hand and it came up to ruffle his hair gently  
"Well I like it"  
"Oh, I'm not saying it's bad! It's just the shortest I've ever seen it"  
Forcing himself to nod, he pushed a fake smile to his face  
"Yeah, shortest it's been since the boys were born"  
"Really? That's amazing. I've always been jealous of how nice your hair is"  
Yeah. Sure. Fuck, Yeager. This is Sasha, she doesn't have a filter and she's not making fun of you  
"The boys didn't like it long"  
Sasha gaped  
"Really? That sucks, so you cut it for them? I would have left it just to annoy them. Oh, it's Mikasa and Armin"  
Sasha began jumping up and down as she waved her arms. He envied her enthusiasm and energy. He could definitely do with an injection of both.

"Hey Eren, I like your hair"  
Trust Armin to be nice. His friend was almost always stupidly nice, and even when his words weren't, he didn't mean it intentionally   
"Thanks"  
"So what did the boys say?"  
He knew. Armin knew... and by the look on Mikasa's face, she knew too   
"They apparently aren't embarrassed anymore, but whatever. It doesn't matter"  
Pushing past his friends, he knew he'd probably hurt them and Sasha was probably confused. 

 

*  
Levi sighed as he watched Eren leave  
"Okaaaaay then. What was that?"  
Sasha seemed completely confused and Armin looked at him  
"People have been saying shit about him. Making fun of him for his hair and all that, the boys were being bullied over it and they said they were embarrassed over him"  
Sasha gasped like she was scandalised  
"Are you serious?! Eren never let that stuff get to him before! What have you done to him?"  
The girl squinted as he leant in to stare into his eyes  
"Nothing?"  
"He wouldn't just lose it over nothing"  
"It's not really nothing is it?"  
Mikasa's words had Sasha pulling back  
"I suppose. Is he going to be alright today?"  
"I have no idea. I should probably go catch up with him"  
"Good luck. Eren can be so stubborn when he gets an idea in his head. You would think that an omega would be reasonable..."  
"Eren stubborn? Nooooo, never"  
Giving the teens a wink, Levi slipped between Armin and Sasha, heading towards the door Eren had slipped through.

Even if Eren wasn't there, there were plenty of whispers. Judging by the fact that everyone in halls was watching him, he had a feeling that they'd all be whispering about Eren and he couldn't help the desire to knock every single person down a peg or two by pointing out their own glaring "flaws". Continuing down the hall, he pulled his phone out and called his boyfriend. When he heard the very faint sound of Eren's ringtone, he slowed and looked around in confusion, before realising there was a bathroom across the hall from him. Ducking into the room, he found Eren looking at himself in the mirror  
"Eren?"  
"I'm fine"  
No, he wasn't. Walking over Levi wrapped his arms around Eren's waist  
"We're going home"  
"No, it's nothing and we need to pick the boys up"  
"Then we're going to Farlan and Izzy's. You aren't alright and I know you think everyone is talking about you"  
Eren sniffled and pulled back, turning in his hold  
"I'm... I'm not ok... I'm having trouble with my omega side"  
"With your omega side?"  
"I... I don't know how to explain it. It's like I can't calm down and it sends my thoughts all over the place. I'm sorry. I'm just trying to figure it out"  
Levi smirked, ignoring everything else except the important bits   
"Sooooooo, what you're saying is your horny and you want me"  
Eren's rush to deny it, only had Levi's alpha swelling with pride. His omega wanted him and that was the greatest feeling  
"Come on, let's get out of here"  
"Levi, you're not listening"  
"You're trying to hard to work shit out on your own. So, I'm going to fuck some sense into you, before I fuck you senseless"  
Eren turned impossibly reader, and Levi grabbed his hand, yanking him hard before remembering about his busted leg  
"Shit. Sorry. Do you want me to carry you?"  
"No... but don't yank me"  
"Ok princess"  
The princess had just slipped out, but Eren didn't tell him off. That was something at least. Marching through the halls, Levi growled at anyone who dared look at his omega. He wasn't completely sure where they were going, but away from here was a good start.

Climbing into the car, Eren looked at him, silently asking him what was next  
"We can get a hotel room?"  
"I... if you want..."  
"Do you have any preferences"  
"N-no..."  
God, Eren was stuttering. He really couldn't get much more adorable"

 

*  
Eren's heart was in his throat as Levi pulled him through the motel lobby and over to the desk. The place was kind of run down, which was relieving and the sleezy guy didn't ask any questions as the omega paid for the room. He hadn't given Levi the chance to offer... his alpha snatched the room key up, and dragged him back outside  
"Room 4 right?"  
"Y-yes..."  
God. He couldn't stop stuttering. He sounded like a complete and total moron  
"Eren, relax"  
Relax, he said. Skip school, he said. He was wrapped around Levi's little finger.

The moment he stepped inside of the room, Levi was on him. Landing on the bed with a small "oof", his alpha didn't give him a chance to think. Stripping him down, Levi covered his body with kisses, licking and nipping everywhere until his whole body was shaking and wanton moans wouldn't stop spilling from his lips. His body felt so hot and needy, it was like he was melting. When Levi's mouth sank down over his throbbing erection, his back arched and his hands flew to Levi's hair. The alpha's hot warm mouth and perfect amount of suction, he couldn't stop himself from cuming down Levi's throat. His boyfriend continued to suck and tease him, as if trying to draw every last drop out  
"L... Levi... no more"  
Finally pulling back, Levi smirked down at him  
"We haven't even started..."

With Levi's knot buried firmly inside of him, Eren couldn't stop shaking. His omega was elated, and every touch he felt was like Levi was saying "I love you" through it  
"Are you alright?"  
Eren hummed he couldn't brain properly because he felt so good, and Levi's hands wouldn't stop moving  
"You're so beautiful"  
"How can you say that so easily?"  
"Because you are. I wish you didn't let everything get to you the way it does"  
"I can't help it... you were my dream for so long, it's still hard to believe you could love me back"  
"Eren, I love everything about you. I love your smooth coffee coloured skin, and you're incredible green eyes. I loved your hair long, but I still love it now it's short. I love how you try and even when you were in so much pain, you always try to put our sons first. I loved you in your dresses and skirts and short shorts. I'm not embarrassed to be your alpha, I couldn't be prouder. And if I'm honest, I've been struggling. I know I only came back on Monday, but keeping my hands off you has been driving me crazy. I want to spend more time with you. I want to monopolies you all the time and lock you away so I never have to share you"  
Rolling his hips forward, Eren mewed as Levi's knot pushed impossibly deeper  
"Eren, when do your contraceptives wear off?"  
"March. Hannes gave me a three month shot..."  
"Can we try for a baby?"

 

*  
Eren stared up at him with wide green eyes and Levi wondered if his boyfriends heart was racing as fast as his was. The words he's had slipped out before he could stop them, but his alpha was going crazy with the need to breed his beautiful omega  
"Y-you want to try?"  
Levi nodded, his hands sliding down Eren's chest and to his stomach  
"I don't ever want to be with anyone else"  
"But a baby... are you sure?"  
"Yeah. I want be there from day one. I want to hold your hair when you throw up and rub your feet when your exhausted and have lots of insane sex"  
Eren covered his face with his hands  
"Eren?"  
"I... if I go off the contraceptives, we don't have to try right away do we?"  
"You don't want to?"  
"I don't know what I want"  
His alpha felt like he'd been slapped in the face. He'd wanted Eren to say yes, not that he wasn't sure  
"Think about it?"  
Massaging Eren's stomach, the omega wriggled beneath him  
"Your swollen belly filled with our pups..."  
Given his knot was beginning to lessen, he began to thrust again. His omegas hands fell away and grabbed at the bed head behind him  
"Fuuuuck..."  
Levi snorted, Eren was just too precious.

After his second knot flared, Levi found his phone out. Eren had the most erotic blissed out look on his face, he couldn't help but want to photograph it. He managed to get half a dozen shots before Eren swatted him   
"Levi, stooooop...."  
"Nope, you have no idea how fuckable you look right now"  
"Given it's your dick up my arse, I'd hope I was fuckable"  
Eren's warm and soaked insides rippled and tightened around him, causing Levi to growl  
"That's it. The kids are going to the Arlert's and we are definitely christening every surface at home"  
"We can't just hand the kids off"  
"Hannes was going to ask him anyway and you seem a little happier now"  
"My omegas settled a bit"  
"See, you just needed time with your alpha"  
"My alpha's too good for me"  
"No baby, you're the one who's out of my league"

They enjoyed each other completely until Eren's phone began to ring  
"What's that?"  
"Alarm to pick the twins up"  
"That means we have to clean up. Do you want to take a shower?"  
"No. I honestly don't think I can move"  
"There's something erotic about knowing you're filled with my cum"  
Eren groaned, half rolling in his hold  
"When I got into heat, I'm not going to be able to walk for a month after it"  
"That sounds pretty good to me..."

Leaving Eren laying on the bed, Levi grabbed a towel out the bathroom and wet it down. First cleaning himself up, before moving to clean his omegas stomach and thighs. Eren was practically putty in his hands, and Levi had to carry him out to the car  
"Are you going to be alright to drive?"  
"Yeah... Levi. Thank you"  
"It's alright. I'm more than happy to fuck you back to your senses"

After picking up the boys, Eren seemed much happier. The boys showered him with kisses and love, almost to the point of ignoring him. Leaving Eren to concentrate on driving, the alpha called Hannes  
"I've been waiting for your call. Did you two have fun?"  
"The school called you?"  
"Yep. How's Eren? Nothing too extreme happened, right?"  
"He's driving at the moment, and I don't want think you want the details"  
"Probably not. So I take it you're on your way home?"  
"Yep. I've finally convinced him he needs some down time..."  
"And you were hoping I could call a certain old man that loves the twins like they were his own flesh and blood?"  
"Pretty much"  
"I already called him. Go a head and drop the boys there. Wait, you didn't do it in the ute did you?"  
"Not yet"  
"Nooooo, not my ute"  
"Bye Hannes"  
"Levi! Don't you d..."  
Hanging up on Hannes, Levi grinned happily as he looked to Eren   
"Hannes has now been traumatised"  
"I didn't think that was possible"  
"Well it is. He also said we can drop the boys off with grandpa"  
Eren sighed  
"Levi, I don't know if that's a good idea. They are a bit of a handful"  
"And you need a break. We talked about this, besides, the boys don't see him that much anymore"  
"Levi, you've been away. How would you know how much the boys see him?"  
"I don't. But he loves them"  
He could hear his boyfriend sighing internally  
"It's fine. I promise"


	52. Chapter 52

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Levi pampers Eren... inside and out ;p
> 
> Smuuuuuuut

With the boys safely dropped at the Arlert's, Levi was humming along to the radio as they drove back out the house. His hand rested on Eren's thigh and he could smell the arousal leaking off his boyfriend. A good pampering is just what Eren needed and his first plan was a bubble bath for the two of them... ok, maybe it was his second plan, but he wanted Eren relaxed as possible. 

Eren parked basically next to the front door and Levi took that as a sign that his omega was anxious to pick up where they'd left off. Unable to stop himself, he meant in and hungrily claimed Eren's lips, but their moment was cut short by Hannes knocking on the window   
"Don't you even think about it"  
Eren looked mortified as Levi pulled back  
"He's afraid we're going to mess up his precious ute"  
"Well... we should probably head inside then?"  
Oh god. Eren's voice was honey sweet and Levi rushed to scramble out the cab and around to Eren's side. Hannes moved back, allowing him to open the door and lift Eren free  
"I'm going to stay over at the hospital. I'll be back Sunday..."  
Nuzzling Eren's neck, Levi let out a hum off acknowledgement. The alpha letting his warm breath land against Eren's ear  
"I was thinking a bath first?"  
"Mmm, that sounds really nice"  
"Prepare to be pampered senseless"

With Eren sitting in the bathtub, Levi gave him a quick kiss  
"I need two minutes, and then I'll be back"  
"I thought I was getting pampered"  
"And you will be. But I've just got to do one small thing first"  
"And then you'll be back?"  
"Yeah"

Leaving Eren in the bathroom, Levi headed into their room and stripped off all the bedding so he could drag the mattress into the living room. He grabbed fresh sheets and then made the bed, forcing himself to ignore the inperfect corners... though it drove him crazy and he was forced to remake the bed even though the plan was to mess it up all over again. Grabbing juice boxes and snacks, he laid them across the sofa, before finally grabbing all the bedding left in their room and padding the bed out. He nodded happily at his hard work, and finally returned to Eren. His boyfriend was lying against the end of the bath with his eyes closed and a smile on his lips  
"Are you just going to stare?"  
"Maybe. The views pretty good"  
"Well if you're going to stare, can you put some more hot water in?"  
"Your wish is my command"  
Draining a good inch or so of water, Levi topped up the hot, before stripping down and nudging Eren forward so he could climb in behind him  
"Levi, why don't I ever get to hold you?"  
"But you do?"  
"I mean, sometimes I want to hold you on my lap, like how you hold me"  
"Mmm alright. I just love how you feel against me, but I guess I could let you hold me if you realllllly wanted"  
Eren nodded with a sigh  
"Yeah. I just want you to know how much I love you"  
"I do know. I've never had anyone love me as much as you do"  
"Your mum did..."  
Levi frowned, he hadn't really talked to Eren about his mother before, that he could remember at any rate  
"How do you know that?"  
"Because I'm a mum... there isn't anything I wouldn't do for my boys, and my mum was the same"  
"Not all mums are good mums"  
"Well she couldn't have been that bad. She gave birth to you"  
Levi nuzzled against Eren's neck. He honestly couldn't remember that much about her, but if that's what Eren wanted to believe, he wasn't going to disagree  
"Levi, what was she like?"  
"My mum?"  
"Yeah... you don't have to tell me if you don't want to..."  
"It's alright. I honestly don't really remember her that well. I was about 7 or 8 when she died, so what I know, I know because of Kenny"  
"I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me then... if it's too hard. I understand"  
"No, it's ok. Mum was a prostitute, and my father was one of her customers. I don't think she had any idea who, but she got sick, from work, and she died. The brothel owner couldn't have cared less. It wasn't long after that Kenny showed up"  
Eren half turned in his lap, his boyfriend looked so sad  
"Hey, none of that. I'm supposed to be pampering you"  
"But... it's not fair"  
"It's ok. I'm over it, and besides, I have a new mum that loves me"  
Eren frowned at him  
"Its you. You're a mum"  
"I was slightly confused"  
"I noticed. Have you had enough soaking, or should we stay in here a little longer?"  
"A little longer, if that's alright?"  
Kissing Eren's perfect plump lips, Levi nodded as he did  
"Yeah, if you turn back, I'll massage your shoulders"  
Eren obediently turned back and Levi's hands slid to his shoulders, beginning too massage his boyfriends soft skin firmly  
"Mmmm, I think I need to have breakdowns more often"  
"I think you just need to let me love you, but I might be biased"  
"I think you might be too"

When the water began to cool, Levi helped Eren from the tub, before gently drying his omega down. The small shy smile he received was all the thanks he needed  
"So what's next in the Levi Ackerman Guide to Omega Pampering?"  
"Cuddles, lots of cuddles and sex"  
"Mmm, that's sounds really nice"  
Levi nodded as he started to dry himself down   
"That's the idea. When was the last time you really had some alone time for yourself? Driving to school or home doesn't count. Nor does running away"  
"Probably... maybe when I was stabbed?"  
"No wonder you're so burnt out. It's alright to have time for yourself. In fact, it's healthy. I'm declaring we should take a weekend for ourselves each month. We can rent a room, lock ourself away, or you can go one week and I can go another?"  
"Yeah. This year we haven't even had any out of town games because the team got knocked out early. They're so hopeless that it's painful"  
"They can't be that bad"  
"They kicked the ball into their own goal"  
"Shit"  
"Pretty much"  
Wrapping his arms around Eren, Levi nuzzled his neck   
"Want me to carry you?"  
"Or I could carry you"  
"This I have to see"  
Eren's hands came to his arse, and Levi was momentarily disorientated as the omega lifted him. Wrapping his legs around his boyfriends waist, Levi couldn't help but laugh  
"Show off"  
"Just a little. So where am I taking you?"  
"Living room"  
"Not to bed?"  
"You'll see"

Eren let out a small gasp as they moved to the living room   
"Levi! So this was what you were doing?"  
"Yep. You, me, sex, movies in bed, cuddles. You like it?"  
"I do"  
Eren carried him over to the bed and awkwardly sank down with a hiss  
"Does your leg hurt?"  
"It's fine"  
"I can take a look"  
"No, it's just sore when I kneel on it"  
Levi bit down his skeptical hum. Once Eren was beneath him again, he was definitely going to check.

 

*  
Levi took care of everything. After the 5 hours of sex at the motel and their bath together, Eren was feeling insanely relaxed. Curled up in his boyfriends hold, he was practically purring  
"Feeling better?"  
"Didn't you just ask me that?"  
"I did, but you're being really quiet now"  
"That's because I'm so relaxed I can't function"  
"I like the sound of that"  
Nipping at his earlobe, Levi tugged gently as he rolled his hips against Eren's arse  
"Something you want?"  
"You might say that"  
"Really?"  
"Yep. I can't get enough"  
"So you're only in this for my arse?"  
"It's a really great arse"  
"I grew it myself"  
"Well excuse me while I worship it"  
He couldn't help but giggle  
"You're such a dork"  
"Yeah, I really am"  
Nudging him over, Levi slowly slid down his body, leaving a trail of kisses in his wake. Again Eren found himself giggling   
"I'm trying to be sexy"  
"But it tickles"  
"I'm sorry, do you want me to tickle you properly?"  
"No, no, please resume"  
"I don't mind if do"

The fact that he'd been so thoroughly fucked and repeatedly knotted earlier, didn't deter Levi and Eren was in heaven. His alpha's tongue and lips were violating his slicked opening so perfectly. Every fibre of his being was singing with pleasure and all he could hear was his own racing heart and pants  
"You taste so good"  
His face grew hotter at Levi's words, he wanted to be knotted, but he wanted to taste his alpha  
"Levi, I wanna taste you"  
His alpha let out a growl   
"Please..."  
When Levi released him, Eren forced his shaking body to roll over. His alpha then sliding up his body  
"You want his?"  
Eren nodded, his alpha's erection was painfully red and Eren opened his mouth, before sticking his tongue out. Placing his hands over Eren's shoulders, so he had a firm hold on the sofa, Eren guided Levi's erection into his mouth, moaning at the salty taste  
"Shit..."  
The angle was shitty, but he managed to get enough space to lick and work at Levi's erection until the alpha's body was shaking and his pants had turned to snarls and growls   
"Alpha, let me taste you"  
Hollowing his cheeks, he sucked as Levi rocked his hips, it didn't take long before he came and Eren was less than sexy as he choked. Like Levi had done for him, he swallowed the best he could, and continued to suck until Levi stopped moving. Sliding from his mouth with a lewd "pop" Levi flopped to his side  
"Shit... are you ok?"  
Sitting up and coughing slightly, Eren nodded  
"You taste good too"  
Levi shook his head and snorted   
"We're completely and hopeless in love with each other, aren't we?"  
"Yeah. We really are"  
"I know we were going to wait, but will you give me your mark?"

Eren's eyes widened, Levi was looking at him so sincerely, well under the red flush and if you ignored the teens lust blown pupils  
"Really?"  
"Yeah. I need you to understand I'm serious about this. You and me. Forever. No matter what"  
A rush of tears filled his eyes and Levi pulled him close  
"You were my first crush, my first kiss and my first time. I might have done some shitty things and I might drive you crazy, but you're the only one for me in this whole world"  
"I... I fell in love with you back then. I wanted you to desperately like me..."  
He didn't know how to describe what he wanted, but he didn't want to bond like this. It felt like things were moving too fast, like the whole baby thing  
"I love you Levi, more than anything"  
"I know"  
"I... I want to mark you, but I want to wait. I want to mark you when I fall pregnant... but if that's too selfish..."  
"Nooo, not at all. The fact you want to is enough"  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yes princess, I love you. And I love our pup already"  
The emotional over load was just too much. He'd gone from being on top of the world, to feel like Levi was trying too hard to stay with him  
"Can we cuddle?"  
"You don't want me to get you off?"  
"My emotions are a mess..."  
"Let me get you off at least, you're leaking"  
Taking his erection into his hand, Levi jerked him until his nostrils flared and he came.

 

*  
Sunday came too soon. Eren's body was a mess of possessive hickeys and his omega was still sleeping on the living room floor. The only reason Levi had woken was because of the sound of tyres on gravel. Covering Eren gorgeous, sleeping form was such a shame. But there was no way he was letting anyone see Eren naked. Snagging the top blanket, he wrapped it around himself before stumbling to the front door.

Coming up the steps, Hannes took one look at him and rolled his eyes  
"I told you Sunday afternoon"  
"Sunday came too soon"  
"Don't tell me all you've done is fuck like rabbits"  
"We watched movies and had a bath together and Eren's still asleep in the living room"  
And they'd fucked all over the house, but Levi had cleaned down every surface after Eren had fallen asleep and Hannes didn't need to know that   
"Fine, I get it. I'll keep my eyes closed as head to my room. But is he feeling better?"  
"Yeah, I think so. He was just so burnt out, taking time for himself seems to be like some kind of sin"  
"Pretty much. Is it safe to shower?"  
"I've cleaned the house over while Eren's been sleeping"  
"That's a relief. You should probably get back to him, I need to go sleep"  
Hannes slipped by him, obviously trying not to touch him  
"You're going to need to air the house before the boys come home"  
"Is it that bad?"  
"Yeah. Your smell, and his... as well as sex and sweat"  
"Glen 20 it is"  
"Good, now get to it"

With Hannes in his room, Levi walked through the house spraying the Glen 20. He hated the idea of hiding their smells, but they couldn't really bring the boys home to this.


	53. Chapter 53

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry!!!  
> I'm a terrible person

Two weeks later and Levi's words still stayed stuck in Eren's mind. His alpha wanted a baby and wanted his mark. Levi hadn't exactly been quiet about it, more than once after pounding him into the mattress had the alpha's hands come to his stomach and kneaded the smooth flat surface, Levi didn't have to vocalise the words for Eren to know what his alpha was probably internally screaming. But fuck. He wasn't even 18 yet. If his alpha wanted something real and tangible for the relationship, all he had to do was look at the two sons they had.

Pulling himself from his thoughts, Eren looked at the inconspicuous house he was standing in front of. Hannes had found him someone to talk to, and as he stood in front of the suburban residence, he couldn't help but feel there was no way this could be the place. It just seemed too homely. Looking down at his phone, he triple checked the address. Even the open map app told him was in the right place. No one knew he was here... apart from Hannes, but if he ended up murdered, he doubted anyone would look here. Having dropped Levi off first, he took the boys on to daycare. His alpha hadn't even questioned why he was being dropped off, and that small fact had Eren thinking maybe Levi didn't care. He'd been better these two weeks, sex had helped to settle his omega, but with Levi's words and that action, he felt like he was either going to vomit or pass out. Sliding his phone back into his pocket, he forced himself to take that first step.

Arriving on the front porch, Eren's heart was racing. The short walk had left him with cold sweat running down the middle of his back. Cheering half naked in front of hundreds he could do. This. Apparently not. He was staring at the solid wood door, not sure what to do, when it opened slowly. Taking half a step back, his instinct was to run, but the woman held her hands up as if in surrender   
"Hi, you must be Eren Yeager? Sorry to scare you, you just looked a little lost"  
Eren swallowed hard  
"Um... yeah... sorry"  
"Please do come in, I'm Doctor Zoe, most of my clients just call me Zoe"  
Eren nodded as he swallowed, the woman reminded him so much of someone, but he couldn't place it. He forced his stiffen limbs forward and into the cool interior of the house. Despite how dark it was inside, and the fact the shadows dramatically cooled the interior, there was something warm about the place and a tiny sliver of relief blossomed   
"Can I get you anything before we start?"  
"N-no. I'm fine thank you"  
"Just through here"  
He was lead into what seemed to be the living room  
"Take a seat"  
Sitting in the edge of the lounge chair, Eren rubbed his sweaty palms over his knees. He watched as Dr Zoe pick up a thick notebook from the table beside the recliner she was sitting in  
"Do you mind if I take notes?"  
Eren shook his head  
"Tha-that's fine"  
What was with the stutter? He couldn't stop tripping over his words  
"Eren, it's alright to be nervous, but I assure you everything you say will remain between us and all your sessions are covered by your health insurance"  
That was something   
"Sorry. This is so weird for me. I feel like everything I say, you would have heard a hundred times before"  
Dr Zoe laughed lightly  
"I doubt it, everyone is different after all, even if the situations are similar they way people feel and act are surprisingly different"  
Eren offered her a small nervous smile  
"You have a nice smile"  
"Thanks?"  
"So Eren, why don't you tell me a little about yourself? You know, you're doing much better than some people, some clients are so nervous they can't even speak at all"  
"Mum always said I had big mouth..."  
Dr Zoe laughed again  
"We mothers are good like that"  
Mothers... he was a mother, but what would she think about that?  
"Yeah..."  
"So what's your mother like?"  
"She died"  
And there it was again. That uncomfortable feeling in his stomach  
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that..."  
"It's ok. It was a couple of years ago now"  
"Were you close?"  
"Yeah..."  
This was going miserably... maybe he shouldn't have come... the fell into silence. Dr Zoe didn't seem to mind at all, but Eren did. All they needed was the ticking clock in the background. He had no idea how he was supposed to get out of this and the nervous feeling was making him feel on edge. Maybe he should have brought Hannes with him...  
"I should go"  
"If you want to go, there's no pressure here. But it was a huge step to come here today. You should be proud"  
"I don't feel very proud"  
"One step at time. And today was a big one"  
Eren rose shakily, he hadn't said anything and so why was he so shaken up?  
"Eren, if your up for it, I'd like to see you again this time next week"  
He was shocked, it wasn't like he'd said anything   
"But I-I didn't say anything"  
"Like I said, some people can't even speak the first time they come. If it's easier, you can write down everything and bring it with you"  
"M-maybe... sorry I don't usually stutter"  
"It's fine"  
Dr Zoe placed the notebook down and rose, the woman letting him take his time as he walked to the front door  
"It was nice to meet you Eren, and I'll see you next week"  
Escaping out to the front of the house, he sucked in a huge breath, tears welling as he did. That was a colossal failure. He practically ran to the ute and threw himself inside, before fumbling his phone out.

"Eren?"  
"H-Hannes..."  
"Are you alright? Is your appointment over already"  
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Eren shook his head despite the fact Hannes couldn't see  
"I couldn't..."  
"You couldn't what? Go?"  
"I went. But I couldn't say anything. She probably thinks I'm stupid for wasting her time"  
"No, the fact you wants a good first step"  
"But I didn't even say anything"  
"I know you say that, but I don't think I can picture you being quiet"  
Hannes's humour failed to make him feel any better  
"So what are you doing now? Are you going to go to school?"  
"Honestly, I don't feel like going"  
"Then why don't you go shopping or you can come home if you want?"  
"I think I want to come home... Hannes, she wants me to come back next week"  
"Well you must have done something right"  
"I don't know what to say"  
"How about I give you a letter for her? Or I can fax it through. Just a run down on what you've been through"  
"You can do that?"  
"As your doctor I can"  
"Maybe. Why couldn't I just open my mouth and say "my omega sides freaking out, my dad stabbed me and my alpha wants another baby"?"  
"Yeah. That would work. Hey, if you are coming back, can you pick up the hospital supplies. I forgot to ask you before you left"  
Oooh a distraction!  
"Sure. The usual place?"  
"Yep. I may have told them yesterday you'd be picking them up. Your driver's licence is the only ID you'll need"  
"Hannes, your lucky your family. I'll be home around lunch, so go back to bed"  
"Who said I was in bed?"  
"Then I don't think I want to know"  
"Bye Eren, I'll see you soon"

Hannes always knew what to do and what to say. The man hadn't even blinked over what he'd said. Taking a breath and steadying his nerves, he pulled they keys out and started the ute.

 

*  
Having swung by the hospital to drop off the supplies, and getting caught in a long and somewhat annoying conversation with one of the nurse, Eren was more than happy to be arriving home. Turning off the car, he grabbed his bag and slid from the cab with a sigh. He'd had enough sense to message Levi and let him know he needed to pick the twins up and catch the bus home, but he'd kind of turned his phone off after that. Heading inside, he toed his shoes off as he went and continued to shed as he went. He'd pick it up later, when he could be bothered.

Heading down to Hannes room, Eren knocked on the door  
"Come on in"  
Opened the door, he snorted at the sight of Hannes wearing his glasses and reading on his bed  
"Nice glasses"  
"I know, the price of getting old"  
Sinking down on the side of the bed, Eren let out a groan  
"Today was fucking awful"  
"It couldn't have been that bad"  
"I said like maybe 10 words and I kept stuttering. I don't have a stutter!"  
Letting out another groan, he buried his face in his hands  
"I don't know what I'm doing anymore"  
"Apparently you're getting pregnant"  
"Don't. You have no idea. My omega side is all for it. Levi wants my mark, and he wants kids... I can't even have sex without him getting all touchy over my stomach. I want more kids, but fuck..."  
He was working himself back into a panic  
"Have you told Levi?"  
"How am I supposed to? He's my alpha... but he's acting like I'm going to kick him out. It's like he wants some reason to stay and I don't know what I'm supposed to think and then there's the fact that my omega side is all fucking for it!"  
"You're still struggling with it?"  
"It's better, but I thought it would have settled now"  
"Well you've been in love with Levi for so long, your boys probably wants to please your alpha now you have him"  
"I'm sick of it. I feel like I'm fighting with myself"  
A smile came to his lips as he shook his head   
"Do you want me to look into other suppressants? It's not one drug works for all"  
"But what about this whole baby thing?"  
"You don't have to feel obligated, besides, you can take suppressants and still fall pregnant if that's what you decided"  
"See, why couldn't the therapist been like you. It's so much easier to talk to you"  
"That's because I'm awesome. People with they were this cool"  
"I'm sure they do. I dropped the supplies off at the hospital again, and apparently I'm I need written permission next time. They only let me because you'd called ahead and they've known you for so long"  
"What a load of shit, anyway, thanks for picking them up"  
"It's all good. The distraction helped me calm down. It's nice to know I could have a future as a delivery driver"  
"You can have any kind of future you want. You're a smart kid Eren, you always have been"  
"Hannes, thanks, but I think we both know I'm not"  
"You are and you know you are. Now go act like your sick, that's what I told the school"

 

*  
Levi sighed as he stuffed his books in his bag. Eren wasn't coming back and he hoped his boyfriend was alright. He'd tried calling, but Eren must have had his phone off as all his calls went straight to voicemail. Without his boyfriend to brighten the long hours, the day was painfully dull and all when it finally came to picking up their sons, both boys had wanted Eren instead. He didn't know what he'd done, but Eren seemed to have something on his mind and it was like the boys thought he was the cause of it.

It didn't help matters any further that Mikasa and Armin both wanted to know where Eren was, and it wasn't like could say "I think my boyfriend had counselling this morning, but he didn't tell me so I don't really know". Both teens had also tried to contact Eren during the day and had gotten no reply, which Levi had to secretly admit was reassuring. He sure he could handle knowing his omega was avoiding just him, after all, they were planning on having another baby. Even if they'd been having sex practically every night, it wasn't enough. He wanted Eren more and more, he wanted his omega to think of him and only him.

Walking across the gravel clearing, Ren and Eli ran ahead of him. The pair having a race of their own to the front door, which might have been sweet in Eli hadn't pushed Ren off the front step when Ren beat him to the door. The boy however didn't cry, he calmly got up and pushed Eli down  
"Oi! Enough. No pushing each other off the front step"  
"But..."  
"No buts. The last we need around here is either of you getting hurt"  
Grabbing his keys out his pocket, he unlocked the front door and once again the boys ran ahead, leaving him to trail behind in confusion as to why there seemed to be a trail of Eren's stuff along the hall. First was the omegas right shoe, and then the left, followed by his tie and school bag and ending with his belt. Eren was just about as anal about keeping the house tidy as he was, his boyfriend never just dumped his things... almost never. Then again, Eren had done it before at the unit... maybe he was just reading too much into this.

 

*  
Awoken from his nap, Eren smiled down as his sons climbed up and into bed with him  
"Hey babies, how was school?"  
"Loooooong"  
Ren sounded completely done with the place. The way he dragged out the world long was adorable   
"Aw really?"  
"Yeah. We had to behave because some people were there to spinsec the place"  
"It's inspect, not spinsec"  
"Yeah that one. Good on you mum, you know something"  
Pulling Ren closer Eren dragged him half up his chest, causing his son to struggle  
"Mum, that's enough hugs"  
"Nope, you need more. You both do"  
Eli let out a sigh  
"Ren, its easier if you don't fight"  
"But I didn't sign up for all this love"  
Laughing lightly, Eren pressed kisses to the tops of their heads before loosening his hold  
"Mumma, are you sick? Is that why daddy had to come pick us up?"  
"No baby, I just had to do a few things"  
"Oh, well, things could be worse. You could be pregnant. Zeke's mum's pregnant and she's so cranky"  
Hold up. Had Levi said something to the twins? Or had the boys overheard them... he knew the pair could be painfully perceptive sometimes, but Hannes didn't even know... maybe this was all a coincidence and the universe was just fucking with him?  
"Don't you want me to have more kids?"  
Eli and Ren both pulled faces  
"What would do that for? You have us"  
"You guys know that even if I have more kids, I'll still love you both just as much"  
Eli looked to Ren and Ren shook his head  
"We don't want to share you"  
"Yeah, you're our mum"  
"No matter what, I'll always be your mum"  
"You say that now"  
Frowning at Eli, Eren wasn't sure how to proceed. Levi wanted a baby so badly, and so did his omega, but from his boys it was a clear no. As bad as it probably was, he at least had a reason to tell Levi he wanted to wait. Yep. He was being totally selfish, using his own boys against their father just because he was terrified.

"Alright boys, where's my love"  
Eren wasn't sure if he was grateful or not to be saved by Levi. He also wasn't sure how much of their conversation the alpha had heard. Flopping down on his stomach, Levi threw an arm over the three of them  
"Hey baby, you feeling alright?"  
"Yeah. I just had to run some errands for the hospital. Hannes went ahead and nominated me to collect the supplies. It was only dry stuff, but they weren't happy at all"  
Levi frowned  
"You had to pick up the medical supplies?"  
"Yeah, it's no biggie. I mean, I've been there before with him. They just got cranky cause I wasn't 18"  
"Oh, so is that where you got to this morning?"  
"Yeah, but I didn't feel like heading back to school after picking them up. Sorry you had to pick the boys up"  
"It's fine, but they were pretty disappointed it wasn't you"  
Pressing kisses to his sons foreheads, both boys were staring at him   
"If it counts I'm coming second in the favourite parent game at the moment"  
He tried to make it sound casual. Once again using the boys as a "shield"  
"Oh yeah? How come?"  
"They don't want me to have another baby"  
"You told them about that?"  
So Levi hadn't? Or was the alpha testing him?  
"No, they were saying they were relieved I wasn't"  
Levi pulled back and sat up, pulling Eli off of him and into his lap  
"What if mummy and daddy wanted to have another baby?"  
Eli's bottom lip began to tremble, before he wailed  
"We don't want to share mum!"  
Scrambling off Levi's lap, Eli took off running. Which prompted Ren into action. The boy taking off after his brother   
"It's fine Eren, once they've calmed down, we can sit down and talk about it with them. Let them know this is what we both want..."  
"Levi, I don't think they're going to be happy about it for a long time"  
"Then what do you want to do?"  
"What can I do? I'm their mum and they think another baby means we don't love them"  
"We could get them a pet or something to distract them"  
Biting down the urge to sigh, Eren pushed himself up so he was leaning on his elbows  
"Maybe we should wait until we finish school"  
Levi's eyes darkened, and a trace of disappointment mingled into Levi's normal calm scent  
"Eren, do you not want me around?"  
Anger flared, as well as pain and confusion and the urge to slap the alpha across the face  
"Of course I do. How can you even ask that?"  
"Because you won't give me your bond, and now you're saying you don't want to have another kid"  
This was what he'd wanted to avoid. Maybe if he hadn't been so chicken shit this morning, he might have been able to handle all this all that much better  
"Are you fucking serious? I want kids, I want to give you my mark, so stop carrying on about it all the time. Both of us have been through a whole load of shit in the last year, so excuse me for struggling with my emotions and headspace"  
Struggling to keep his temper, and to not burst into tears, Eren stormed from the room  
"Eren, wait!"  
Turning back to look at Levi, the alpha had moved to the bedroom door  
"Why should I? At the moment it feels like all you want me for is breeding. I'm more than just my omega!"  
He needed to shut up. He needed to shut up right now, before things got worse  
"Princess, please, you know I love you"  
"And I love you, but you need to stop pushing"  
Grabbing Ren and Eli's hands, Eren pulled them along and out the front door  
"Mummy... why is daddy mad?"  
"Daddy's an idiot. He thinks I don't love him or some shit"  
Fuck, he'd sworn in front of the boys  
"Oh. But you do right?"  
"Yeah, I love daddy way too much"  
"Then why are we outside?"  
"Because I want to go for a walk, and I want you to come with me"  
"Do we actually have to walk? 'cause I'm not prepared for that"  
"If you want to go back inside you can"  
"But then you'll be alone"  
"It's fine if you want to stay here, but can I have a kiss and cuddle first?"  
"But we don't want to stay here"  
"Well I want to go for a walk, but you don't want to walk. What do you purpose we do?"  
"Drive!"  
"Hannes has the car..."  
Eli frowned as he sighed   
"Mum, we can watch a movie"  
"But that doesn't help me wanting to go for a walk"  
"You don't haaaaaaave to go for a walk. We'll let you sing alone to the movie!"  
Letting out a fake gasp, he stared down at them  
"You never let me sing"  
"It's a once in a lifetime chance. But we choose the movie"  
"Do I get cuddles?"  
"Cuddles and singing? What is this!"  
Ren elbowed Eli   
"He's going to make us walk otherwise"  
"Fiiiiiine. We can give you cuddles. You are our mum after all"  
Left shaking his head, he followed the boys back in and waited while the boys picked a movie. For maybe the 300th time since their birth, Eren found himself watching the Lion King. He had Ren on his left side and Eli on his right, Levi was no where to be seen, so Eren assumed the alpha was still silently fuming.

 

*  
Sitting in their room, Levi didn't know what to think or feel. Of course Eren was more than just his omega side, but he thought his boyfriend had wanted a baby? Eren had said that before, but maybe it was different because the boys had seemed so opposed? Sure it would be an adjustment, but he wanted Eren to know how serious and committed he was, and it wasn't like a baby could be that much work. Eren would breast feed it. So what... it needed changing and bathing? And now the thing with the boys being embarrassed over him had passed, didn't that mean that he was feeling better about being a parent? Or maybe Eren felt that he wasn't cut out to be a father? He had ended up in boot camp thanks to his uncle... and he was still poor as fuck. He could say he was fine with things the way there were until he was blue in the face, but that didn't make it true. Maybe he should try and find a job? Eren would probably appreciate him chipping in and they could finally get the living room walls done... as well as working towards upgrading the bathroom. Even if Grisha got out of jail, there was no way Levi was letting the man move back in... even if it was his house or some shit. Eren loved the house and because he loved Eren, he loved everything Eren did by default.

Pulling out his phone, he opened up Facebook messenger and found his old group chat with Farlan and Izzy. He hadn't really talked to them all that much since coming back, only mainly at school and that time they'd come down to see him. But Izzy had been the one to help him get with Eren, so she would probably know what to do now.

Izzy's advice was to wait until Valentine's Day and go all out. Levi had no idea how he was supposed to leave things between him and Eren up in the air until then, and Eren was acting like their little fight, or whatever it was hadn't happened. It didn't sit well with the alpha at all, but if Eren needed time, he didn't want to push and drive the wedge between them even further. 

He had no idea what the hell to do for Valentine's Day. He couldn't afford to do anything, and he couldn't just click his fingers and pull a job out of thin air... especially with Valentine's Day being in 3 days time... he was completely stuck for ideas. How was he supposed to convey to his boyfriend how important he was. Eren already wore his bonding mark, his boyfriend still wore the ring he'd given him... but apparently other than 3 items of jewellery everything else was gone. The omega hadn't bought anything remotely feminine since the fire and Levi didn't know how Eren would react if he spent the last of his money on something nice for the teen. Although Levi had been awake for a few hours now, he was still laying in bed. He'd tried googling "Valentine's day on a budget", but googles idea of "on a budget" still required more money than he had. Looking over at his sleeping boyfriend, he sighed gently. There were less than 30 centimetres between them, but it felt like so much more. He hated that. He wanted to know what Eren was thinking and feeling, he wanted to make his omega the happiest omega in the world.

Sliding one hand carefully across, he gently creeped his fingers over Eren's hip and wrapped his arm around the omegas waist. When his boyfriend didn't stir, he let himself slide closer and curl around the sleeping omega, before nuzzling and kissing Eren's bonding mark. It wasn't like he wanted sex, he just wanted to feel close  
"N-gh... sleeping..."  
So cute. The world fell between breathy, sleepy yawns   
"Sorry, I just wanted cuddles"  
"M-kay"  
Did that mean cuddles were alright? Or only cuddles and no kisses? Fuck. Now he was confusing himself. Resting his face against Eren's shoulder, he pressed kisses to the teens shoulder blade   
"I love you so much princess. I'm sorry I'm such a terrible alpha"  
"'s 'kay"  
Well that was a boost of confidence right there... not. Pulling back, Levi rolled onto his back, only to have Eren roll over. Sleepy green eyes blinked at him, before Eren rolled further, and wrapped an arm and leg around him  
"Sleeping"  
Pressing a kiss to Eren's hair, Levi wrapped his right arm around Eren   
"Ok"  
"Shhhhh"  
Eren was just too adorable. 

Levi managed to doze off and on until the boys came in. Both immediately cuddling into Eren's side  
"Mum... I'm hungry"  
"Ok babies, what do you want?"  
"Bacon!"  
Levi snorted  
"How about I make breakfast, and we let mum sleep?"  
Eren shook his head  
"Nah, I'll do it"  
"Eren, I don't mind"  
"No it's my job to be a good omega"  
Ouch. No mistaking that  
"You are a good omega, a very good omega. It makes me want to pamper you"  
"It's fine. I feel like cooking"  
Giving up, Levi rolled out of bed, before crossing around and picking Eli up   
"Let's get you two bathed, and then fed!"  
"I don't wanna bath... I'm tooooo hungry"  
"But I need your help later and I don't want you all smelly"  
"You need my help?"  
"Yep, yours and Ren's"  
Eren rolled over to face him  
"What do you need help with?"  
"It's nothing princess, secret dad business"  
Eren's face fell a little   
"Ok. Ren, you better go have a bath too"

 

*  
With Levi bathing the kids, Eren was in the kitchen beating the eggs for omelettes. He was kind of annoyed Levi wasn't going to tell him what he had planned for the kids, but at the same time, he needed to stop procrastinating. Hannes had sent through the highlights of his medical history to Dr Zoe, but Eren still wanted to write down what he was struggling most with. The whole baby thing was at the top of his list. He was supposed to be going into heat in 2 weeks, and wasn't looking forward to it as much as he probably should be. His alpha had dropped all baby conversations, but that didn't mean his boyfriend wasn't thinking about it. He'd also been thinking about his future. He'd come to the decision he wanted to study something, but wasn't sure what. Mikasa and Armin were both going to go to university, they were even intending on finding a place to share in Trost. Although Eren was happy for them, he couldn't help but be jealous, his friends would have the normal college experience while he would be in Shinganshima away from it all. 

With breakfast cooking and the boys, plus Levi, sitting at the table, Eren busied himself with buttering toast  
"Muuuum, I'm starving!"  
"That's because you're a bottomless pit"  
"That's because he's having a growth spurt you mean"  
Levi looked to him and shrugged   
"Same thing"  
Yeah, no. If Eli was having a growth spurt that meant he'd need new clothes and shoes, and a lot of hot baths. Maybe this would be a good experience for Levi, the alpha hadn't been through one before.

After breakfast, Levi settled down on the floor with the boys to watch a movie, while Eren washed the dishes and then went and found his school bag, pulling out his notebook and a pen. At least this way he would look like he was working on school work. Levi frowned as he came back in   
"You can skip school work can't you?"  
"Not really, but it shouldn't take too long"  
Stepping over the trio, he climbed onto the sofa and settled down with the notebook on the chair arm. This should be easy...

Or not. He looked down at the page, the top had some very bad flowers drawn on it  
"Mum, you're frowning"  
Jumping at Ren's voice, Eren swallowed  
"Sorry. I was just thinking"  
"Ewwww"  
"I know right"  
"What are you thinking about? Maybe we can help you?"  
Eli sounded hopeful, and it was adorable   
"Nah baby, mummy's gotta work this out himself"  
Eli sighed   
"Fine, but don't say I didn't offer"  
Looking back down at the page, he thought about things a different way. About what he wanted for his boys instead. Finally he was able to start writing his list:  
For my kids to be happy   
For my kids to be safe  
To make my boys proud  
To make my alpha proud  
To feel normal  
To forget   
To study online  
To finish high school  
To get a job  
Yeah, his list sucked, almost embarrassingly so. Annoyed at it, he tore it from his notebook, scrunching it up  
"You alright Eren?"  
"Yeah"  
His voice was bitter, and he let out a frustrated sigh  
"Maybe you should take a break"  
"I haven't written anything down"  
"Well maybe if you take a break it will come to you"  
Throwing his stuff down on the floor, Eren rose and strode towards the door  
"I'm going for a run"

He made it to the door before Levi grabbed his arm and pulled him close  
"Princess?"  
"It's fine Levi. Like you said, I'm just taking a break"  
More like a break down. He was supposed to Dr Zoe on Tuesday, but now he was panicking over it all over again  
"Ok, be safe then. I love you"  
"I know"

 

*  
Levi watched Eren leave and let out a sigh. His omega was hiding something from him. Heading back to the living room, he grabbed the scrunched up paper, and carefully smoothed it out  
"Dad, is mum alright?"  
"Yeah, he's just going for a run"  
"Ok"  
Ren's attention switched back to the movie and Levi looked down at the list on the paper.   
For my kids to be happy   
For my kids to be safe  
To make my boys proud  
To make my alpha proud  
To feel normal  
To forget   
To study online  
To finish high school  
To get a job  
So this was what Eren was worrying over... the way he saw it, Eren had accomplished most of it. Their boys were safe and the whole embarrassment thing was now water under the bridge. He was already proud of Eren, and his omega had good grades. What he didn't like was the "to forget" and "to feel normal". His assumption was the forgetting part would be over Grisha stabbing him. Levi was pretty sure Eren wasn't having nightmares anymore, but couldn't be completely positive as Eren tried not to "burden" him with such things. As for being normal. Normal is overrated. Eren was perfectly fine the way he was, though Levi did miss those short shorts and miniskirts. Maybe he should buy his omega something skimpy? Show him that he loved him no matter what? And some earrings, he missed tugging on Eren's earrings when they had sex.

It was about an hour before Eren came back. He'd scrunched up the paper again, so it looked like he hadn't snooped. From what he remembered, Hanji's mother was a therapist, maybe she could talk to Eren... that way his boyfriend wouldn't feel so pressured. But then again, it might weird for Eren talking to the mother of his alpha's friend. He had to laugh at himself, he was freaking out over it all, and he wasn't even the one seeing the therapist.

"Boys, I'll be back in a bit"  
Eren had disappeared into the bathroom, so Levi headed in there  
"How was the run?"  
Eren let out a small squeak before lobbing the shower puff at him  
"Don't do that!"  
"Sorry, sorry"  
Walking over, he passed Eren back the puff  
"I didn't mean to scare you"  
"Well you did"  
Eren turned his back towards him and Levi stepped into the shower behind him  
"Levi, you're getting wet"  
"So?"  
"Your clothes are getting wet"  
"They're just clothes, besides, you're so beautiful that I can't help myself"  
Rocking his hips lightly, his hand slid down to toy with Eren's penis  
"We can't"  
"The boys are busy with the movie, and I want to show you how much I love you"  
Mouthing at Eren's bonding mark, the omega let out a breathy moan  
"Perfect Eren, so perfect"

Trying to get out of wet jeans sucked, but it was well worth it. With his pants around his ankles, he lined himself up and sank into his omegas wet entrance. They hadn't had sex in a couple of days and he really couldn't last. He probably looked like a jackrabbit as he slammed into Eren desperately until his knot flared and they both came   
"Shit Eren. You're so beautiful"  
Eren snorted lightly  
"You kind of have to say that"  
"No I don't. I miss your body. I miss those tight little skirts and dresses... just thinking about it makes me crazy"  
"You are crazy"  
"Crazy for you. I'm sorry for pushing you over the baby thing"  
Eren let out a sigh and smacked his head against the bathroom tiles  
"Can we not talk about this"  
"Nope, I want you to listen to me. I love you and I don't know how to make you realise I'm not leaving. I want to marry you and have a whole brood of adorable children with you"  
"How can you be sure?"  
"Because you're the omega for me. I was entranced by you the moment we met"  
"But you forgot me"  
"You never forgot me. And you have no idea how happy that makes me"  
"Levi, I don't want to have another baby right now. I mean me, not my omega. I want to study, I want to make the boys proud of me"  
"Then I'll go on suppressants too... but I would love for you to fall pregnant with our pup"  
"You keep saying pup like you don't know?"  
"Know what?"  
"Wolfbloods usually have two or more pups at once. How can we afford two more mouths to feed?"  
"I'll get a job"  
"And then what? I stay home and raise the kids? I want that, but I want to study too. I want to make a future for us"  
"And we will"  
"Levi..."  
Eren was crying now, and Levi pulled him up against his chest   
"All I know is that I love you and I love the boys"  
"Sometimes love isn't enough"  
"Or maybe you're just worrying too much"  
"Can you blame me? We were dating for a couple of months, broke up, got back together after I got stabbed and then you ended up sent away for 6 months. Everything is moving too fast. I just want to take our time. To work out what we want..."  
"Well, I want you to start wearing the clothes you love again"  
"But the boys were embarrassed"  
"That's because they were bullied. We all think you look amazing in no matter what you wear"  
"I don't know... I feel so stupid now"  
"Well don't. Please don't. It's Valentine's Day on Wednesday, I want to do something with you"  
"But the kids"  
"Can go to Armin's. Please... but it's got to be cheap"  
"We can use my money"  
"No, I want to make you happy"  
"Then consider it an investment in my happiness"  
Despite the fact that his knot was beginning to deflate, he didn't want the moment to end. Rocking his hips again, he built up a rhythm, turning their conversation to pants and moans all over again. This time he brought Eren to orgasm long before he knotted him. His loves over sensitised body was limp in his hold  
"Levi, I have something to tell you"  
Despite his orgasmic high, Levi's stomach dropped  
"W-what?"  
"I'm seeing a counsellor now. I have an appointment Tuesday"  
"Do you want me to come with you?"  
"No... but that's why I couldn't come back to school. I feel ashamed that I need help and I was so stupid... I couldn't even talk to her"  
"There's nothing wrong with needing help, and it's alright to be nervous"  
"She said I should write down what I'm having problems with, but I couldn't even do that right"  
"That's fine, we can work on it together"  
"But I might end up hurting you... like with the baby thing. I didn't know how to tell you I'm not ready"  
"I'd rather be hurt, than hurt you without knowing"  
"I know, but that's not alright. I'm still not used to sharing my life with you and I keep waiting for you to leave"  
"Eren, I don't think I can let you leave me. You are beautiful and smart and perfect and it's alright. You really have been through so much, and I'm just so happy to be with you, that I can't help wanting to do everything for you"  
"And that hurts. I know you want to help, but you make me feel inadequate"  
"No princess, in no way are you inadequate"  
"But I want to be a good omega. I want to have my old life back. In that way it was easier to be alone, I could fake having all the confidence in the world. Because it was just me and the boys, I could hold my head high and not worry about shaming you. Now I'm scared how everything I do reflects on you"  
Levi let out a long sigh, before nuzzling and kissing Eren's back  
"You could do anything in the world, and I would always be proud of you"  
"I think we both know that's not true"  
"That's how I feel. I will tear to shreds anyone who hurts you"  
"Levi, I can fight my own battles"  
"But you shouldn't have to. I'm here, let me"  
A small knock came on the bathroom door and Levi grabbed the shower curtain to hide the fact he was well and truly still buried in Eren's arse  
"Muuuuum, daaaad, why are you taking so long?"  
"Because we're having a shower, to save water, like how you and Ren have a bath together"  
"We're hungry"  
"Ok baby, I'll be out there really soon"  
"But I'm hungry right now!"  
"Then grab a snack out the fridge"  
Eli threw his hands in the air before storming out, leaving the door open  
"He's hungry again?"  
"I think he's having a growth spurt"  
"He's getting even taller?"  
"Levi, don't joke about it. The boys had a pretty painful one just before you came back into our lives. It's like having a fever and all your joints ache"  
That didn't sound fun in the slightest  
"Sorry. I'm still trying to learn about being a dad"  
"I know, and I'm grateful, but growth spurts aren't fun"  
"Messaged received"

Holding Eren in his arms, he waited until his knot had nearly deflated completely, before sliding out and moving to clean Eren out  
"Do you think I should buy condoms? Will that help?"  
"With clean up, yes"  
"I was thinking maybe if you wanted to go off contraceptives and your suppressants, we could use condoms"  
"They aren't 100%"  
"Ok... sorry. I'll shut up now"  
Eren twisted in his hold  
"It's fine. But I think I really need some time. I don't want to bring another life into this world without being stable"  
Levi nuzzled at Eren's face before finding his lips  
"I love you princess. I want you to be happy, so you do what you need to do"


	54. Chapter 54

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo... Who's still out there? You know, I didn't expect it to be this long. I can't blame you for leaving...
> 
> I kind of wanted to go until these two dorks have another baby and stuff... but I can wrap it all up if you're bored... it's not like I haven't notice do the drop in comments and stuff...  
> Feel free to supply the hate or suggestions or stuff, or if it's too weird doing it on here you can pm me on tumblr...
> 
> Anyway...

After dropping the twins off, Eren had dropped Levi off closer to the city city centre on his way to counselling. The alpha was a man with a plan, and that plan started with hitting up the nearest ATM. Eren had given him his card, and though Levi didn't tend to be reckless with his omega's money, he did intend to buy his boyfriend a couple of things and didn't want them appearing when Eren checked his online account. Telling himself it was an investment in Eren's happiness hadn't stopped his self loathing over spending Eren's money. He should have taken his share of the money like Kenny had and bailed on the first day, instead of staying and trying to complete job like a goddamn shitty idiot.

Walking down the street, he headed towards the bus station given he knew there was an ATM there and he could catch the bus to the closest shopping complex. Between his lips he loosely held a cigarette, to help keep him calm. There were too many people in Trost and sometimes he found himself hoping for a zombie outbreak to thin the population of annoying idiots and shitty brats. He kept his head down as he walked and played with his phone so he wouldn't have to appear social. It seemed however society had decided that short people just didn't exist and more than once he knocked into with no apology. By the time he reached the ATM he was ready to explode, his hand was shaking from rage as he slid Eren's card into the machine. Punching in the pin, he chose savings and then to withdraw $300. He had learnt his lesson when he'd bought Eren's outfit before. Female clothes were ridiculously priced. He couldn't help his momentary curiosity and chose to have the balance remaining printed. $6345. Fuck. He remembered Eren got money from his mothers death and it didn't seem that long ago his boyfriend had mentioned his account was close to 10 grand... but with the house and the moving and the school fees and the furniture and daycare... why was he so surprised? Surely his omega could get some kind of government payment for practically being an orphan? He made a mental note to look into it, before remembering it was just over 6 weeks until Eren's 18th. Yeah. He needed a job. He couldn't spend Eren's money on his own birthday. If his pride wasn't so high, he'd totally beg Rico to take him back... so he hadn't left on the best terms, that was months ago, water under the bridge and all that shit. Sliding the cash into his wallet, he headed into the station.

It was a 15 minute wait for the bus and then 5 stops to get there. Once again society didn't take pity on him. The loudest most obnoxious old woman sat next to him. Ren would have loved her, she prattled on nonstop about her cats. When his stop finally came, he bolted, practically throwing himself at the doors before the bus had even stopped. It took him a moment and a few deep breaths to regain his composure. He really didn't need to know that her fat tom "pastor nick" enjoyed eating the neighbourhood laughing doves. 

Inside the shopping complex he had to goals. But a new outfit for Eren for tomorrow and buy something a little naughty to wear under it. That was it. Nice, plain, simple... and soon to be utterly confusing. He should have just brought Izzy with him... wait no. He didn't want her knowing what he intended to buy Eren. Given it was Valentine's Day, advertising was everywhere. Huge posters with near naked women hung in lingerie stores and he couldn't help but be curious how they got their bits so hair free... putting it down to one of life's mysteries he told himself he should never mention that question to Eren. The omega would probably take it as a sign that he wanted to go back to women, but even on a bad day, Eren was far less scary than some women he'd fucked. Sucking up his courage, he plunged into the nearest store and promptly had a heart attack at the prices. $259.95 for a "corset" thing and a matching thong... sweet Mary, Jesus and Joseph. He could buy the three wise men for that... nope. It wasn't like he wanted leather and studs and chains. He wanted something nice and simple, that would suit his omega and help Eren feel confident and comfortable about his body... and something he could take off with his teeth.

The first 2 lingerie stores were horrible, but the third was passable. Some poor shmuck had been dragged in by his wife and was looking at him pleadingly, as if to be asked to be put out his misery. Quiet uncharacteristically, Levi placed his hand on the man's shoulder and patted it. Letting him know he wasn't alone. Moving to what seemed to be more of a bridle section, he could breathe a little easier at the prices. It still hurt to read them, but not quiet to the same degree  
"Can I help you?"  
Jumping and feeling like he'd been sprung, he turned to the store woman   
"Shopping for yourself or for your partner?"  
"My partner"  
"Awesome, I guess tomorrow's the big day. Was there something in particular you were looking for?"  
"Something simple, and plain... but nice"  
The woman snorted ever so slightly through her nose   
"You wouldn't believe the number of times you hear that here. Now, do you have a colour preference?"  
Oh god! Not colour... horrific recollections of buying that green dress came to mind  
"Sir?"  
"Sorry... I don't do well clothes shopping at the best of times"  
"That's fine. How about a price range? Or a cup size? I can work with either"  
"Um... pretty flat"  
The woman snorted properly this time  
"You're lucky you still have your partner after a comment like that"  
"I'm lucky to have them at all. They're completely out of my league and look like a goddamn super model"  
He couldn't help but feel snippy, but understood she meant it all in good humour  
"Ok, so like an A or B, they're towards the front"  
Following the woman to the front of the store, he scanned the sets. He had no idea what the appeal of a body suit was. You'd have to pretty much strip to pee... and Eren would kill him if he suggested something like that  
"So do you want like a bra and panty set? Or a negligee?"  
Panty. Who the fuck called them panty's these days. No one called them pantaloons anymore either...  
"Bra and underwear"  
"What about size? Do you know their size?"  
"No... um, probably about your size..."  
He had no clue. Someone kill him. He sought out the man from before, finding he'd made it to the counter. Lucky bastard  
"We have this one"  
She picked out something that was a hideous shade of blue. It was like a flat dark blue, that was kind of bright. But not at the same time  
"No"  
"No mistaking that one. No to the style or to the colour?"  
"Both"  
She sighed as she hung it back up   
"White. What about something in white?"  
"White will work"  
Eren in white... yeah... he could see that.  
The first 2 sets were horrible. Who wanted what seemed to be wool against their bits? No. He wasn't doing that to Eren. The third was passable, and the forth was edible. Lace see through bra, and matching thong... yep. He could live with that, and it only hurt slightly to pay for, costing a whole $40 for the pair. Escaping the stores clutches, he decided he'd just pick up Eren's dress from the department store on the next floor up. They wouldn't question him there. He could think. He could breath. None of this which colour and cup size! He should have just gone there all along.

And the department store was chaos. It was like when there's a public holiday and people feel the need to shop like the stores are closing for a year. Making his way into the woman's section, he ignored everything outside of dresses. He had a very clear image in mind for the dress. He stalked the rows, like a hunter after its prey, before finally swooping in. It was a black silky number, that had "tears" across the back in two rows and choker neck thing. He had no idea what to call it, but the vibe was secretary gone wild. Shoes were the easiest bit. He'd hoped they'd escaped they great purge, but found exactly zero pairs of feminine shoes at home. He found some strapping low heels and was more happy to use the self serve checkout on the way out. Zero annoying questions and it had only cost him $70 for exactly what he wanted. Given he had spent $120, he still had $180... and Eren's card. If he had the money, he would have rented a ridiculously expensive hotel room for a night... not like the $20,000 a night ones, cause that was way too much, but like the $500 ones, that still had an amazing view. As it was, he was going to be lucky if they didn't end up in that shitty motel they went to last time. Though, Eren would probably find a way to make it romantic... 

Sitting down in the food court, he pulled out his phone and opened up trivago. He's seen the TV ads for it, but never thought about needing to use it before. It actually helped a lot... though there was the slight issue that came with having to use Eren's card to pay online. Hopefully he could just ban the omega from looking at the price until after he'd become rich and money didn't matter anymore. It was only now that he realised he hadn't brought Eren earrings. That was like a big thing on his list. He wanted Eren back in earrings, it wasn't like there weren't plenty of alpha's out there who didn't wear earrings, so is boyfriend had no reason to feel so self conscious. Letting out a groan, he pushed himself back up and surveyed the area slowly. Being short sucked. Stepping up onto the chair out of sheer annoyance, he span slowly until he found a fashion jewellery shop. Jumping off, he ignored the stares and began towards it.

People who wanted stones the size of lemons around their necks were weird... they literally looked like they'd been pulled out the earth and the strung on some wire. He'd never understand fashion. He found a pair of nice little hoops, sure they weren't real gold, but Eren had binned his. Part of him was angry that Eren could just bin his real gold jewellery, but then again, his boyfriend had just had his heartbroken by the two people he probably never expected it from. Paying for the simple hoops, he slipped them in with the lingerie and grinned to himself. He'd successfully brought Eren another outfit... and he really couldn't wait to get him out of it.

With nothing left to do, he moved to find a seat that wasn't near the food court. He was starving now, but he wanted to wait for Eren. His omega had skipped breakfast and as far as he knew, Eren still hadn't written that list. For the next half an hour, he played on Facebook, until finally Eren called  
"Hey princess, I was just thinking about you"  
Eren sighed in response   
"You alright?"  
"Yeah. Where are you?"  
Giving his boyfriend the name of the shopping centre only resulted in Eren sighing again  
"Eren?"  
"It's fine. I'll meet you out the front of the main entrance in half an hour"  
That meant no stopping and eating here. He knew from rumour that his boyfriend was partial to Chinese, so decided to use his own money to buy their lunch. 

 

*  
Eren couldn't stop sighing, even as he pulled up for the briefest of moments to pick Levi up, he sighed again  
"Hey princess, how was the session?"  
This time his sigh was a groan  
"That good hey?"  
"She must think I'm the biggest moron on Earth"  
"Oh?"  
"Yep. Hang on, I hate car parks, let me get out of here"  
Narrowly missing an idiot teenager who wasn't even paying attention, Eren finally got back onto the road that would lead them back towards school  
"So, you were saying?"  
"Every time I try to talk to her, I end up stuttering... or worse"  
"Worse?"  
"I completely forgot the English today"  
"Ouch"  
"Yeah. Hannes was kind enough to send over a copy of all my major medical history moments. Like the twins, having dad stab me... and through in the added extras of finding mum dead on the floor after school, paying my dad in alcohol so he would look after the boys and not hurt them and then the fact I got bonded to you at the sweet tender age of 12"  
Levi growled  
"No. It's fine. But shit. She showed me his letter, and fuck me. I seem so pathetic on paper"  
"No you don't. You really don't"  
"I do... oh I forgot, he also included the whole breakdown I had after you came back and my current identity crisis. It was just a lot to handle at once"  
"You talked about it all?"  
"Oh, no, no, no. We started with dad stabbing me. Fun times. Don't really wanna talk about it though"  
"Fair enough. I got Chinese for lunch if that helps"  
"You have no idea. Wanna go to the park near school?"  
"If you're up for it"  
"I don't know what I'm up for. She said maybe I should talk to dad... Wait. Nope. Not talking about it"  
Just the thought of it pissed him off. His dad would be sober, and wouldn't be able to hurt him, but he wasn't sure he was ready for it. He'd tried to mend their relationship on his own, but he'd nearly lost everything for it and it was so much easier to hate the man.

Parking at the park, Eren sighed as he turned off the car. His stomach rumbled, causing Levi to snort  
"Let's get you fed"  
"Mmm that's the one really shitty thing about Shinganshima, the lack of Chinese. I mean, we got a pizzeria while you were gone, but I think a Chinese place would have been nicer"  
"Maybe we'll get lucky one day. Oh, I should say this now. No looking at your bank statement until after I've got a job"  
"How come?"  
"If I tell you that, it'll ruin the surprise"  
So Levi had worked hard on this Valentine's thing... he probably needed to up his game now. He really wasn't looking forward to tomorrow, but that might just be because he couldn't get Dr Zoe's suggestion out of his mind. It wasn't like she'd ordered him to go see Grisha, but she said that if he wanted answers, he wasn't going to get them without a little effort. Initially she'd suggested writing, but as he'd failed at producing a list for her, writing was a no go.

Sitting under the shade of the closest tree, Levi had stripped off his hoodie and the alpha had sat down on it, before pulling him into his lap. The feel of Levi after his exhausting morning was nice, and he had his side against his boyfriends chest as Levi fed him   
"How was your morning?"  
Levi shook his head with a small sigh  
"I met a woman that Ren would have loved, she was a total crazy cat lady"  
"That sounds... fun?"  
"No. No it wasn't"  
His boyfriend sounded like the memory caused physical pain   
"I was thinking, everyone gets their kids kittens for the pet shop or from around town... I wanna take the boys to a shelter and let them pick one"  
"Oh? When do you want to do that?"  
"Sometime soon. Ren would love it, and it would be a good lesson in responsibility"  
"You trust the boys to keep an animal alive?"  
"They aren't that bad... besides, we all know the parents end up looking after the pets"  
"So you want a cat?"  
"It would be nice. We never had pets growing up"  
"Neither did I..."  
They fell silent, but happy to just be relaxing without the pressures of life. All too soon they ran out of Chinese food and were forced to face reality   
"You up for school?"  
"No... are we going tomorrow?"  
"I was thinking we could catch the bus in, and then spend the day together. I was going to ask Hannes to baby sit, or Mr Arlert"  
"Hmmm... alright"  
He didn't want to burden either of them with the kids, they had their own lives... but Levi had been busy organising things and he was curious as to what the alpha had planned  
"So is that a yes or no to school?"  
"We're going. We can't keep missing so many classes"  
"Fine, but can I have a kiss first"  
Placing a kiss to Levi's cheek wasn't what the alpha wanted, his boyfriend pouted until he finally placed a kiss on his lips, the alpha was positively beaming as he pulled back  
"Happy?"  
"Immensely"  
"You're so weird"  
"And you're so perfect"  
The alpha leant in and kissed the top of his nose, how the hell did his alpha manage to be so damn sweet.

 

*  
Given they'd arrived at school while it was lunch time, Levi tracked down Armin first. It would be so much easier if he just messaged the teen, buuuuut he didn't want to seem like he couldn't as for a simple favour  
"Armin... can I borrow you for a second"  
Eren rolled his eyes at him as he sank down on Mikasa's side while Armin followed him away from the table  
"Levi, I feel a favour coming"  
"Maybe. I have this romantic day planned for Eren tomorrow, complete with a hotel room..."  
"And you need a baby sitter?"  
"Yeah..."  
"Fine, drop them off tomorrow morning"  
"Really?"  
"Really. I learnt my lesson about coming to school on Valentine's Day and I don't particularly want to relive it"  
"What happened?"  
"It's terrifying. Girls cry and scream in the halls... there's chocolates everywhere and heaven forbid you gift the wrong ones..."  
Armin shivered and Levi was a little shocked. He'd brought Eren chocolates last year and they'd gone over well enough. But they were only just dating...  
"Fuck that shit"  
"Exactly. Even grandpa has a date..."  
Now Armin sounded sad, Levi figured the poor guy had never really had a Valentine's declaration  
"The boys will be there with you..."  
"Yeah. We can have a single alpha party"  
He knew Armin was an alpha, but the short teen seemed way to delicate for an alpha. He just couldn't get used to it  
"That's the spirit"  
Armin rolled his eyes  
"I think we better get back, Eren's watching us"  
"He doesn't like asking people to baby sit because the boys can be such a handful"  
"Yeah, I know. I wish he'd get over it though, he's practically family"  
"He's just having a few issues at the moment"  
"What did you do to him?"  
"Nothing much. He still doesn't feel comfortable in his own skin. So tomorrow is about that. I think he's scared he's going to be laughed at"  
"People are shit"  
"Yeah. I bought him a dress and some earrings, and we're having dinner at the hotel I booked"  
"I'm jealous"  
"That's the plan. He's way too beautiful for his own good"  
Armin scrunched his nose up  
"Settle down. He's my best friend, I don't need to think about his sex life"  
"All I said is he is beautiful, calm down"  
Armin covered his ears and started back towards the the table, leaving Levi shaking his head.


	55. Chapter 55

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments... you have no idea how much I needed the support. I love you all...
> 
> Now, enjoy Valentine's Day.

"Happy Valentine's Day Princess"  
Nuzzling against Eren's neck, Levi peppered kisses against Eren's smooth skin  
"Mmm, happy Valentine's Day..."  
"Are you ready for your surprises?"  
"No... I can't believe you packed for me"  
Levi nodded, he'd packed for them both last night, and packed for the boys over night stay with Armin. He was quietly optimistic about how well today was going to go. He had it all planned in his head, starting with him and the boys making Eren breakfast   
"I'll get the boys ready, you rest. You're going to need all the energy you have for tonight"  
Eren snorted, while rolling in his hold. His omega offered him a small happy smile  
"I swear all you think about is sex"  
"I can't help it. You're so beautiful"  
When Eren went to protest, Levi kissed him happily before moving to escape the bed. A sleepy and defenceless Eren was just too tempting  
"What should I wear?"  
"Nothing..."  
"I don't think I can walk around public naked"  
"Yeah... no. That sights for me alone and I don't want to share it"

With the boys bathed, dressed and now in the kitchen, they were making pancakes with strawberries and syrup for Eren's breakfast. That's why'd he'd needed the boys help the other day, he wanted to include them in his Valentine's Day plans  
"Eli, how many pancakes should we make for mum?"  
"4. 4's a good number"  
"4! Oh god, that's testing my skills"  
Eli shrugged at him  
"How about you Ren? How are you going with those strawberries?"  
"I've got it!"  
Ren's job was to pull the leaves off and wash them  
"Awesome!"  
He didn't cremate the pancakes, but a couple came close. Those were hidden deep in the trash where Eren wouldn't find them. Breakfast had to be perfect!

 

*  
Choosing to wear black jeans and a printed tee, Eren was slightly worried. After the boys had had their bath, he'd showered and dressed, but the smell of burnt had caught his senses and he had to resist the urge to make sure everything was alright. Levi seemed determined to spoil him. The alpha had even set the alarm early so that they could take a little more time having breakfast, before dropping the kids off at Armin and catching the bus into Trost. His boyfriend had also sent him to bed early, which didn't help Eren's curiosity. He wanted to know just what was planned, but was trying to respect Levi's wishes, it seemed the alpha had gone to a lot of effort.

"Mum, breakfast is ready!"  
Ren came in looking so proud of himself, and Eren nodded as he rose   
"Did you make breakfast?"  
"Me, Eli and daddy did!"  
"Oooh, thank you"  
Ren beamed, so Eren moved to lift him to his hip  
"I love you baby"  
"I love you too mummy. Is it true we're going to grandpas?"  
"Yep. You're going to have a sleep over"  
"Aw yes! Grandpa has all these cartoons we don't have"  
Nice to know where Ren's priorities laid  
"You've got to be good though. If you're naughty, you can't watch cartoons"  
"We'll be good... we're always good"  
Walking into the kitchen, Eren eyed the spot at the table that was clearly his  
"Thanks guys! You know how to make a mum feel special"  
The boys had drawn flowers on a piece of paper and it said "Mum" in the middle of it   
"I helped dad with the pancakes and Ren did the strawberries"  
"Wow! That's awesome. I need to take a photo of this, so I can brag about what my 3 boys did for me"  
Pulling out his phone, he snapped a few photos before uploading it to Facebook, captioned "Levi and the twins made me breakfast".

The pancakes were a little undercooked, and it was clear Levi had burnt something in the pan, but still edible and very much appreciated. His boyfriend still refused to give him any hints of what was happening for the day. He wasn't allowed to help with the dishes, and the boys insisted he sit on the sofa while they helped dad. Though then helping didn't last long, and they climbed into his lap for cuddles  
"Levi, why don't I take the boys over to Armin's? They're about ready to fall back to sleep already"  
Levi hummed, but the fact it was 6:20 swayed him  
"Alright, but no more playing mum and being responsible after that"  
"Oh? So I don't have to adult today?"  
"I'm not telling you what we're doing"  
"Drats! Come on babies, let's get you over to Uncle Armin and grandpa. Go give daddy kisses and hugs"  
Both boys yawned as they crawled off of him, and Eren moved to snag their bag and then the keys  
"I'll be back soon"  
"I'll be waiting"  
Levi hugged both their boys and kisses their foreheads  
"Now remember, we'll be back tomorrow, so you have to be good until we get back"  
"We will"

 

*  
Having arrived at Trost, the pair said goodbye to Mikasa and started walking towards the city. Levi held their bag and refused to let Eren do anything other than hold his hand  
"Will you please tell me the plan now?"  
His alpha shook his head  
"Nope, it's not a surprise if you know"  
"But I want to do something for you too..."  
"You existing is all I need"  
Eren felt his face redden and he stumbled slightly, jerking Levi midstep   
"Eren?"  
"Sorry"  
Looking down at his feet, Eren chewed his lip before looking up  
"I really love you Levi, but sometimes I get scared"  
"I know you do"  
Not caring that people were casting glances in their ways, Levi wrapped his arm around him  
"I promise there's nothing scary about this surprise. No water, no falling, no getting hurt"  
"So I don't have to be afraid of drowning?"  
"Nope. Our feet will be staying firmly on the ground... well yours might not, but that's for later"  
"Leeevi..."  
"Shhhh, come on, we have a little time before the first surprise and I thought we could see whatever we see along the way"  
"Mmm, ok. I'm going to trust you. But if you fail to deliver..."  
"If you say you're going to punish me, I just misbehave on purpose"  
Levi's lips found his and the alpha's tongue slid easily into his mouth, his boyfriend was seemingly perfectly alright with giving him a deep and hungry kiss in the middle of the street. When he felt himself starting to slick, Eren gently pushed Levi back, the alpha smirked as he stepped back and started to tug him along again  
"I can't wait for later"  
"So there'll be sex?"  
"Maybe. Maybe not. You'll have to wait and see"

 

*  
Given they couldn't check into the hotel until after 10, they had an hour and a half to fill. Levi's plan was just to spend time walking around and showing off that Eren was his. Along their travels, he'd found a florist and had been able to pick up a single long stemmed red rose for Eren. Valentine's Day was a total price rip off. $50 for one flower... but the look on Eren's smile made it worth it. His boyfriends whole face lit up, and his green eyes danced with a happiness that had been gone for far too long  
"You're so gorgeous"  
"No, you're just blind"  
"Blindly in love with you"  
Eren snorted  
"You say the sappiest things like it's nothing"  
"That's because I truly love you and I want you to know that every minute of everyday"  
"Imagine what everyone would say if they knew..."  
Faking a shocked gasp, Levi shook his head   
"You wouldn't! My reputation would be ruined"  
"Yes, you big bad alpha you"  
"I hope you know I'm more than happy to tear anyone who even looks at you to shreds"  
"I know... it's sometimes scary that you can love me that much"  
"But you love me... don't you?"  
"Yeah. I really do"  
"Then it's fine. Shall we continue my love?"  
Liking his arm with Eren's, his boyfriend laughed lightly as they started to walk again.

Having done some online reconnaissance, Levi knew there was a cinema in the lobby of the building across the road from the hotel. The plan was to take Eren to an early movie, and then up to their room. Their dinner reservation was for 7, and he figured the movie would end about 12, at the latest, that meant 7 hours in which they could nap, fool around and do whatever Eren felt like. Personally Levi was hoping the omega would indulge him and let him give him a massage... but they could always take full advantage of the hotels facilities.

They walked slowly, talking off an on about things they passed. Eren's eyes momentarily lit up as they were looking into a boutique, the omega seemed to be looking at a loose white dress, but the moment he realised Levi was watching, his boyfriend looked away from it. If Levi could have afforded to walk in and just buy it, he would have. He wanted Eren to have so many nice and pretty things. He was a princess who deserved the best after all  
"One day princess"  
Eren looked at him  
"Sorry, what did you say?"  
"I was talking to myself, anyway. We're nearly done with the walking thing"  
"Good..."  
Eren clamped a hand over his mouth, looking slightly mortified over that one word  
"It's fine, we can relax soon enough"  
"Relax?"  
"Nope no clues"  
Eren rolled his eye, but did lower his hand.

When the cinema came into view, Eren gripped his hand slightly harder. Despite being in a nice and classy looking part of Trost, the original facade of the building remained, complete with an older style of sign, displaying what movies were playing  
"Are we going to the movies?"  
"Yep"  
"You know, I've only been once and that was with the twins... and everyone from our group"  
"Well, it's just us today, and you get free rein in choosing what we should watch"  
"Or we could choose it together...?"  
Eren sounded slightly hopeful, and it was adorable  
"Ok, now keep hold my hand so we can cross the road"  
"I think you've been spending too much time with the boys"  
"Maybe, but I love it. I love them. I love you"  
Crossing the road, they made their way up to the listing on the wall and Levi wrapped his arms around Eren's waist  
"What looks good?"  
"You"  
"I don't think other people would agree"  
"Their loss..."  
Resting his chin on Eren's shoulder, he read the list halfheartedly. He was honestly fine with whatever Eren chose   
"What kind of movies do you like?"  
"Most things... but not to much sci-fi... I mean the really sure futuristic things"  
Eren snorted  
"Ok. Well, there's a new zombie looking movie"  
"When isn't there a new zombie movie?"  
"Good point. It's called Attack on Titan. It's about a group of survivors who think they're the only people left on the planet. Turns out it's like the world government is experimenting on them, and has intentionally left them alone to see how they develop and how they fight the threat. Instead of zombies, it's like these huge mutant mindless people... it's kind of a different spin on the apocalypse"  
"I feel like you know all about it because you want to watch it"  
"Maybe..."  
"It's fine if you do. Let's go look at this huge mutant mindless people"  
"We don't have to..."  
"Nah, if it's boring, I can just make my own fun"  
Sliding his hand down over Eren's crotch, he gave a light squeeze and his boyfriend jumped  
"You can't blow me at the movies"  
"Dammit..."  
Eren giggled as he slipped from his hold  
"Come on, let's go get tickets and popcorn"  
Attack on Titan... hopefully it wouldn't be awful, Eren seemed really excited for it.

Having purchased their tickets and left their bag in one of the cinema lockers, Levi joined Eren at the concession stand. His boyfriend was frowning at something and Levi didn't like it  
"What's wrong?"  
"Oh, I was just wondering if I wanted coke or orange juice"  
"Why don't you get both? We can share"  
"But what do you want?"  
"I'm easy"  
Eren let out a sigh, but the girl behind the counter smiled brightly  
"So a coke and an orange juice, as well as the malteasers and popcorn?"  
"Yes please"  
When Levi tried to pay, Eren took his card back and did it himself, before pressing a kiss to his forehead   
"This place is gorgeous"  
It really was. Levi had thought it was just the facade, but the interior was beautifully maintained, and looked like it had come out of a 1930's film. Old buildings like this had so much character... but that came with dust and bugs and god knows what, and that thought was rapidly ruining the appreciation he had for this place. But Eren was happy, and that was the main thing  
"Are you ready to head in?"  
Eren nodded, his hands filled with their snacks and Levi reached to help  
"It's fine, its all balanced, you've got the tickets right?"  
"Yep, let's do this?"

The screening room had hardly anyone one in it, and they sat up the very back away from everyone. The moment the lights went off and the usher left, Levi pulled Eren into his lap. He kind of felt like fooling around a little, but when the opening started, Eren's attention was 100% on it, and not him. For the next hour and 47 minutes, Levi struggled to quite comprehend what happened. Why didn't the people live on the top of the walls? Or why couldn't more people have been evacuated up there? Couldn't they have used the pulley system for the farmers? And what happened to the bodies? Like a Titan seemed to disappear into thin air when it died, but did that mean the people inside them did too? What happened if a person was still alive? Why couldn't they cut their way out? By the end of the movie he definitely had more questions than answers, Eren on the other hand seemed pretty happy with just accepting what he'd been told  
"Can you please explain what just happened?"  
"Movie one finished. There's gonna be another one..."  
Oh yay! Sign him up for that... not. He didn't particularly feel like seeing anyone more teenagers decapitated  
"Levi, if we lived in a world like that, do you think you'd rather be in the military or would you live like a refugee"  
"Military. One hundred percent"  
"I wonder what I'd do"  
"Well, you're so stubborn and inquisitive, you'd definitely be one of those scouts"  
"Would you protect me if I was"  
Levi snorted lightly  
"Of course I would"  
"I kind of like the idea of you as the sex older captain"  
"Really?"  
"Yep! You'd look hot in that uniform"  
"You know, I did think about joining the army. I probably would have if I didn't have you"  
"You still could... like the reserves... they'll pay for your schooling and everything"  
"Someone listened on career day"  
"Maybe... but in my defence, I think you're way too smart to just settle down in Shinganshima with me"  
"Settling down with you is the smartest thing I've ever done. Now, are you ready for your next surprise?"  
Eren hummed before nodding   
"Yep! I'm ready, and I would totally slay that colossal titan for you"  
Shaking his head, Levi lead his boyfriend across to the lockers  
"I'd slay all the titans for you. I couldn't handle it if anything happened to you"  
"Hey baby, I love you. I killed a hundred titans for you, but they all disappeared..."  
"Brat!"  
"Maybe, so what's the next surprise?"  
Using the small key to open the locker, Levi reunited Eren with his rose, before pulling their bag out  
"This one I might need your help with"  
"Really?"  
"Yep. We should head out though, all that death and blood, makes me want to make sure every inch of your body is wound free"  
"So swords make you horny, that's nice to know"  
How Eren to that, he had no idea. But the idea of being able to fly through the air on those cables did seem like fun.

 

*  
Levi had been right, they needed to sight Eren's card and his ID before they let him sign off on the room he'd booked. Seeing he really didn't have proper ID, he had his boot camp card. It had his name, photo and birthday on it and it had been in the file of academic record. They'd accepted it, but had seemed a little annoyed that it wasn't a driver's licence or anything. It wasn't his fault that he hadn't got there. Hannes had been working almost all night shifts so he hadn't really been able to ask for lessons from man. With the key finally in his hand, he took Eren's and pulled him towards the elevator   
"Levi... are we really staying here?"  
"Yep. We couldn't check in until after 10... and we get a free bottle of champagne and strawberries 'cause it's Valentine's Day"  
"I've never had champagne"  
"Neither have I. But we should wait until after dinner..."  
When the doors pinged open, Levi lead Eren into the mirrored box. His boyfriend looked so damn sexy, and he discovered he really liked the idea of having sex with Eren in the space. Pulling his thoughts away, he hit 10 on the floor buttons and the doors slid silently closed   
"I feel tiny in here"  
Turning to pull Eren against him, Levi nuzzled at his neck, before licking and nipping at Eren's earlobe   
"Really? I kind of find it hot"  
"Levi, anyone could be watching"  
"So, don't you find the idea of doing it here hot?"  
"Maybe if you knot didn't take like half an hour to go down"  
Pulling back, Levi smirked at Eren   
"See! I totally wish we could"  
"But we can't"  
"Maybe we could put mirrors in at home"  
"Oh god... no. No mirrors at home. We never get the boys out our room"  
Laughing lightly, Levi pulled back, but kept an arm around Eren's waist. He could smell Eren's slight arousal, and trying to behave himself was so damn hard. When the doors slid open, he tried to pull himself together, but his pheromones were going crazy in response to Eren's   
"What's the room number?"  
"104"  
The sign on the wall showed that rooms 1-8 were to the right, so that's the way they went. Levi found room 4 first and turned to Eren   
"Close your eyes"  
"What? Why?"  
"Because this is a surprise and I want to make sure everything's alright before you see it"  
"Levi, it'll be fine, so hurry up and open the door"  
There was almost a whine in Eren's tone, so Levi slid the key into the slot and the door opened with a small click. Letting his boyfriend go first, because he had no choice, Levi trailed in behind him and quietly shut and chained the door  
"So?"  
"It's awesome!"  
Eren rushed across the space to the floor to ceiling windows and stared out across city. The building itself was quiet tall, something like 40 floors, so the lower ones were substantially cheaper, but the view was still amazing. Dropping their bag beside the queen bed, Levi crossed over and wrapped his arms around Eren   
"For dinner tonight, we have a reservation at the hotels restaurant"  
"No way"  
"Yep. There's all sorts of services here too. We can order room service or massages... or I could give you a massage"  
"Mmm... I like the sound of the last one"  
"Good"  
Nuzzling and tugging on Eren's ear, his hands slid up his boyfriends shirt. When Eren didn't resist, his left hand moved to fumble the omegas belt undone   
"I want you naked and in the middle of the bed"  
"Only if you're naked too"  
"But sir, what kind of massage parlour do you think this is?"  
"One that better give me a happy ending"  
Eren laughed playfully before slipping from Levi's hold and making a show of stripping. Levi couldn't help but pull his phone out  
"Nooo, no photos"  
"But you're so beautiful. Just let me take one?"  
"Fine, but I get to take one of you"  
"Deal"  
Eren had seemed to think he'd say no, but the omega recovered smoothly and started pulling of his underwear, it was then that Levi got his photo.

 

*  
Climbing onto the middle of the bed, Eren laid face down. He was already half hard and his body was aching with want. Being in the elevator with Levi's freely flowing pheromones had him hyper aware of every little touch between them. His heart was racing and it almost felt like he was a blushing virgin. Everything today was going so smoothly and the room was perfect. It wasn't so flash that it was uncomfortable, but it wasn't so plain that it felt like just an ordinary room. His breath hitched as Levi crawled onto the bed, and the alpha finally came to sit on the backs of his legs  
"My name is Levi, I'll be you masseuse for today. How has your day been so far sir?"  
Levi's hands moved to his shoulders and Eren moaned at the firm pressure of his alpha's thumbs  
"G-goooood... shit... this feels great"  
"I must warn you sir, I cannot fall in love with you, for my heart belongs to but one omega"  
"He must be one lucky omega"  
"I am the lucky one"  
"Really?"  
"Yes sir. Do you want to know about my omega?"  
"Sure, I'd like to know about the omega who tamed a talented man such as yourself"  
"His names Eren. I met him when we were just brats, it was just for 10 days during the holidays, but he was my first crush. Thanks to family, I had to leave him and we were separated for 4 long years"  
"Oh wow!"  
"Yep. When I met him again, he'd grown up from the little snot nosed brat into this amazingly vibrant omega. He was everything I wasn't. Smart, funny, popular, tall..."  
Eren bit down his giggle and then a moan, Levi's hands felt amazing and everywhere his alpha touched exploded with warmth  
"But I couldn't even remember him to begin with. It bugged me for days and days... here was this gorgeous creature in front of me, and he was so familiar"  
"That sounds hard"  
"It was. You see, you don't know how truly beautiful he is. He had the most ridiculously incredible green eyes. I don't even have a word for them, everything just falls short"  
"He sounds too good to be true"  
"I haven't even told you about the rest of him. He has the softest chocolate hair, that always has a mind of its own. He used to wear it long, but now it's short. He had self esteem issues thanks to inconsiderate wankers, though I don't know why. He could run circles around all those morons"  
Eren let out a sigh  
"Levi..."  
"Sorry, sir. It's just I love him so very much. His skins the perfect shade of brown, like he was a constant tan, and it's so smooth and soft, like running silk through your fingers... and his legs. His long toned legs, with his slightly thick thighs and his arse, I could worship that arse for days"  
Levi's hands slid down to begin massaging at his arse and the movement had his erection grinding against the fabric. He was so desperate to touch himself, but didn't want Levi to stop what he was doing   
"Tell me more about him"  
"He's a cheerleader. Actually he's "Thee Cheerleader", no one else on the cheer squad comes close. The way he moves in that tiny outfit, it drives me fucking crazy"  
Rolling his hips forward, Levi's erection rubbed against his arse teasingly   
"It sounds like you have it bad for him... but I think I'll stay with my alpha after all"  
Sliding his hands off his arse, Levi's hands ran up his back, either side of his spine  
"Really?"  
"Yeah... I'd been in love with him for so long, sometimes it feels like this is all a dream"

Levi slid down his legs, moving to sit between his feet  
"Tell me about your alpha"  
"His names Levi. I met him when I was 12. You see, I had this spot in the woods I love to go. I loved sleeping in the sun there, but one day there was this kid there... he had the most amazing grey eyes, and I couldn't help but needing to know him within 5 minutes of meeting him. He said he was on holiday with his uncle, and at the time I thought that was fine, but by the second day... I was desperate for him to like me. I hadn't presented yet, but I knew he was an alpha... and he didn't treat me any differently... not like some of the kids"  
The sheets below him were growing wetter, as was his arse. He wanted to raise himself and present himself for his alpha, but his whole body was shaking with need and he wanted to get this out   
"One day, I was showing off... and I nearly drowned because of it"  
"You nearly drowned?"  
"Yeah, but he saved me. I was so scared, and I'd just hurt him... but he still came to save me"  
"It sounds like he cared about you"  
"He dragged me ashore and kept me warm... I was so shaken, but something inside me wanted him. It was like the universe was telling me he was made for me"  
"So did you two?"  
"Yeah... he was my first kiss, and my first time. We were just kids, but even after he left, nothing felt as good as his knot"  
"Oh, you experimented?"  
Levi's hands moved back up his inner thigh and Eren shuddered with a new  
"No... you see, I got pregnant. And my hormones were out of control... I couldn't help but need his touch, but he wasn't there"  
"Oh no, you poor thing"  
"My mum walked in on me touching myself, she brought me my first sex you to help with need"  
"That's a pretty good mum"  
"She was. When I went into labour, I stumbled away from the house, I wanted to see Levi so badly that I went to our spot, even though I knew he wasn't there. I was so scared, and I knew it was so stupid to be so in love... but I couldn't stop myself. She came and found me, brought me home and laid there for hours with me until finally helping me through the birth of our sons..."  
"Shit, you've been through so much"  
"I have, and there was never a day I didn't think about him or wonder if he remembered me. So now that I finally have him, I feel like he's going to slip through my fingers or I'm going to wake up and find this all to be a dream"  
Grinding against the sheets Eren let out a needy whine  
"He's a fool for letting an omega like you out of his sight"  
"Yeah, but he's my fool"

The weight on the bed shifted and Levi moved between his legs, before grabbing his hips and pulling him up  
"God, you're so wet"  
Eren mewed as Levi's tongue slid inside him, the alpha's sudden change had him panting and moaning as his toes curled and his erection ached, bent so far up that precum dribbled against his stomach. It only took Levi moments to have him cuming, the alpha continuing to eat him out the whole way through his waves of orgasm   
"Levi... more"  
Levi's tongue slid free and Eren let out a disappointed whine  
"Such an inviting colour, so pink and wet... are you ready for me, omega?"  
"Yes alpha"  
Levi's hands gripped his hips tighter and the alpha rutted up against him  
"Do you want my knot, little omega?"  
"Yes alpha"  
"Good omega..."  
Levi wasn't gentle as he slammed in, burying himself completely in one hard thrust, causing Eren to howl. His fingers tore at the sheets and he pushed back against Levi as hard as he could   
"Patience omega"  
"Nooo... I need your knot"  
He did. His stomach was cramping as if in heat and his eyes were filled with tears from their playful banter. His emotions were in overdrive and he needed that reassurance that Levi's knot would provide.

 

*  
Levi wished he had his phone as he watched himself sliding in and out of Eren. He hadn't been gentle when he's thrust in, but gave his boyfriend a few teasing thrusts, pulling nearly completely out before snapping his hips forward. It didn't take long for his pace to become desperate and the room filled with the sound of wet skin slapping wet skin. He couldn't get enough of Eren, and sliding his hands up, he forced Eren up into his lap, while keeping up his brutal pace. His omega turned his head and their mouths awkwardly clashed against each other and they devoured each other's mouths hungrily. But it wasn't enough.

Pulling out, Levi threw Eren down onto his back, before grabbing his hips and yanking him hard into his lap again, his omega was mewing and his throat was bared. This only served to excite his alpha more. His instincts were to tear his lovers throat so no one might have Eren again, instead he slammed his mouth back against Eren and took his omegas erection in his hand, jerking Eren's thoroughly slick erection until his lover howled for him again. Eren clenched down around Levi's erection so hard that as his knot popped, it felt like every last drop was being hungrily sucked deeper into his boyfriend. Snarling possessively, Levi pulled Eren up and holding him close, he nuzzled up against Eren's neck   
"I love you"  
"'love you too"  
Finding Eren's lips, he nuzzled his boyfriends face before kissing then gently   
"What do you say we take a nap?"  
Eren sniffled lightly and Levi laid him back down as if he was made of glass, before laying his head against Eren's chest. The omega's heart was beating so fast, just like his own.

 

*  
Having slept a good few hours, Eren gently untangled himself from Levi. His boyfriend was still asleep, but that didn't last long  
"Hey you"  
"Hey, what are you doing?"  
Levi sounded like he was about to drift off again, and Eren kind of hoped he would. His alpha looked so peaceful when he slept, and he could honestly watch Levi's sleeping face for hours  
"I was just going to take a shower"  
"Mmmm, alright. I suppose I should probably get up too"  
"You don't have to"  
"No, it's alright. Did you have a good nap"  
"Yeah, I had this really sexy masseuse give me this great happy ending, and I passed it pretty much straight after it"  
"Gimme his name, I'll kill him for touching you"  
"But what if I don't want him dead"  
"Then I'll have him teach me all his secrets and then keep him locked up"  
"You're such a dork"  
"I know"  
Levi rolled over in the bed, and Eren couldn't help but stare at the way the sheets were draped across his boyfriends body  
"You're really sexy"  
"I know. Now, if you're going to take a shower, you have to put on what's in the pink bag afterwards"  
"The pink bag?"  
"Yep. All of it"  
Eren frowned, he wasn't so sure he really wanted to, but Levi sounded certain about it  
"Will I like what's in the pink bag?"  
"Maybe, but even if you don't, I will"  
Sliding down to open the bag Levi had packed, Eren pulled out the pink bag  
"No peaking"  
"But..."  
"Eren, just trust me and do this for me?"  
"Fine, but if I don't like it, I reserved the right to pout"  
"Princess, you can pout all you like, but it's not going to change the fact that I picked that outfit especially for you, for tonight"  
Letting out a sigh, Eren stood back up  
"You're lucky I love you"  
"I know"

Leaving Levi still in bed, he padded across the room and into the bathroom, before closing the door behind him and moving to place the bag on he bench. Levi had said no peaking, but he was so curious... no. He couldn't. Levi had asked him not to, and after having such a nice day, he didn't want things to end up in a fight or worse. Instead he focussed on turning the taps on and adjusting them to the right temperature before stepping into the warm spray. Having practically melted under the pressure of the water and from Levi's skilled hands, Eren emerged from the shower feeling ridiculously relaxed. So relaxed in fact, that his coordination had completely gone out the window and he took an embarrassingly long time to finally finish drying.

Picking up the pink bag, he upended it onto the counter and was shocked. The first thing to catch his attention had been the white lace bra and matching thong. He'd worn a bra before, but never underwear and wasn't completely sure about the whole thing. Carefully walking to the door, he cracked it open a fraction  
"Levi?"  
"Yes?"  
"Are you sure you want me to wear everything from the bag?"  
"Yep!"  
"Like everything?"  
"Everything"  
His alpha sounded happy at the prospect, though Eren was nervous as fuck. He tried to tell himself it was just underwear... but now he was kind of freaking out. Closing the door again, he walked back over to the counter and picked up the thong. Maybe Levi would abandon the idea if he did it just this once... he didn't think his alpha was setting up for a laugh, but the thought was there in the back of his mind. No. Tonight was going to be a nice dinner, just the two of them and they weren't at Ravioli. Levi wasn't going to abandon him again... swallowing hard, he shakily stepped into the thong and pulled it up. He didn't have any words for the feeling other than strange. The bra was much easier to deal with, and taking a few steps back, he examined himself in the mirror. The contrast between his brown skin and the white was strangely hot and given he kept his pubes trimmed, it wasn't like their was bush hanging out. Shaking his head, he next picked up the black dress and sighed. A dress... he'd avoided them for nearly a month now... but here he was, sliding into it like it was an old friend. The cut was rather flattering, but the length was barely covering anything. He span slowly in the mirror, before bending over. The bottoms of his arse cheeks peaked out, but it wasn't too horrible. If anyone other than Levi had asked him, he probably would have told them where to stick it. Next came the earrings. They were simple hoops, but he did have to force them through as the backs of the piercing holes had begun to close. It hurt a little, but it wasn't too bad. Carrying his shoes in one hand, he took a breath before opening the door. He felt stupid, but also really sexy... but it all came down to what Levi thought.

"Are you ready?"  
"Yes!! Get out here already!"  
Taking a small step out, Eren nervously moved so Levi could see him  
"I..."  
"Fuck..."  
"I look stupid don't I?"  
Tears filled his eyes, but before he could flee, Levi had sprung off the bed and had hold of his arm. His alpha's voice was husky   
"I don't know if I want to let you like that. I want to pounce on you and fuck you into the mattress"  
"R-really? I don't look stupid"  
"No. If you look stupid, then I need glasses. Which I don't. Fuck Eren. Can I take a photo? I want to brag to everyone you're mine"  
Closing his eyes, Eren nodded and remained stock still as Levi let his arm go. He listened to the alpha rushing and the rustle of fabric  
"Ok! I've got my phone, you can open your eyes now"  
Opening his eyes, he couldn't help but snort. Levi was half hard, very naked and was staring at the phone was such a serious look on his face  
"Say something sexy?"  
"Fuck you?"  
Flipping the camera caused Levi to laugh  
"Perfect baby. I need to take a shower and then we can take our time heading down"  
Eren nodded, before moving to sit at the small dining table so he could do his shoes. Out of the corner of his eyes, he watched Levi gathering his own clothes up. The alpha stopped to kiss his forehead, before continuing into the shower and leaving him alone with his thoughts.

With his shoes done tightly, Eren rose shakily. It was so much harder to walk in short heels than high heels, but Levi probably didn't want him towering over him all that much more. He crossed over to the mirror on the closet and span slowly. Though the dress had a collar, it also had straps so the straps of the bra were hidden and when he looked over his shoulder, the white fabric barely showed. It felt kind of kinky to know he had a thong on underneath the dress, and he span slowly as he hitched the hem up and checked himself out. Thanks to their fooling around, his hair was a total mess, but some how that just made the look even hotter and he found he'd really missed this side of himself. It was natural for an omega to be more feminine after all, and as much as he denied it and as much as he loved what was between his legs, he loved this too.

Levi was only 10 minutes in the bathroom. The alpha reappearing in a dress shirt and edibly tight pants. Eren couldn't help but stare. He didn't want to go to dinner now...  
"You like?"  
"I love"  
"Good. Now I just need my wallet and the keys"  
"Oh yeah, wallet... should I take my phone?"  
"No. Tonight you are Eren, not mum. Armin knows this night means a lot to both of us, and he's not going to call"  
"Ok..."  
He still wanted to check in, but maybe after dinner would be better... he noted that Levi still grabbed his phone and was kind of relieved. The alpha insisted on carrying his wallet too, and all Eren had to do was carry himself.

 

*  
With one arm around Eren's waist possessively, the looks his omega was getting were definitely of appreciation. It was like his boyfriend was walking on air and everyone stopped to stare. Levi couldn't help but grin. This was just the confidence boost his omega needed, and fuck, he wanted to show the whole world how amazing Eren was. 

Given they were half an hour early, Levi lead Eren through to the hotel bar, and his boyfriend slid up into a stool, before crossing his long legs and leaning on the counter  
"What'll it be?"  
Eren hummed as if thinking, and the man behind the bar seemed almost entranced by his boyfriend  
"I'll just have a lemon, lime and bitters please. Non-alcoholic"  
"Sure... thing"  
The man seemed to be having sudden trouble remembering how to speak and how to move. It didn't help when a small amount of blush appeared on Eren's face  
"Levi, what would you like?"  
"I'll have a whisky neat"  
"Sorry I can't serve minors"  
Come on. He was older than Eren and now Eren was giggling... Pulling out his "ID" he showed the man  
"I don't know if I can accept this"  
"He doesn't have his proper ID yet, but the hotel receptionist accepted it when we checked in"  
Eren practically purred the words and the man rushed to nod  
"Whisky. Right"  
Moving to sit in the stool next to Eren, he leant in so he could whisper in his boyfriends ear  
"I think he has a think for you"  
"I think he might too... came in handy though"  
"You're so fucking hot, I can't really blame him..."  
Eren giggled the same sweet giggle and Levi pulled back with a smile. He'd missed that sound so much. 

Eren was halfway through his drink by the time Levi finally got his. He paid the man, before turning towards Eren and placing a hand on his thigh, clearly telling anyone watching that Eren was his  
"How's your drink?"  
"Good..."  
His omega slowly slid his lips down the straw and the action went straight to Levi's dick. If Eren would let him, he'd bend his omega over right here and claim him... swallowing hard, he rose his glass with a shaky hand and drained it one gulp  
"Really now?"  
"Yeah... you have no idea how incredibly you look right now"  
"I can smell you, and I've reduced one man to a mess... I'd say pretty incredible"  
Nodding quickly, Levi's hand slid a little higher up Eren's leg and massaged him gently   
"I want to kiss you"  
"You don't usually ask permission"  
"We don't usually get to do this and I feel like you looking this good, kind of requires me to"  
Eren shook his head  
"Levi, I'm all yours, you don't need to ask"  
Eren moved closer, allowing him to claim his boyfriends lips. The kiss was soft and sweet. Eren's lips were slightly cold from his drink, but that didn't matter at all. After a few moments, his omega pulled back and smiled at him  
"Thank you for today"  
"My pleasure. Though, I'm really going to have to up the ante next year"  
"Hmmm... we do have 364 days to plan it"  
"And we both know I probably won't until the day before"  
"Yeah... shall we head in?"  
Pulling out his phone, Levi looked at the time  
"We have time still, so finish your drink. I want to post that photo"  
"You don't have to"  
"Yeah I do. I want everyone jealous of the fact you're mine"  
"Levi, I don't think anyone is, but thanks for the compliment"  
They fell into a comfortable silence, and Eren was done they moved to the restaurant.

They didn't have to wait for their table. Levi proudly lead Eren as they followed behind the man who would be their waiter for the evening. In one corner of the space, a band was playing softly and a dance floor had been set up. A couple of couples were slow dancing, and though Levi really didn't dance, he was game to try if Eren was. When they reached the table, he snapped into action, pulling out Eren's chair for him, before rounding the table and taking his own seat  
"Here are your menus for the night"  
"Thank you"  
Eren took his menu like he was used to all of this. The omega immediately flipped to the back and skimmed the drinks menu  
"I'll have a glass of sparkling lemon water please, Levi what do you want?"  
"I'll have a whisky and coke"  
The man nodded, before making a note and leaving   
"How did you know that's what we were supposed to do?"  
"I didn't. I just didn't want him hovering while I read the menu"  
Snorting lightly, Levi shook his head. His omegas confidence seemed to have returned with plenty to spare. Given they were left alone, Eren seemed to take his time reading it over  
"They have tapas, do you want to share?"  
"What do they have?"  
"Um, they're done in trios, sooooo, ok...There's seafood, cheese and fruit and patē"  
"What do you like the sound of?"  
"I'm kind of liking the cheese... but that's mainly because we're in a fancy restaurant and it just seems really funny to be eating cheese"  
"We could do cheese"  
"But the seafood had prawns... but it has oysters too"  
"You don't like oysters"  
"It's like swallowing snot"  
"Yeah, no. That's kind of gross... I don't think I'll ever be able to think of them in any other way now"  
"Sorry"  
"It's fine. So if we get the cheese, what looks good for mains?"  
He had his own menu in his hands, but Eren looked so cute as he read his  
"I think I'm going to go for the braised lamb shank with puréed parsnip, potatoes and beans"  
"That sounds good, but I don't know if I like the sound of puréed parsnip"  
"It's a good thing I'm eating it and not you. They do have steak here. 500g steak with seasonal salad or vegetables"  
"Mmmm meeeeeat"  
"You sounded like the boys just then"  
"But it's meat!"  
The waiter returned with their drinks  
"Do you know what you'd like to order?"  
Eren nodded  
"We'll start with the cheese and fruit tapas, please"  
"And for mains?"  
"My omega would like the braised lamb, and I'll have the steak with vegetables"  
Eren raised an eyebrow, but Levi just shrugged  
"And finally, dessert?"  
"We're still deciding"  
"Very well, I'll put these through to kitchen"  
"Thank you"  
Their waiter left and Levi inched his chair closer to Eren   
"What are our desert choices like?"  
Eren moved the menu so he could see, but Levi was too busy watching his omegas face  
"They have berry cheesecake, which sounds nice. But I don't want to over dose on berries if there's strawberries and champagne waiting for us upstairs"  
"Good call. What's next?"  
"Chocolate lava cakes... which you can never go wrong with... unless they stuff them up. Um... oh, they have gourmet ice creams, sorbets and gelato. I haven't had gelato in years"  
Eren was clearly leaning towards the gelato, but Levi's teeth ached at the thought of cold  
"I might go for the lava cake"  
"And I might go for the lemon gelato"  
"You know, I feel like it's kind of funny. We're at a fancy restaurant, but I still went for cheese, steak and cake"  
Eren snorted   
"My poor simple alpha, reverting back to his basic instincts"  
"Who's faults that? As it is, I want to pounce on you"  
"If it counts, you like quite dashing yourself"  
"Yeah, and I look like a kid. You didn't get asked for ID"  
"That'd because I'm not suspicious like you"  
"Really? I think you're plenty suspicious"  
Eren fluttered his eyes lashes and Levi's heart skipped a beat  
"Little old me?"  
"Yeah. I'm suspicious that you love me"  
"Um... you have the suspicion that I love you? Or are you suspicious of my love for you?"  
"I have the suspicion"  
"Good, because I don't know what to say about you being suspicious over my love"  
Levi groaned   
"Regretting this line of enquiry are we?"  
Holding tips of his pointer finger and his thumb just apart, Levi nodded  
"Just a little"  
"Good. That'd what you get for teasing me"  
"I'm sorry, I won't do it again... I just don't know what people talk about on a normal date..."  
"I don't know either"  
"So the weather... isn't that something?"  
Eren snorted   
"Really? The weather?"  
"Well what else should we talk about?"  
"I don't know... oh, the army thing"  
Levi rolled his eyes  
"I don't want to join the army anymore"  
"But it would be the reserves..."  
"And what if I was called up for service"  
"I don't know. Sorry, I guess I'm curious about what you want to do. Armin and Mikasa are both going to university in Trost... and I know I want to study something... but I don't know what"  
Levi nodded, he didn't want Eren becoming depressed, not today  
"I was thinking maybe I could learn carpentry or something. Thanks to Kenny, I already know how to do most home maintenance... so if I did that, I could work from home"  
"Oh, that would be cool. You could be my personal handy man..."  
"You just want me to fiddle with your knob"  
Eren choked on his water. The omega placed the glass down while trying not to laugh and to remember how to breath   
"Sorry... god... yes. Maybe... I think we might have to find some bad handy man porn"  
"Hi I'm Dave, would you like me to polish your wood?"  
Eren coughed as laughter slipped out, and Levi was then promptly shushed by the omega   
"Levi... we're disturbing other people"  
"Let them be disturbed. It's not my fault that I need to mount that pole"  
Given the fact that Eren was struggling so hard no laugh, Levi decided to let his boyfriend recover. The teen was already bright red, and tears had leaked from his eyes  
"Look, I promise I won't make any more jokes about taking care of your back lawn. But you need to breathe"  
Fanning his face lightly, Eren nodded. The omega really seemed to try to calm down, but a giggle escaped and the whole process started again. Eren was still recovering when the waiter returned. The man looked as if he wanted to ask if everything was alright, but was afraid he'd be told no. Instead he placed their order down in front of them  
"Your cheese and fruit platter. Have you perhaps decided on dessert?"  
"We'd like a chocolate lava cake, and a lemon gelato"  
"No worries, enjoy"  
The man disappeared and Levi eyed the plate. The cheese he got. The dried fruit... only kind of  
"It's not going to attack you"  
"It might. Where do we start?"  
Eren picked up a small piece of something weird looking  
"What's that?"  
"Meat"  
Levi frowned   
"It's dried fig. Did you know that there's an enzyme in the figs, so that when a wasp burrows in, it gets like melted into it"  
"So you're eating wasp?"  
"Possibly"  
No fig for him then. Cheese it was. His hand shook as he sliced a thin piece off  
"Mmmm cheese"

 

*  
Dinner was perfect. Eren had no other way to describe it. Levi kept coming back to the bad porn references and the omega had found him laughing every time... no matter how bad they got. More than once they'd been glared at, but Eren honestly couldn't find the effort to care and then between the main course and dessert, Levi had risen the bar even higher. His alpha had actually risen, taken his hand, and lead him over to the dance floor. His heart was pounding like crazy when Levi wrapped his arms around his waist and began to slow dance with him. He had no idea how long they swayed away in their own little world, and Eren wished he knew the songs name. It wasn't like he could look up "that instrumental song with a really good bit of saxophone in it". He rested his hand on his boyfriends shoulder, while Levi pressed kisses to his cheek as they danced. It was magical and when the song came to an end, he really struggled not to cry. He was just so happy. Letting Levi lead him back to their table, he needed a minute to calm down. His alpha just held his hand until he finally looked up at him  
"Levi, thank you. This... everything. It's been so perfect"  
"It's my pleasure. I wish I could do this for you all the time. I wish I could give you the world baby..."  
"I don't need the world. I just need you"  
Leaning in, Eren kissed Levi as passionately as he could, trying to convey every ounce of love he could into that one moment. When they finally pulled apart, Levi was grinning like an idiot  
"I can't wait to marry you"

Dessert was nice, but after their dance, and their kiss, they both wanted to head back up to the room. Once they were done eating and had confirmed dinner would be billed to the room, Levi dragged him out the restaurant and then swept him off his feet. With his arms wrapped around his alpha's shoulders, he didn't even care that his arse was showing. He just couldn't stop staring at Levi. When the elevator doors closed, Levi leant down and kissed him languidly, the kisses lasting until they finally arrived at the 10th floor and to the door to their room.

 

*  
Placing Eren gently down on the bed, Levi kissed his way down the inside of his boyfriends legs as he moved to undo Eren's shoes for him. His omega was definitely in the mood, and with Eren's shoes finally off, he moved to remove his own, before fetching the champagne from the fridge   
"Do we use glasses?"  
Eren shook his head   
"We can't be too classy"  
"Hey, Dave's a classy guy"  
Eren let out a groan and flopped back on the bed, his long legs were hanging over the edge, so Levi moved to kneel between them, while trying to convince the champagne that the wire on it the bottle top wanted to twist and pop the cork already. When it finally gave, both he and Eren jumped   
"You could have warned me"  
Sitting up, Eren reached for the bottle and Levi passed it over. His omega took a small sip, before a larger one and then passed it back  
"So. I think I like champagne"  
Levi took his own deep sip, letting the overly sweet liquid slide down his throat  
"I think I like your taste a whole lot better"  
Snatching the bottle back, Eren winked at him  
"More for me then"  
Once again his boyfriend drank deeply, but then passed the bottle back  
"Levi, I want you already"  
Placing the bottle down a little way away, Levi's hands slid up Eren's dress and revealed the white lace thong. His boyfriend was already hard and a small dark patch was spreading across the see through fabric. Unable to stop himself, Levi moved to lap the wet spot, causing Eren's breath to hitch. Fuck Eren was so erotic.

Mouthing and nuzzling at the spot, he worked both of them up into a fever. Eren was desperately rocking his hips against his mouth, and his own erection ached for release from his old work pants. Dealing with his own pants first, he let the fabric drop around his ankles, before returning to nuzzling Eren's erection. The smell of Eren's natural musk and slick had him growling and he needed more. Sliding his thumb under the sides of the thong, he took the top band in mouth and pulled down. Feeling Eren moved beneath him, he looked up and locked eyes with his boyfriend, before continued to tug the fabric down with his teeth. Eren obediently raised his hips, allowing Levi to pull the lingerie off completely. After that, the last of his self control went out the window. Hurling Eren into his lap, the omega immediately wrapped his legs around him, before rocking again him, clearly trying to slide down to his erection. Levi snarled and stumbled over until the hit the glass and finally he got inside Eren. His omega was so tight and hot and Eren's hands flew to the glass behind them, as if trying to grip onto something. Though no one was watching, they were both turned on by the prospect someone might and Eren's whines and moans fell loudly in the space. Evidently when Eren was tipsy, he was all for an audience. Pulling out and letting Eren slide down, he flipped him over and pushed back in, this time his lover was completely on display up against the window and it didn't take long before the omegas cum dribbled down in long thin rows  
"Levi... my body's burning..."  
Taking his hand, Eren used it to massage at his own breasts, mewing as he did. Thanks to this, his omegas dress was practically torn off in the need to pleasure Eren further. The bra was soon discarded and Levi rolled his hips slowly as he massaged both of Eren's breasts and teased his boyfriends nipples until the omegas whole body was a shaking mess  
"More..."  
Resuming his assault on Eren's breasts, Levi rocked harder despite the fact he was still knotted. When Eren sounded close to orgasm, he bit down hard on the bonding mark and Eren screamed his name as he came again.

Somehow they'd made it back to the bed and Eren had taken up the champagne again. Levi loved watching Eren ride him, the omega so desperate for his own release, he was completely blind to all the noises he was making. This side of Eren was completely his and when his boyfriend came again, he caught him as he slumped forward. Eren immediately moved to nuzzle his neck and Levi didn't think twice before offering it to Eren. The alpha came again as Eren's teeth broke the skin, and a feral snarl rolled out his throat. It was like nothing he'd ever known. No party drug came close to this high, and he felt like he couldn't stop cuming. This living, breathing Wolfblood called Eren was his forever.

Levi couldn't stop himself. Even when Eren had collapsed and shifted into a wolf from sheer exhaustion, Levi had merely shifted and mounted him like that. He wanted all of Eren for himself and his alpha wouldn't be satisfied with anything else.


	56. Chapter 56

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mini update is small...
> 
> I'm on school holidays now, and 500kms north of home! Don't worry, it won't affect my update schedule toooooo much.

Waking up to find Eren's side of the bed empty, Levi was impressed that his omega could even move. He might have slightly over done it last night... and most of the small hours of the morning. As it was, he wanted nothing more than to fall back to sleep, but Armin had just called to ask if they were going to school today. He'd packed there uniforms with full intention of going... but then Eren had marked him and he'd lost control completely. The throbbing sensation in his neck left him feeling warm and a kind of peaceful satisfaction had set in. Eren was his forever now. Sitting up, he eyed the room with a smirk, Eren's cum had dried to the window and their clothes were all over the place. His omega would probably freak out once he saw, but Levi just felt so damn happy. Sliding from the bed, the alpha padded over to the fridge and grabbed the strawberries out. 

Heading into the bathroom, Levi eyed Eren in the bathtub. The bubbles told him his love hadn't been in the tub long, but Eren was snoring softly and looked so peaceful. Moving to sit on the floor next to the bathtub, he pressed a kiss to his boyfriends forehead, causing Eren to shift   
"Hey beautiful"  
"Mmm... hey"  
"How are you feeling?"  
"My head hurts"  
So Eren was a total lightweight when it came to alcohol. He'd have to remember that  
"That would be because of the champagne. I know you probably don't want to eat, but I have the strawberries with me"  
Eren wrinkled his nose with a sigh  
"I know baby, but I'll feed you"  
His boyfriend sighed again, before opening his eyes. They were painfully red and Levi hoped that was from a lack of sleep rather than tears  
"I think I'll call Hannes and have him come get us. You're in no condition to go to school"  
"Levi..."  
"Whatever it is, it can wait baby. Now open wide"

He managed to get Eren to eat most of the strawberries, but his boyfriend... his mate... was just too tired  
"How about we get you out and dried off, you can nap until Hannes gets here"  
Eren nodded with a yawn, and Levi placed the bowl down before moving to grab a towel. When Eren tried to stand, he let out a long whine, so Levi lifted him from the tub and into his arms  
"Does it hurt?"  
Confused by the way Eren's eyes had suddenly filled with tears, it took him a moment to realise he meant the bonding mark  
"No princess... are you alright with me having your bond?"  
"No... yes... I wasn't ready, but I guess I'll have to be now"  
Eren was being so brave. Levi knew he probably should have gently rejected Eren last night, but the mood had been so good and his mate so happy  
"I'm proud of it. I'm proud of you. I'm proud of our boys..."  
Wrapping the towel around Eren the best he could, he carried his boyfriend out and sat him down on the small sofa in the room, before taking his mates face into his hands   
"You're my mate baby. Mine and mine alone. I'm so happy to have you and I know you weren't ready and it just kind of happened, but no matter what, we'll face everything together"  
He sealed his words with a gentle kiss  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yeah Eren. I'm sure"  
Letting Eren's face go, he took the towel and began to wipe Eren down gently. His boyfriend was covered in love bites, bruises and even scratches... he really had given into his beastial side last night   
"Does it hurt?"  
"A little..."  
"I'm so sorry"  
"It's alright, but... um"  
Eren blushed slightly and Levi raised a brow in confusion   
"What is it?"  
"Can we... you know... not have sex for a while. Like until I go into heat... that whole area hurts"  
"Shit. I didn't mean to over do it"  
"No. No. It was good... so good that I think I came too much... it's kind of numb and tight..."  
Eren bit his lip and looked away, and sliding his hand over his boyfriends lower belly, he found it rather hard as if the muscles had cramped   
"Sure princess. When we get home, you can take another bath, and maybe some panadol or something for the pain. I don't have anything with me"  
"Thank you"  
"You don't need to thank me, you're my mate. I'd do anything for you, even before we bonded completely, I'd do anything for you"  
"I... I know. My omega feels so happy, but I feel so scared"  
"I know baby. You're being really brave"  
"It's not that I didn't want to mark you... I just wasn't ready"  
Eren sniffled sadly and Levi moved to wrap his arms around him  
"I know. I know. I should have pushed you away, but you were just so happy and the mood felt so right. I love you"  
Eren nodded against him, before practically whispering in his ear  
"Last night was so perfect. Thank you"  
"It was, wasn't it. Dave says thanks"  
"Levi..."  
"Yes him too..."  
Eren sniffled and wiped at his face  
"3 men in one night..."  
"I don't know if it counts when they're all in the same body"  
"Even if that bodies really sexy"  
His omega offered him a small smile   
"I'm going to call Hannes and take a shower. Do you want some clothes?"  
"They seek like too much effort"  
"Okay, I'll help you dress when I get back"  
Given that he'd packed school clothes for today, he'd have to find Eren's jeans as well as the dress from last night. He hoped the dress had survived, but he hadn't been exactly gentle.

Retrieving his phone, he ignored the long list of notifications. He'd place money on them all being over that photo of Eren last night. But as tempting as it was to ready his friends comments, he instead opened up his contacts and thumbed through to Hannes, before walking over to the bathroom and closing the door behind him  
"You're awake early"  
Snorting lightly, Levi stared at the bonding mark on his neck  
"Who said I'd been to sleep?"  
"Touché. What's up? Everything alright?"  
"More than alright. Eren gave me his mark last night"  
"Oh?"  
Hannes was clearly confused and slightly shocked. The way he'd said "oh" had made that abundantly clear  
"Yep. So we kind of had a big night"  
"And let me guess, you need a pick up?"  
"Yes please. We're at the Royal Rose hotel"  
"You're luck I'm in Trost myself. I'll be there in a bit"  
"I don't think I want to know why you're in Trost, but thanks... Eren can't really walk"  
"I didn't need to know that. See you soon Levi"  
"Bye Hannes"

 

*  
Having showered and dressed, Levi was then left to wake Eren up again and get him into his jeans and the dress from the night before. Luckily he hadn't torn it like he'd suspected and Eren looked every bit as irresistible in at as he did the night before  
"Hannes says he'll be here soon"  
Eren yawned and nodded  
"Do you mind if we pick the kids up on the way home?"  
"Sure, is it weird I miss them?"  
"No, I miss them too. I wanna go home and have cuddles and nap"  
"Then that's what we shall do. How's your head?"  
"Sore. I think I like champagne, but I don't think it likes me back"  
"You did finish the bottle, so I'd say you like it. Maybe next time we should space it out"  
"I don't know if there's going to be a next time... I don't want to become like my dad"  
"You won't. I promise it. I was thinking more along the lines of having a few drinks to celebrate your 18th"  
Eren groaned  
"I'm getting so old"  
"Don't worry, I'll love you no matter how old we get"  
"I feel like you're going to be one of those old horny granddads"  
"Yep, but only for you. We'll be having sex still in our 80's"  
"I love your confidence, but just thinking about sex hurts"  
"I'm going to take that as a compliment. Let me just grab our stuff and we can go"  
"Mmm, thanks. I feel bad for the cleaners though"  
"Nah, it could be worse. Some people have some pretty weird fetishes after all"  
Eren nodded while yawning again. There was no way his omega was walking anywhere today. So it was a good thing Levi was more than happy to carry him around.

Hannes was waiting for them at the front desk, the woman smiled as he passed back their key  
"Your father's already taken care of the bill. Thank you for staying with us"  
"Father?"  
"Well I am Eren's legal guardian, and he's the closest thing I've ever had to having a kid"  
His omega mumbled something against his shoulder, but neither Hannes or Levi could figure out what. Readjusting his old on Eren, Levi took the receipt off the counter. $200 for dinner... Eren didn't need to see that...

"So you two had a good night?"  
"Yeah, everyone was staring at Eren, he looked stunning"  
"I saw the photo on Facebook"  
"Yep, I've got pretty good taste, if I do say so myself"  
Hannes opened the lobby door so Levi could carry Eren out and into the fresh air. His boyfriend wriggled and let out a groan  
"Hey, it's alright. We've got a little way to the car"  
"I feel sick"  
"Like vomity sick?"  
Eren nodded against him  
"What's up?"  
"He's slightly hung over. He drained like five sixths of a bottle of champagne"  
"So he's a light weight?"  
"Yeah. He'd had some strawberries, but don't be surprised if we have to pull over on the way home"  
"Oh, to be young"  
"He had a good night, that's the main thing"  
"Levi?"  
"Mmm?"  
"Did you save my rose?"  
"I did. I didn't know if you'd still want it"  
"I do"  
"Well, it's in that pink bag"  
"Thankyou. Armin threw out your flowers before, but I wanted to keep them"  
It took him a moment to realise he meant at the hospital  
"That's alright princess. When I have a job, I'll buy you so many flowers you'll be sick of them"  
Eren let out an adorable let hum of agreement and they continued to where Hannes had parked the big blue ute. It took both of them to get Eren in, and the omega immediately slumped against the door. His boyfriend looked pale, but he wasn't warm so that was something. Pulling Eren against him, Levi gently toyed with his boyfriends hair  
"Levi, I really love you"  
"I know baby"

They had to stop once on the way home, Eren had started trembling in his arms and Levi seemed to know what was about to happen. With one arm around Eren's waist, and his free hand holding the door open, he awkwardly supported his mate as he threw up. Hannes didn't even bat an eyelid, the man merely lit a cigarette and waited until Eren was done  
"We good?"  
"Yep"  
Pulling Eren back up against him, it was a stretch, but he managed to get the door closed again, his boyfriend mumbled tiredly   
"Best alpha ever"  
Snorting lightly, Levi pressed a kiss to Eren's temple  
"Only for you"

After there unplanned stop, Eren fell back to sleep against him, and Levi couldn't stop smiling  
"So how does it feel to have his mark?"  
"He was worried about it this morning, but I think he's alright about it now. My alpha couldn't be prouder, and I couldn't be either"  
"You know if you two do fight now, he's going to be twice as hurt by it. The bond amplifies what each of you are feeling"  
"Then I'll have to do my very best not to hurt him"  
"Good. He's been hurt enough in his life"  
"I know. Hannes, I probably don't say this enough, but thank you so much for everything you do for us"  
"Don't go getting sentimental, you'll make this old fool cry"  
"We wouldn't want that, but it's true. You look after Eren as if he was your own son and you even accepted me... I never knew my father, but your the closet thing I've ever had..."  
He didn't know where he was going, but Hannes seemed to get it  
"You're welcome. Truthfully, I didn't know how lonely I was before I moved in with you guys. It's gonna be hard to go back"  
"You don't have to go. Eren wants to wait to have kids, and there's that perfectly good room..."  
"He pretty much said the same thing, but I've got to leave one day"  
"We could build you a granny flat out the back"  
Hannes snorted  
"Well, that would make things easier I suppose. Don't worry, I don't intend to leave until after Eren turns 18"  
Levi nodded, he didn't have a response. Hannes was his own person after all.

Arriving in Shinganshima, the first thing they did was head over to the Arlert's and pick the boys up. Levi waited in the car with Eren, while Hannes went and collected them. The way the twins were acting, it was like they'd been away for a month, not just over night. Eli was the first one into the cab and Levi was crawled over in the boys persist to sit in Eren's lap  
"Mummy looks pretty"  
"He does, doesn't he?"  
Eren yawned and an arm came to snake around Eli's waist  
"Hey baby, did you have a good time?"  
"Yep! But I missed you mummy"  
"I missed you too"  
When Ren climbed in, Levi's lap was taken by him  
"Mum, are you sleepy?"  
"Just a little. Come here and give me a kiss"  
Ren leant over and kissed Eren   
"I missed you mum"  
"I missed you too baby. Hannes is going to take us home now, what do you say we have cuddles in bed?"  
"Ok"  
Unsure if that was a good "ok" or not, Levi wrapped his free arm around Ren  
"Do I get any love?"  
"Of course we missed you too daddy"  
Levi pressed a kiss to the boys dark locks as Hannes slid into the car  
"Can I get in on this love?"  
"I think I speak for the group when I say we all missed you Hannes"  
Hannes laughed at his words, or it might have been the looks the boys gave him. It was a kind of "how dare you interrupt our mum time"  
"Let's get back home, and Eren, I want you to drink a nice big glass of water for me when we do"  
"I don't think I can"  
"You feel shit because you're so dehydrated. It's either that, or I set you up with an IV"  
"I'll drink the water. I'm sick of needles"  
"That's what I thought"

Arriving home, Hannes got the boys out the way, before helping Eren get out do the cab. The omegas knees folded the moment his feet touched the ground and Hannes raised an eyebrow   
"You are allowed to show some self control"  
"I couldn't help it. Once he marked me, I kind of lost my mind"  
"Mhmm, just get down here and help lift him back up"  
Climbing down from the cab, Levi lifted Eren easily, his omega immediately nuzzled against his neck for comfort   
"It's alright princess, we're home now. Next stop is bed"  
Hannes rolled his eyes  
"Don't you think you've spent enough time in bed with him"  
"Hey, he wants cuddles with the boys and who said we did it in the bed"  
"Lalalalalala. I'm a teapot"  
Levi just shook his head, he didn't get the reference at all. 

With Hannes busy getting Eren some panadol and water, Levi was busy getting Eren out of his dress and jeans and into his pyjamas. The kids were putting their things "away", and changing into their own pyjamas  
"Here we go"  
Hannes's voice made him jump  
"You're like a ninja or something. Creeping around like that"  
"It's my secret old age skill. Here, there two panadol and a muscle relaxant. He looks like he needs it"  
"Well he did have his way with three lovers last night"  
Eren snorted and shook his head sleepily  
"Don't scare Hannes like that"  
"I don't think I need to know"  
"No, you don't. Now hand over the drugs"  
Eren downed them easily, before shuffling down I bed  
"Thanks Hannes"  
"It's alright. Shall I send the kids in?"  
"Yes please"  
"Ok. Have a good nap. I'll be next door if you need anything"  
Levi nodded as Eren's eyes were already closing. The moment both boys came in, they were all over Eren again and Levi was forced to curl around Eli so he could be included in the cuddles. He loved them all so much that it was scary.


	57. Chapter 57

When the start of March rolled round, so did some exciting news. Hannes had stopped by to pick up the mail on the way home, and Eren was gifted a beautiful white and silver envelope, sealed with Reiner's family crest. His hands were shaking as he slipped his finger into the top and gently pried it open and the house was soon deafened by his excited scream. Reiner and Bertholdt were getting married! Running to his bedroom, he threw him onto of Levi and his alpha laughed as he caught him  
"What's got you so happy?"  
"Reiner and Bertholdt are getting married!"  
"What? When?"  
Pulling back, Eren put on his poshest voice   
"You are invited:  
The families of Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover, would like you to join in the celebration of their marriage.  
The ceremony will be held at the historic Marley Church, on the 18th of June at 3.30pm.   
RSPV's are to be returned no later than the 18th of April."  
There was an RSPV card enclosed and another letter, which he'd completely missed in all his excitement  
"We'll have to get our passports all organised, and book the flights and the boys will need clothes!"  
"Eren, take a breath. Read the other page"  
"Nope, I'm going to call Reiner!"  
Scrambling off of Levi, Eren snatched his phone up and rushed to call Reiner   
"Eren! Long time now hear!"  
"Congratulations!!! Why didn't you tell me?!"  
Reiner laughed happily  
"I take it you got your invitation?"  
"I just opened it! I'm so happy for you! Is Bertholdt there? Can he hear me?"  
"No, he's in class at the moment"  
"Dammit! So you're getting married in Marley?"  
"Yep. We've already marked each other, and our lives are here now"  
"Whaaaa I'm so happy!"  
Flopping back on the bed, he let out another little squeal  
"I can tell, so you're definitely coming right?"  
"Hell yes! I wouldn't miss this for anything!"  
"Good, now, did you read the letter we sent with your invite?"  
"Nooooo, I'm just too happy!"  
"If you'd read it, you would have seen that Bertholdt wants you to be his maid of honour slash best man"  
"No way!"  
"Yep! So you better come up with a speech"  
"Are you sure? I mean, if I come I'll have the boys and Levi with me"  
"That's the idea. You're all invited"  
"The boys are going to be so excited, their two favourite soccer players getting married! And their birthday in another country"  
"We chose the date with that in mind and all your flights and accomodation will be paid for by us"  
"You don't have to do that"  
"Yes we do. It's thanks to you that we got together in the first place"  
Eren rolled over and Levi wrapped his arms around him, before leaning towards the phone   
"Hey Reiner, I think you've broken him. He let out a huge scream and now he's smiling like an idiot"  
Reiner laughed again  
"I don't want him too broken!"  
"I'll make sure he's not. Oh, Congrats!"  
"Thanks!"  
Wriggling Levi's hold, Eren felt like his heart was going to explode. He was just too happy  
"Eren?"  
"Sorry, I'm here. God. I'm just so happy"  
"Thank you, we are too. I've got to get to class, but I'll let Bertholdt know you called"  
"You better!"  
"I'll call you again once we have an idea about numbers and stuff"  
"You better not leave me hanging, I'm going to die if I don't get all the details"  
"We don't want that. Bye Eren"  
"Bye Reiner!"  
Hanging up on his friend, Eren turned and peppered kisses all over Levi's face  
"I love you!"  
"It's nice to see you so happy"  
"I'm beyond happy! And I'm gonna be Bertholdts best man... or maid of honour or something"  
"I know. I read the letter"  
"Shit, give it here. I wanna read it too!"  
Levi laughed as he passed it over  
"It's so nice to see you so happy"  
"It's wonderful to be this happy!"

Eren read and reread his letter. Basically it was what they'd just talked about, and that they wanted the boys and Levi to come. Clutching the letter to his chest, Eren sprung out of Levi's hold and off the bed  
"I need to tell Hannes"

Rushing from their room and into Hannes's, he threw his arms around the man and started jumping on the spot happily  
"Good news?"  
"The best! Reiner and Bertholdt are getting married!"  
"Oh wow"  
"Yep and we're going to Marley for it!"  
"You're going to Marley?"  
"He invited me and the boys and Levi! You have no idea how happy I am!"  
"I think I can tell. When's the date?"  
"June 18th"  
"Ooooh, very nice"  
"Yep! And I'm in the wedding party!"  
Hannes laughed lightly  
"I can see why you're so happy"  
"I aaaaaam! Oh my god! I'm going to have to get a dress, and the boys need suits and Levi needs a suit! And we needs to get our passports organised! Hannes!!!"  
Hannes hugged him tightly  
"I'm really happy for you, you've looked a little down the last couple of days"  
Eren sobered immediately   
"My heats late"  
"Oh, is that it. It's probably just your body coming off the suppressants"  
"So it's normal?"  
"It's not not normal"  
The brilliant smile reappeared on Eren's face  
"I'm so happy!"

 

*  
Despite his happiness, when his heat didn't come the following week, Eren was struggling with it. He was completely perplexed. He couldn't be pregnant, he'd been on contraceptives, but he couldn't figure out why. Hannes wasn't worried, but he was, and he wasn't going to be satisfied until he knew one way or another what was going on with his body. Given that the first thing they'd do if he went and saw a doctor was give him a pregnancy test, he picked one up on the way back to school from his counselling appointment. Dr Zoe was wonderful now that they were actually talking. The woman was insanely smart and just a little bit crazy. Instead of talking about anything important today, they'd just gossiped over Reiner and Bertholdt's wedding.

He was now hiding in the toilet at school, and staring down at the pregnancy test in his hand. He'd told himself he was stupid for worrying so much, but he'd still gone ahead and peed on it, and was counting down the seconds before the result showed. Hannes was probably right, the man usually was and he didn't feel sick. Not like he had with the boys. As if knowing he was in the middle of an internal debate, his phone began to ring and the test fell to the floor. Rushing to pick it up, he fumbled his phone out at the same time  
"Hey princess, you back at school yet?"  
"Yep. Just in the toilet. I'll meet you at the table for lunch?"  
"Sounds good. I love you"  
"I love you too"  
His heart was racing as he hung up. His omega side had settled since marking Levi, and he felt more in control of himself than he had in months. He couldn't be pregnant. He wasn't ready.

Turning the stick over in his hand, his stomach dropped and his eyes filled with tears. There was no mistaking the pink plus sign... maybe it was a mistake? It had to be. There was another test in the pack. All it was was a false positive. The medication lingering in his system must have fucked with the test... or maybe dropping it had. He shook as he took the second test. He wasn't pregnant. He couldn't be...

But once again the same pink plus sign came up. Fuck... no... he was supposed to be going to Marley! He was supposed to be in the "bridal" party... he couldn't do that if he was pregnant... stuffing the tests into the box, he scrunched it up and stuck it in the bottom of his bag. It couldn't be true... pulling himself up on shaky legs he flushed the toilet and straightened his uniform, before stumbling out the cubicle and over to the sink. He washed his hands as hard as he could, before scrubbing his face. He wasn't. It was all a mistake.

Struggling hard to be normal, his mind was racing as he took his seat at the groups table  
"Eren! I need you!"  
Letting out a shaky breath, he ignored Levi's look of concern and looked down the table to Sasha  
"Why?"  
"I might have signed the cheer group up for the Easter Talent Show"  
Oh fuck no. He couldn't do this today  
"No..."  
"You don't even know what I'm going to say"  
"I don't want to know. I'm not doing it"  
"Pleeeeeease! Armin said you can sing"  
Eren glared at Armin, and his friend seemed genuinely shocked over it  
"You can sort of"  
"No, I really can't"  
"But"  
"Goddamn it! I said no and I fucking mean it. Fuck this. I'm going home"  
Sliding off the bench, he grabbed his bag back up  
"Eren, come back!"  
"No! You never fucking think so you Sasha!"  
Connie leapt to his feet  
"You don't need to talk to her like that"  
"Shut up Connie. We both know she doesn't"  
Stalking away, he felt like shit. He'd snapped so badly, and Sasha had no idea. Fleeing from the cafeteria, he began to jog as he moved down the hall. He could feel Levi behind him, but he couldn't look at the alpha right now. What the hell were they going to do? The boys didn't want a sibling... or two... what if it was triplets... staggering as his steps faltered, he would have fallen if Levi hadn't caught him  
"Hey, what's going on with you?"  
"N-nothing... just stuff"  
"From counselling?"  
"Something like that. Fuck. I shouldn't have snapped at Sasha like that"  
"I would have too if she'd volunteered me to sing in front of the school"  
"Levi, I can't even sing. She knows that"  
"Maybe you can lip sink?"  
Levi was trying to cheer him up, but his mind was just on the fact that he may very well be pregnant. He wasn't ready for this and very much not ok with it  
"Sorry, I'm not making things better am I?"  
"No. My heads just a mess... I think I might go get the boys"  
"Ok. It's not like we have anything important that we'll miss"  
"You don't have to..."  
"My happy omega looks like all he wants to do is cry. I need to cheer you back up"  
Eren sniffled and wrapped his arms around his alpha  
"Yeah. We should do something fun"  
And something to take his mind off everything. If he was pregnant, he wasn't going to be able to give the boys the attention they needed...  
"Do you remember what I said about taking the boys to the shelter?"  
"You want to get them a cat?"  
"Yeah. I've been so happy lately, I don't want to feel sad again and they're going to be so excited"  
Levi could tell he was changing topics, but didn't push it  
"You want to go right now?"  
"Yeah... can we?"  
"Anything you want princess"

Having picked up the twins, Eren found his hand slipping to his stomach. He really needed Hannes right now, Hannes would tell him he was just over reacting and calm him back down  
"Mum, where are we going?"  
"You'll need to ask daddy, he's the one who's supposed to giving me directions"  
"Sorry, daddy got distracted"  
It took a few seconds before Levi's GPS finally start talking to them. The boys were both excited and then incredibly confused as Eren pulled into the shelters car park  
"Mum? What are doing here?"  
"You'll see in a second. Levi, you've got your ID and that right?"  
"Yep. Should I grab your wallet?"  
"No! No, I'll get it"  
3 pairs of shocked eyes looked at him. The receipt for the test was in his bag, and he didn't want Levi finding it until he can knew one way or another. Levi passed him his bag and he turned away from his family as he fished up his wallet

Walking into the shelter, all sorts of pet accessories were on display. It figured that they wouldn't make that much from selling pets, and people probably wanted spoil their new family members  
"Mumma? Are we getting a cat?"  
"We are, come on, let's go talk to the woman at the counter"  
Ren ran over to the woman, the young girl smiled happily down at him as he proudly exclaimed  
"We're getting a cat!"  
"Are you now! Well, you've come to the right place"  
Eren lifted Ren from behind and too his hip   
"So you're looking to adopt"  
"Yeah"  
"Good, good and you're over 18?"  
"That would be my alpha"  
"Awesome. I'll get you the paper work, and then we'll go meet the fur babies we have in at the moment. Is there any particular age you're looking for?"  
"No, but I think I would prefer an older cat. But we are Wolfblood..."  
"Oh, we expose all the cats that come into Wolfblood scents. There are some who don't mind, and some who do"  
"Yeah I had that feeling, that's why I wanted to let you know first"  
"Mum we are getting a cat"  
Ren stated it as if it was up for debate. The woman just laughed   
"Would you like to come look at them all?"  
Ren nodded quickly  
"Come on Eli, we need to choose a kitty"  
Levi lifted Eli up  
"You alright? You're being quiet"  
"I... I want a cat too"  
His sons lip trembled as if he honestly thought he wasn't going to get a say in this. It was adorable, turning to look at Eli properly, Eren smiled softly  
"It's alright, we were always going to let you choose a kitty too"  
"Really?"  
"Yeah. We can't have one kitty, they might get lonely"  
"I don't want the kitty to be lonely"  
"Well, then. Let's head on through. Oh, where are my manners. I'm Mina"  
"I'm Eren, this ones Ren. My alpha's Levi and he's holding Eli"  
"Such cute boys. Now, I need to give you the talk as we walk"

The talk was the usual pets are for life, not just for gifts. Eren nodded as Mina talked, he explained that's why they'd opted to come to a shelter instead of just getting a kitten. These seemed to be the magic words as Mina smiled happily and pushed open the doors to a room lined both sides with cages. Ren immediately began to squirm, so Eren lowered him down  
"Now, you can't be too loud and you can't run around. We don't want to scare the kitties"  
Ren nodded, but his attention was on all the cats. It was so sad that so many animals ended up abandoned here. Following his lead, Levi placed Eli down and moved to his side   
"I think Ren's in heaven"  
"So do I. I wish we could give them all a loving home"  
"Yeah, I know you do"  
When Levi took his hand, Eren had to fight the urge to pull it back. The words "I might be pregnant" were on the very tip of his tongue, but this wasn't the time or the place. Mina stayed where she was, and Eren began to wander the cages. Some had names displayed and small descriptions. He snorted at the white cat named Artemis, apparently he screamed until he got fed, and liked to sleep on your face.

"Mum! Come here!"  
Ren had his fingers through the cage and a rumbling purr could be heard as they got closer  
"I think he likes me"  
It seemed that way from his the massive Maine Coon was head butting Ren's fingers for more pats  
"Oh, I think Captain does too. Would you like to meet him properly?"  
Ren nodded quickly and pulled his finger back, causing Captain to let out a disgusted meow. Mina pulled out the fat tom like it was nothing and Ren was super careful as he took him into his hold. The cat immediately heat butted rubbed against Ren's chin, purring loudly as he drooled  
"I think we'll be taking him"  
"Ok, so Captain is a Maine Coon, he's about 6 years old, so he still had plenty of life in him. Given his long hair, he will need regular grooming and he gets upset when he's left alone"  
Eren nodded slowly  
"Is it to ask why he was surrendered?"  
"His previous owners died"  
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that"  
"He was surrendered about 3 months ago, but usually shies away from people, that's why he's still with us"  
"Mum, we can get him right?"  
"Yeah baby. I assume he's vet checked?"  
"Yep. That's all covered in the adoption price. He's also microchipped, flead and wormed"  
"Levi, maybe you want to stay with Ren and Cap here?"  
Eli seemed to have found a cat he was interested in, and Eren didn't want him feeling left out.

Eli was squatted down in front of cage that was labeled Titan. The cat inside was staring at his son and Eli was staring back  
"Do you like Titan?"  
"He keeps staring at me"  
Sliding his fingers into the cage, the cat moved to rub against them  
"Here, why don't you pat him?"  
Eli nodded and moved to kneel, before slowly reaching into the cage. Titan took a moment, before moving to lick at Eli's fingers. His son giggled happily   
"Hey Mina, do you think Titan and Captain will get along?"  
"Why don't we find out"  
Mina came over and opened the cage, before pulling the silky grey cat out and cradling him in her arms. She moved carefully towards Captain, but Captain couldn't care less  
"I think they'll be alright. Most of the shelter cats seem to know how lucky they are to be getting a second chance"  
"And his old owners?"  
"They moved out the country"  
At least they didn't die  
"I think we found our two new fur babies"  
"Eli, would you like to hold Titan?"  
Eli nodded and Mina passed Titan down to him. The boy giggled before nuzzling against Titans face   
"Do you have cat carriers with you?"  
"No. We need to buy them, and we'd love any advice you can give us on brushes and treatments"  
Mina nodded  
"We'll, just take them through to the examination room. The vet nurse will update the chip details"  
"I'll stay with the cats, you can take the boys to pick out what they like"  
Eren nodded, grateful for the few moments of breathing space.

Titan and Captain both seemed to dislike the cat carriers, but that seemed to be because that meant no more pats. The boys had posed with the two toms, and were all smiles as their Polaroids were added to the wall of happy adoptees. Eren found himself feeling marginally happier as the boys gushed to each other about their cats and how theirs was so much better. Including adoption fees, beds, brushes, bowls, collars, toys, foods, cat litter, litter trays and the carriers, it was nearly $400. But it was so worth it. The vet nurse had told Levi that Captain was scheduled to be put to sleep if he hadn't been adopted by the end of the month. Eren couldn't help the tears that had formed. None of these animals asked to be born. They didn't deserve to be put to sleep just for existing. 

Having carried everything out to the ute, it soon became clear that the carriers weren't going to fit in the cab. That's how they ended up with two cats exploring the cab as Eren drove home. Captain seemed happy enough to settle in Ren's lap, but Titan had settled in Eren's and rubbed against his belly, as if he knew Eren's not so small secret. 

Both cats were over the car ride by the time they got home. Levi had a firm hold on the boys and cats as Eren slid out the cab and closed the door. The plan was to get the cats back into the carriers. The last thing they needed was two escapees. When Ren had to put Captain into the carrier, the small boy started to cry. He apologised to "Mr Kitty", and promised he'd see him again really soon. Eli, had already carried Titan over to the front door, and was practicality pounding on it, until Hannes finally appeared and opened the door, clearly confused   
"Eren, what's this?"  
"In a minute!"  
Taking the carrier from the seat, Eren lifted it out the ute and carried it over to the door  
"We got cats"  
"I can see that"  
"And I need to talk to you"  
Hannes scrunched his brow  
"Is it related to why we suddenly have new family members?"  
"Directly"  
"Ok. Gimme a minute and we'll go for a drive"  
"You read my mind"

With everything inside and Levi setting up stuff for the cats, Eren moved to squat down by the alpha  
"I'll be back soon"  
"Ok. Everything alright?"  
"Yeah. Hannes just needs a hand"  
"Ok, be safe. I love you"  
"I think you're the one in danger"  
"Of being ignored. They both look so happy"  
"That's because they are. Be back soon"

 

*  
With Hannes behind the driver's wheel, Eren was digging through his bag  
"Do you want to just tell me?"  
"Hold on"  
"At least tell me where we are going"  
"To the hospital"  
"Why the hospital"  
"Just hold on"  
Finally hooking the box, he uncrumpled it and pulled out the two tests, making sure they both still showed the two pink pluses. Holding them out in front of Hannes, the man swerved suddenly and came to an abrupt stop  
"Eren..."  
"I took them today..."  
"Are you serious?"  
"I am... it's some kind of mistake right? Affected by the suppressants"  
He sounded so damn hopeful  
"Possibly..."  
What Hannes meant however, was, more than likely not  
"I can see why you want to get tested properly"  
"Yeah... Hannes. I don't think I'm ready for this. No. I'm know I'm not ready for this. I didn't want to mark Levi, but now I have. I didn't want to get pregnant so soon... but..."  
He sniffled sadly and Hannes moved to awkwardly hug him  
"We'll do an ultrasound first. See how everything looks"  
"Does that mean you think...?"  
"No... but if you are, I want to see them"  
Eren snorted  
"Or you could just be normal and do a blood test"  
"Ultrasounds are more fun"  
"Maybe for you, I have to drink so much water. God. No. I don't want an ultrasound"  
"It's fine, we'll give you an internal exam"  
"Hannes..."  
The man pulled back with a grin  
"I don't think I like that smile"  
"Trust me. What could go wrong?"

After kicking the nurse out the room, Hannes pulled Eren in as if this was some kind of secret mission  
"Right. Pants off and on the bed"  
Eren scowled at the man  
"Fine. Pants and underwear off, and then please lay down on the bed"  
"Can I at least have something so my junks not hanging out"  
"Want, want, want"  
Hannes moved over the cupboard in the corner and pulled out a blanket   
"Better?"  
"Much"  
While Hannes fiddled with the machine, Eren shook. He stripped his pants off, and his shoes, and then felt like an idiot so his socks had to come off too. Climbing onto the bed, he tried to get comfortable   
"Chuck a pillow under your hips for me"  
Letting out a sigh, Eren did as he was told, before shyly spreading his legs and moving his junk out the way. Hannes might have seen it all before, but it didn't make it any less awkward. There was a mischievously glint in the man's eyes as he held up the long white wand  
"You want to put that..."  
"Up there! Yep. But it's alright, I'll use a condom"  
"Bit late for that isn't it?"  
Hannes snorted.

It took the man 3 attempts to get the condom on the wand without breaking it  
"Don't worry, it doesn't usually take me this many attempts"  
"Ewwww. I don't need to think about it"  
"Sure you do. Now. Relax for me"  
The lube was cold and it hurt slightly as Hannes pushed the wand slowly in. Once inside the wand was unwelcomingly stimulating, Eren couldn't stop the blush that formed as his body responded  
"It could be worse. This could be a prostate exam"  
"Hannes. Not helping"  
The man laughed and looked to the screen. It took a moment for the image to make sense, but there was a tiny black dot  
"Is that?"  
"Yep. I'd say 5 weeks, but I'm no expert"  
"So that means the start of February?"  
"Yeah..."  
"Fuck..."  
Hannes slowly withdrew the wand and Eren curled up around his knees   
"Eren, are you alright? I know this wasn't the news you wanted"  
"I... no... but it's the same as the twins. I want it... but the timing"  
"Well, at least you know now"  
"Yeah. Hey, since when are you so good at ultrasounds?"  
"We had a farmer bring his goat in last week..."  
"You practiced on a goat"  
"It's not like we have a handy vet"  
"Don't tell me you stuck that up a goat"  
"Of course not. That was the other machine"  
"Ew. Ok. Definitely going to make all my appointments in Trost"  
Despite their banter, Eren was struggling not to fall apart. He managed to keep it together until Hannes wrapped his arms around him  
"What am I going to do?"  
"Push a baby out?"  
"But the wedding! I'll have to call and tell them I can't come... oh god! Please don't tell anyone. Maybe I don't even have to tell them. Please Hannes!"  
"Most people don't usually tell people until 12 weeks"  
"I... I think I'll wait to tell Levi..."  
"Alright, but you should probably tell him when your morning sickness starts"  
"I don't want to throw up!"  
Hannes snorted, Eren's small exclamations made him sound like one of the twins on a bad day, worrying over the smallest things  
"If it gets too bad, we can get you anti-nausea pills"  
"Mum got me them with the twins... they made all the symptoms go away"  
"I'll take a look and see if I can see what they were. They should be in your medical records"  
Eren nodded as pulled back  
"Th-thank you Hannes..."  
"It's ok. Why don't you get dressed again and I'll take you back home"  
Sniffling and nodding Eren wiped at his face. The two things he'd most wanted to delay, had happened in the space of a month... the boys were going to be so upset, Levi would probably be over the moon, but Levi had no idea how much care a newborn needed.

Having succeeded in dressing himself, Eren was forcing himself to calm down. He was pregnant and he couldn't stress out. He didn't want to lose the child now he knew it existed, but he was just so scared of what the future would bring.

 

*  
At home with the boys and the cats, Levi was laying on the floor, while Ren sat next to him. Cap... Mr Kitty was laying next to Ren, pawing lazily at the cat toy Ren was jiggling  
"I can't believe mum let us get kitties! We've wanted kitties forever!"  
"We know you have, and with how happy mums been, he said he wanted you guys to be just as happy"  
"We are!"  
Eli's voice joined in on the conversation. He was sitting on the sofa with Titan, hugging the cat up against him like it was a soft toy. Titan didn't even seem to care, and Levi could easily imagine the two cats getting fat and lazing around the house. They were going to get so much love, especially over the next month. The woman from the shelter had said to keep them inside, and Levi didn't particularly want two crying boys because the cats had escaped. Sliding his phone closer to him, he opened the camera and tried to get a photo of Captain. The cat flipped its take and gave him a look of clear annoyance  
"I don't think he likes the camera"  
Ren lifted the big tom into his lap  
"That's because you're annoying him"  
The boy then nuzzled against Captains head pressed kisses to his fur. Changing tactic Levi swapped to filming. He couldn't help himself, Ren and Captain were acting like they'd known each other their whole lives and it was adorable. Sitting up, he turned his attention to Eli and Titan. The cat seemed content as Eli sat with it along his chest while watching the cartoon on TV, when he caught Levi filming, he used Titans front paw to wave at the camera. This was definitely going on Facebook.

When the sound of tyres crunching on the gravel reached them, both cats took off, leaving two boys to chase after them  
"Guys, don't chase the cats!"  
His words fell on deaf ears and Levi climbed up from floor, before flopping down on the sofa. The moment the front door opened he could smell Eren. His omega smelt upset and a small growl escaped.

"Settle down Levi, everything's ok!"  
Hannes laughed as he came into the room, with Eren trailing behind him. Reaching out, he snagged his boyfriends arm and pulled him over  
"Hey you. You were gone forever"  
"It wasn't forever"  
Eren had clearly been crying, and Levi's alpha was instantly on overdrive. Pulling Eren closer, he gave his mate no other choice but to sit in his lap  
"Are you ok? You smell upset?"  
"Oh, what. No, I'm fine. It's just Hannes's bad sense of humour. It's so bad I thought I was going to have to jump out of the car"  
"Worse than Dave?"  
"In a whole other category. Where's the boys and the cats?"  
"Cats spooked when they heard the tyres, so the boys chased after them"  
"And everything was alright with them?"  
"Yep. Captain had officially been renamed Mr Kitty"  
Hannes snorted  
"That sounds about right. If they end up in my room, I'm kicking them out"  
"He says this, but I bet he'll be wanting secret kitty cuddles when we're all out"  
"You'll never know! Mwahahaha!"  
Eren nodded and let out a sigh  
"I suppose I should start dinner. What do you guys feel like?"  
Both teens looked to Hannes and Hannes just shrugged  
"I'm easy"  
"We know"  
"Fine, if you're going to be like that, I'll have roast pork chops, stuffed potatoes, peas, and carrots"  
Before they couple reply, Hannes continued down the hall and a few seconds later there was the sound of the door closing   
"Is he serious? I can never really tell?"  
"Neither can I. But it's been ages since we had pork. I'm going to need to do a trip to town though"  
"Let me come with you? I can carry the basket and keep my mouth shut like a good little alpha"  
Eren groaned as he slid off Levi's lap  
"I'll believe it when I see it"

With the mission into town to buy pork chops complete. Levi was back on the sofa though this time he had the boys sitting on his laps. Both cats were hiding in the twins room, and both boys were pretty sad about it  
"Muuuum, why won't they come out?"  
Ren had asked Eren the same question 5 times in a row now   
"Because they need time to adjust to their new surroundings"  
"But I want to pat my kitty!"  
"I know baby"  
The sound of china breaking made all three jump  
"Eren?"  
"I'm fine. The plate slipped"  
"Do you want me to get the vacuum?"  
"I'll do it"  
"It's no problem"  
"I said I'd do it. Back off"  
Levi frowned as he looked towards his mate, Eren was leaning on the bench with his face hidden against his arm  
"Ok boy, hop off, I need to get the vacuum cleaner"  
"Dad, is mum ok?"  
"Yeah, he's just had a long day"  
Walking into the laundry, Levi retrieved the vacuum cleaner and carried it out to the kitchen  
"Eren, do you wanna pick up the big pieces then I'll vacuum up the small?"  
Eren nodded and looked up at him  
"Sorry. I'm just tired"  
"It's ok. How about after dinner, you take a nice hot bath?"  
"Yeah. Maybe"  
Picking up the pieces of the plate weren't without incident. Eren sliced his hand and Levi couldn't help but worry about how absent minded the omega seemed to be. Maybe it had something to with counselling? The whole cat thing had been pretty sudden too...  
"Go see Hannes, I'll finish here"  
"It's fine"  
"If you're bleeding, it's not fine"  
"It's just a scratch"  
"Eren..."  
"No. It's fine. Just go wait while I clean this up"  
"It's not fine"  
Eren was practically pleading for him to go away, but there was no way he was leaving Eren with his hand bleeding and alone when he seemed to need him so badly. Reaching out to take the pieces Eren had collected, his mate jumped and shifted away  
"Hey, what's going on with you?"  
"It's nothing. I'm going to see Hannes"  
Eren fled from the kitchen and Levi groaned. Yep, something was up.

Hannes and Eren reemerged as Levi was turning the pork chops over and checking the potatoes   
"What's the prognosis?"  
"Simple cut, he'll be just fine. What about dinner?"  
"Dead. Not even a good vet can save it now"  
"Just how I like it. Have the twins washed their hands yet?"  
"Nope, and the peas and carrots need a little longer"  
"Ok. Eren, your on sitting duty for tonight. You're jobs to sit and not throw poor innocent plates on the floor"  
"It wasn't my fault. He jumped!"  
"Likely story. Boys, come on, hand washing time!"  
Both twins grumbled as they clambered off the sofa and Levi closed the oven, before looking to Eren   
"Sorry about before"  
"No, it's alright. It's my bad"  
Ignoring Hannes's orders, Eren rose and padded into the kitchen, before wrapping his arms around Levi and kissing him gently  
"I'm sorry"  
"I don't like fighting, but this kissing thing I do like"  
Eren moved to kiss him again, this time the kiss was long and deep and when he pulled back, the omega was blushing slightly  
"Mmm... I'm so lucky to have you"  
"I'm the lucky one... I know we haven't been having sex, but tonight's alright isn't it"  
Eren was actually asking. If no one was home, he would have whisked his omega straight off to bed  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yeah... I really need you inside of me"  
Swallowing hard, Levi nodded  
"I can do that"  
"Good"  
Their moment was ruined by the return of Hannes and the boys. Eren pulled away, and returned to sit at the table as if nothing had happened, so Levi was left to serve up dinner alone. 

With the twins in bed, and both cats with them, Levi crept out the room with a sigh. He'd had to read an extra story for the two fat felines and he felt like they'd been secretly laughing at him. Heading into the bedroom, he closed the door and began to strip  
"You took forever"  
"I had to read an extra story for the cats"  
"They really seem to love them"  
"Yeah, it's like they've had them all their lives. I just hope it stays that way"  
Stripping off his underwear, Levi moved to his side of the bed and slid under the covers. Almost immediately Eren slid up and straddled his lap, his omega was already wet and his mate was devouring his mouth in a hungry kiss before his brain could catch up. Eren's moods had been all over the place today, and maybe it was just from a lack of sex and he was feeling pent up. He moaned into Eren's mouth as the omega ground down against him  
"Mmmm... alpha, I need you"  
Eren was on him the moment his erection had thickened. The omega seemed completely unashamed as he fucked himself openly and Levi could only hold onto the omegas hips as he moved. His mates form was stunning, everything about Eren was, and he was so proud that this sight was his alone. Sliding his hands up Eren's hips slightly, his boyfriend leant in and pressed small kisses to his lips between mews and moans  
"I need your knot"  
Levi didn't need telling twice, he was already painfully close and as his fingers gripped Eren harder, his boyfriend increased his pace until he had to cum. Eren let out a breathy moan as hot semen splattered against Levi's chest, and the omega immediately moved to nuzzle his neck   
"My alpha... so good to me"  
Despite being firmly knotted, Eren continued to try and grind against him, and Levi's alpha was practically exploding with pride that his omega wanted even more from him  
"My perfect omega"  
Sliding his hand down, he toyed with Eren's spent erection, causing his boyfriend to tighten further around him  
"Levi..."  
"Shhhh, just let me take care of you"  
Jerking and toying with Eren until he was hard again, Levi rocked his hips lightly as Eren mewed at everything he did. It'd been just under a month since Valentine's Day, and Eren hadn't really been up for anything sexual that first week. In fact, it'd taken Eren 3 days before he was up and moving around normally again. So Levi hadn't pushed for anything, not wanting to risk hurting his love like that again. As Eren started to pant, Levi backed off, causing his mate to whimper  
"Shhh, it's ok, I want to cum with you again"  
It was like after they'd bonded, they could physically feel traces of each other's emotions. Eren was a whirlwind of confusion and Levi wanted to be the calming breeze after the storm. He toyed with Eren's slit until he could move inside Eren again, and soon brought them both to climax. Eren collapsed again him, and Levi immediately grabbed the blankets and pulled them up. He nuzzled at the side of Eren's face and peppered kisses to the his temple  
"Better?"  
"Yeah. I needed that"  
"I think we both did"  
"Levi, can I stay like this?"  
"You want to sleep on me?"  
"Yeah. You feel safe"  
"You don't feel safe?"  
"I feel scared about the future"  
"It's all going to be alright, and of course you can stay like this"  
"Thank you"  
Eren nuzzled against his neck and let out a breathy yawn  
"Get some sleep baby"  
"Mmm, I love you"  
"I love you too"


	58. Chapter 58

Morning sickness was a bitch. A cruel bitch with her legs spread wide. He fucking hated it and it seemed to have a particular hatred for him. It was like the moment he his 6 weeks, bam! That was it! Whether he liked it or not he was going to be throwing his guts up with no particular warning and the first time had been particularly nasty. Rather than trying to deal with his feelings, he'd lost himself in bouts of morning sex with Levi. Everything had been going so well, until the alpha slid inside of him, and Eren promptly vomited across his chest. Yeah. Fuck morning sickness.

He was now 7 and a bit weeks, and sitting at school with his friends. Hannes had given him something to help, but they hadn't worked as well as the ones him mum had given him and he was constantly paranoid that he was going to puke in front of them all  
"Eren? Are you listening?"  
Shaking his head, he looked to Sasha   
"Nope. What's up?"  
"I was asking you if you'd been practicing"  
Oh that. As an apology to Sasha, he'd agreed to sing at the school talent show, but only if she did too. His friend had been pretty understanding when he explained he was just having bad morning and that he never should have talked to her like that. They'd hugged it out and then she'd launched into full detail about what she had planned for the talent show. They were doing a cabaret number and singing all that Jazz. Given that their school sucked so badly at sports this year, cheer practice was now cabaret practice, or would be as of tomorrow afternoon   
"I haven't really had time"  
"But you said!"  
"And I will!"  
"You better"  
"You try chasing after 2 kids, 2 cats and 2 slightly older kids that really should be adults but aren't"  
Levi snorted and jabbed him lightly  
"He's also had a stomach bug, so everything's a mess at home"  
Sasha wrinkled her nose  
"Stay away from me!"  
"You do remember I live with a doctor, I'm not contagious and I'm feeling heaps better"  
That was lie. He wasn't. He was exhausted from waking up in the middle of the night, and bolting to the bathroom. A bucket now lived inside his beside cupboard, and he was still too chicken shit to tell Levi the truth. The new goal was to tell Levi on his 18th birthday... but each time he thought about it, all he could think about was the alpha freaking out like he had when he found out he was a father  
"Don't forget we need to go buy our outfits!"  
"Yes Sasha, that's tomorrow after practice"  
"Good! I just don't want you to forget"  
"I'm definitely not going to"  
"I don't think any of us are"  
Jean sounded bitter, and Sasha pouted at him  
"Do you wanna come and join us?"  
"Oh hell no. You freaks are on your own with that"  
"Hear that Eren, we're freaks"  
That was all it took to bring back those insecurities again. Levi's photo of him had been flooded with comments about how hot and sexy he was, and the attention had felt really good, but Jean's stupid big mouth had ruined that  
"Why don't you go much on some hay. I for one can't wait to see Eren on stage"  
"You're his boyfriend"  
"So? I think we all know how good looking he is"  
Jean rolled his eyes and Levi pulled Eren closer  
"I love you"  
"I know. I'm going to go to the bathroom before class. I'll meet you in the locker room?"  
Levi pressed a kiss to his lips as he nodded and Izzy let out a whoop  
"Are you going to do that every time?"  
Ymir sounded bored of it, but Izzy just shrugged  
"Maybe. Possibly. I'm just really happy Big Brother is happy"  
Sliding from Levi's hold, Eren made his escape to the bathroom. Unlike usual, his stomach had begun to roll, and he knew he was going to vomit. He was soooo very much over it and wanted his mother here to guide him through it all, all over again. He hoped she wouldn't be too ashamed... he didn't know how many pups he was carrying this time, but the idea of having more than 2 kids to take care of and not even being 19... it was scary. Having finished vomiting, he rubbed his stomach slowly  
"Yeah, I know. I love you too"  
He was such a sap, once again he was hopelessly in love with his babies, and already knew he would do anything for them.

 

*  
"What about the red one!"  
Having spent the last hour running around and dancing to Sasha's choreography, Eren was exhausted, but given he told Sasha they would pick their costumes today, he was silently suffering as they did  
"If you like the red one to try it on"  
Sasha slid the red corset off the rack, he had to it was pretty nice... but definitely didn't think it would go over well with the school principal. Their routine was pretty sexy as it was and didn't want them being kicked off the stage for being too sexy  
"I think I will. What about you? Which one do you like?"  
"I don't know..."  
"Don't worry about not having boobs, well totally get you chicken fillets and give you some titties"  
Sasha reached out and gave the right side of his chest a hard grope  
"Leave my titties alone"  
"Noooo"  
Stepping backwards, he tripped over his own feet and landed on his arse with a yelp. Unexpectedly tears filled his eyes and Sasha rushed to help him up  
"I'm so sorry! Are you ok?"  
Nodding his head, he was more than a little shaken. He mentally apologised to his babies and wiped his face  
"Sorry, that just scared me"  
"I noticed. Are you alright? You've been a bit pale lately and you seemed a little tired during practice"  
"I'm fine. Things are just chaotic at home"  
"Well I can't help you there, but if you ever need to talk"  
"I know, you're a good friend Sasha"  
"I think you mean "I'm the best friend anyone could ever have""  
"Yeah, that too"  
Sasha laughed and looked back at the corsets, grabbing a white one, she thrust it into his hands  
"Try this one"  
"Ok, but just so you know, I'm wearing pants on stage"  
"But think of the frills"  
"I'm thinking and I think I don't want us to get kicked off"  
"We won't get kicked off! We're cheerleaders! It's our job to be sexy!"

Having stripped off his shirt, Eren examined his stomach in the mirror. There was no visible signs, other than maybe the smallest bump, but he could have easily been imagining that  
"Are you done? How does it look?"  
"Hold on!"  
Unzipping the side of the corset, Eren then carefully slid it on. The white satin felt ridiculously cool against his skin, and as he zipped it up, he figured he probably should have adjusted the straps first  
"Sasha, I need you!"  
"Ooooooh"  
Sasha slid the curtain for the changing room back  
"Straps"  
"On it!"  
It took Sasha a few minutes to loosen the straps so they were no longer cutting into his skin and then straighten out the corset and zip it up  
"How is it?"  
Eren wasn't really sure he liked it that much, it was nice in its own way, but meh in so many others  
"Nope. I don't like it. Wait here"  
Rolling his eyes as Sasha dashed out, Eren promptly freed himself from the corset. He wondered if Levi would like something like this, or rather, him in something like this. Watching the alpha removed that thong with his teeth had been hot as fuck... maybe he should invest in one before he got too big   
"Here!"  
The one Sasha thrust at him was definitely sexier. It was a blood red halter neck with small chains covering where his breasts would be  
"This one?"  
"Yep. Like I said, we'll pad it out so you have boobies"  
"I think you have an obsession with my boobs"  
"I doooo, and thinking of chicken fillets made me hungry"  
"Are you ever not hungry?"  
"Nope. Hey, are you excited for Wednesday?"  
"You mean for my 18th?"  
"Yeah, I know we all went out for dinner last year, so I didn't know if you'd find it too boring if we did it again this year"  
"Wait, we're going out for dinner?"  
Sasha clamped a hand to her mouth   
"Sashaaaaaaa"  
"I thought you knew! Levi organised it"  
"Nope I had no idea, but it's fine"  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yeah, I don't get to hang out with you guys now I'm back in Shinganshima"  
"You live so far away"  
"It's like an hour"  
"It's a life time when you don't have a car. Anyway. Put this on!"

Thankfully this corset did to with a chain and he didn't have to worry about the halter bit being too short. Sliding the corset into place. He could already see the mad gleam in Sasha's eyes  
"You like this one don't you?"  
"Yep! It's perfect. And I know you wanted to wear pants, but a skirt would look soooooo good"  
"Pants!"  
"Fine... but shorts would look so hot, and fishnets..."  
"Sasha, not too sexy remember"  
"But it's supposed to be sexy"  
Urgh. His stomach was starting to roll, and he couldn't take much more of this   
"Fine. But for now, let's just grab these"  
"Yay!"  
Sasha clapped her hands and jumped on the spot  
"Sasha, you do know you have to change"  
"Oh, right!"  
Sasha rushed off and Eren span slowly so he could check himself out. It looked pretty good, but he really wasn't sure. Shaking his head, he slowly took the corset off and pulled his shirt back on. His mind was already on the drive home and he totally didn't feel like cooking dinner  
"Eren, lets go!"  
Checking he had everything, Eren slid the curtain back and walked over to Sasha   
"You happy?"  
"Very!"  
Rolling his eyes, he followed her up to the counter and they paid for their purchases   
"I'll see you tomorrow right?"  
"Of course, don't you know I totally live for school"  
"It feels like that doesn't it"  
"Just think, come June that's it!"  
"I know, are you still going over to Marley for Reiner's wedding?"  
"Yep. We're doing passports next week"  
"Ooooh, I wish I could come"  
"Don't look at me, I'm skint"  
Sasha laughed and pushed the door open  
"Aren't we all? Ok, see you tomorrow"  
Sasha gave him a quick hug  
"Yep, see you tomorrow"

Escaping to the ute, Eren let out a long breath as his stomach rolled  
"Shhhh, I know"  
Shushing did nothing, and rather embarrassingly, he threw up right there in the car park. He was kind of surprised he had anything left to throw up and once done he sank back with a groan   
"You guys are so lucky I love you. I wouldn't put up with this shit for just anyone"  
Pulling out the keys, he had to try twice before the engine finally turned over and the stupid ute started. He totally wasn't in the mood for any of this.

Having stopped to pick up dinner, Eren regretted his decision, the smell of fried chicken had his stomach feeling gross and he was forced to drive home with the window down. He'd definitely be talking to Hannes about this all, he didn't particularly like the idea of going out for his birthday and feeling so rotten.

Pulling in the drive was a welcome relief, and Ren came running up to the car as he parked, before yanking the door open with clear enthusiasm   
"Mummy! Guess what?"  
"What baby?"  
"We got to draw kitties at school today and the teacher said mine was the best"  
"Really baby! That's awesome"  
"Daddy already stuck it on the fridge, but I want you to see it"  
"Ok baby, let me grab the shopping"  
Grabbing the bag of chicken, the bag with the corset and his school bag, Eren slid from cab with a sigh. Ren immediately wrapped his arms around him  
"Mum, you smell funny"  
"I smell funny?"  
"Yep, you smell like daddy"  
"Oh, so daddy smells funny?"  
"Noooo, you just don't usually smell like him"  
Eren bit down on his lip, he really couldn't avoid telling Levi... if the boys noticed he smelt differently Levi probably had too  
"Mum?"  
"It's nothing baby, come on, I want to see this picture you drew"  
"It's Mr Kitty"  
Ren let him go, before taking his hand and pulling him along until they got inside and over to the fridge  
"Hey princess, how was cheer practice"  
"Alright, I've been told I need to see Ren's drawing"  
Levi snorted as he nodded   
"Yeah, I got the same talk. Eli's is up there too"  
Placing the bags on the kitchen counter, Eren turned to look at the fridge  
"See mum! Doesn't it look just like Mr Kitty!"  
The fuzzy blob kind of did, and Ren had even tried to put all the shades of Captain's fur in  
"It sure does baby"  
Eli's was all grey, but then again, Titan was all grey  
"I'm so proud of you guys"  
Ren beamed up at him and Eren looked around  
"Where's Eli?"  
"In his room with Titan"  
"Ren, why don't you go play with Mr Kitty while daddy and I get dinner ready?"  
Ren was off an running before he'd even finished his sentence and Eren envied his son's energy.

Levi rose from the sofa and came over as Eren was finding the fries out of the freezer  
"You bought chicken?"  
"Yeah. I didn't feel like cooking"  
"No complaints here"  
Levi moved to open the box and Eren threw himself to the sink as the smell of chicken filled the space  
"Oi! Princess, you ok?"  
Eren shook his head as his whole body heaved. He basically had nothing left to throw up  
"I think we need to talk to Hannes about this, it's been weeks and you aren't getting any better"  
"It's fine..."  
"Eren, it's not fine. You've been throwing your guts up. That's not normal"  
"It is if you're pregnant"  
Eren winced as his stomach tightened again  
"Hang on... did you just...?"  
Nodding sadly, Eren pulled back from the sink with tears in his eyes. He was so miserable that it just kind of came out  
"You're pregnant?!"  
"Yeah"  
Levi let out huge whoop, and scooped him up, before spinning him around  
"Really? Like really?"  
"Yes... Levi, can you put me down, I don't feel very well"  
"Shit. Sorry, but really?"  
"Yeah. I found out about it a few weeks ago, and Hannes gave me an ultrasound. I was waiting until I was further along to tell you, but I just feel really shitty right now"  
Levi nuzzled against his neck  
"Are you ok? Are both of you ok? Wait, you said Wolfbloods usually have more than one... is it twins? Are the three of you ok?"  
"I don't know. Hannes only confirmed I was. I haven't had another ultrasound. And other than morning sickness, I'm ok..."  
But I'm scared, and I'm tired and I need to shower and I want to sleep for like a year...  
"I'm so happy... we have to tell people"  
"No!"  
Levi pulled back with a hurt look  
"Sorry. No, I don't want to tell people just yet. Not until I'm into my second trimester"  
"Oh. Ok... I guess we can wait"  
"I'm sorry, but I just don't want them knowing... I don't even know how I'm going to tell Reiner and Bertholdt"  
Sniffling sadly, Eren moved to rest his head on Levi's shoulder  
"Hey, it's ok princess, I'm just so happy. But I wasn't thinking. What about you, I know you said you're ok, But I know you also wanted to wait before we had another baby"  
"I want them... but I'm so scared. I wanted to wait to give you my mark and I wanted to wait before we had more kids and now it's kind of like the universe is like well fuck your plans"  
"Oh princess, no. Hey, it'll be alright"  
Eren nodded against Levi   
"Can we lay down for a bit, I can't stomach the smell"  
"Of course we can"

Having moved to the bedroom and stripped off his school uniform, Eren was laying in Levi's arms with his head on the alpha's chest. Levi had one hand protectively over his stomach and it was like an enormous weight had been lifted. He should have just told his alpha from the start  
"This means I need to get a job asap"  
"I should probably look for work too... we haven't got much in the way of savings anymore"  
"Maybe we should pull the kids out of day care? I know that eats up a large chunk of your money"  
"But who's going to look after them?"  
"We could look on Facebook, see if there's a family day care in town"  
"But we'd need to drop them off at like 7 and pick them up after school and we don't always have the car"  
"That's easy, we can pick them up and walk home, or walk to the hospital"  
"It's 3 kilometres to town"  
"Eren, we'll work something out. Right now, you just need to focus on you and letting me take care of you"  
Nuzzling against Levi's chest, Eren pressed a small kiss to it  
"I'm really scared. What if it's like triplets or..."  
"Then we'll figure something out together"  
"I want to believe that, but it so scary"  
"I know, but you have me this time and you have Hannes and the boys and all our friends once they know"  
"I want my mum"  
Levi sighed   
"I'm sorry I can't help you with that one"  
"I know but... I wonder if she'd be mad at me"  
"No, of course she wouldn't. You're in a loving and committed relationship, bonded to an alpha who loves you to the moon and back"  
"There you go being a dork again"  
"I'm allowed to be a dork, I just found out I'm going to be a dad again"  
"No, you found out were a dad. Now you're finding out your going to be a dad for the first time"  
"Whatever, I'm just so excited"  
"Say that after the sleepless nights and all the mood swings"  
"Don't care. You can't bring me down"  
"Levi, will it really be ok?"  
"Yeah princess"  
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner..."  
"It's ok. It was probably a huge shock"  
"It was. I took two tests and they said positive so I thought that maybe the meds had given a false reading, that's why I told Hannes, and he decided that I had to have an ultrasound instead of a blood test because they're more fun"  
"That sounds about right for him"  
"I was going to tell you... it wasn't going to be today, but it just sorta came out"  
"It's fine, it's a lot to process, but thank you for finally telling me. I've been so worried because you've been so sick"  
"Yeah it was bad with the boys, but mum got me these awesome meds. Only she didn't write down what they were and the ones Hannes gave me suck"  
"We'll talk to him after dinner"  
The thought of food had him wrinkling his nose   
"I don't think I can eat"  
"You need to have something, even something small"  
"But the chicken..."  
"It's fine. I can make you something else"  
"Maybe some toast?"  
"Yeah, I can do that. What do you want on it?"  
"Strawberry Jam"  
Levi pressed a kiss to the top of his head  
"I'll be right back, do you want milk or juice?"  
"Milk please"  
"You're so cute"  
Eren sighed, he didn't particularly want Levi to leave, but his alpha was already sliding out from under him  
"I love you princess"  
"Mmm, I love you too"

Having nibbled at the toast, Eren gave up and drained the glass of milk. He could hear the boys and Levi having dinner, and was kind of jealous he couldn't join in, but bed was just so warm and comfy. There was a slight creaking of the door and then a soft thud, and rumbling purr. Looking down the bed, Captain was apparently quite happy to be sitting on the end of it, already starting to groom himself  
"Hello to you too"  
The fat cat looked to him, keeping steady eye contact as he went back to licking himself  
"I see how it is"  
Settling back down, he was just starting to nod off when he got a face full of fur and head butted   
"Oh, so now you talk to me"  
Reaching out, he wrapped an arm around Captain and pulled him close  
"You need a brush Mr. I'll have to tell Levi tomorrow"  
Captain didn't struggle, probably because he was used to Ren doing the same thing. It wasn't long before Eren had fallen asleep, his arm still around the cat and a small smile on his face.

 

*  
After the initial state of euphoria passed, a kind of shock settled into Levi's body. That didn't mean the stupid smile left his face. Eren was pregnant. He had no idea how, well he knew how making a baby worked, but his mate was supposed to have been on contraceptives. They were going to have another baby... and he was actually here for it. He loved the twins dearly, but couldn't deny he was excited for being there every step of the way for the little one inside Eren  
"Dad?"  
Pulled out of his thoughts, he looked to Eli  
"What's up kiddo?"  
"I was talking to you!"  
"Sorry, daddy was off in his own thoughts"  
"Well, listen to me"  
"I am now. What's up?"  
"I was asking where mum was"  
"Oh, he's having a nap. He had cheerleading today and is pretty tired"  
Was it even safe for Eren to be cheerleading? What if Eren got hurt? What if something happened to the babies?  
"Oh. That's ok then"  
Levi nodded to his son, resisting the urge to run and check on his mate. Eren was just fine... fuck. He needed to talk to Hannes, but Hannes was at the hospital. Deciding to call the man after dinner, Levi turned forced his attention back to the boys. Ren was picking at his chicken, while Eli was wolfing his down  
"Eli, slow down"  
"Noooo, I want to get back to Titan. He doesn't like it when I'm gone too long"  
It was adorable how much the twins loved their cats  
"I'm sure Titan has his own dinner to eat"  
"Yep! I filled their bowls up myself"  
"Good boy. Have you checked the litter tray?"  
Eli wrinkled his nose, and Levi took that to mean it needed emptying   
"I'll deal with it after you two are in bed"  
"Well it is your job"  
"Since when is it my job?"  
"Since you're the dad"  
"Oh, fair enough"  
Eli finished his food in record time and took off to find Titan, while Ren finished just as Levi did  
"Ren, are you ok?"  
"Dad, is mum alright?"  
"Sure he is"  
"It's just he's been really sick"  
"I know, but I promise he's alright"  
"Really"  
This was a pinky promise moment if ever there was one. Holding out his pinky, it took Ren a moment to to hook it with his own  
"I promise mummy is just fine"  
"Ok... but you'd tell me if he wasn't"  
"Sure. Now why don't you go find Mr Kitty while I do the dishes"  
"Ok..."  
Ren unhooked his finger and slid down from the chair, before disappearing and leaving Levi to gather up the dishes. He was going to be a father... again... he wanted to scream he was just so excited and scared and confused and his alpha was beyond thrilled. The timing might have sucked, especially with their trip to Marley in June... Eren would be roughly four months by then... would he even be allowed to fly.

"Dad! Come here!"  
Placing the dishes on the sink, Levi headed off to find Ren. He didn't have to go far, the boy was standing in the doorway of the room he shared with Eren  
"What is it?"  
Ren pointed to the bed and Levi couldn't help but snort. Eren and Captain were both snoring peacefully   
"Mum has my kitty"  
"He does"  
"But I want my kitty. He's mine"  
Oh no, impending tantrum  
"Ok, ok. Let me work my magic"  
Trying to gently slide Captain out of Eren's hold proved difficult, the beast of a cat didn't want to move and Eren let out a sleepy sigh  
"Levi?"  
"Yeah princess, I kind of need Mr Kitty"  
"Oh"  
Eren rolled away from Captain, Levi lifted the cat up and passed him over to Ren  
"Thank you daddy"  
"That's alright"  
Ren disappeared off with his cat and Levi slid into the spot the cat had vacated  
"Cheating on me now, are we?"  
"Totally. It's all that fur, what can I say"  
Eren smiled up at him, and Levi moved to gently cup Eren's face  
"You feeling better?"  
"Mhmm, sorry I needed a nap"  
"It's fine. I'll be back soon, I've got to do the dishes"  
"The dishes can wait"  
Eren moved to wrap his arm around Levi's waist  
"Really?"  
"Yeah, I was snuggles"  
"Just snuggles?"  
"For now. The rest has to wait until the boys are asleep"  
"Tease. What's with the corset in the kitchen?"  
"Sasha. It's for the talent show"  
Moving to get into a better position, Eren snuggled into him the moment he was situated  
"I don't know if I want you dancing around half dressed"  
"She wanted me in one of those puffy skirts, but I want to wear pants"  
"Oh, you'd look pretty sexy in a skirt"  
"I think we're going to get kicked off anyway. The dance moves are pretty sexy"  
"Maybe you should give me a preview"  
"I can't, I'm sick and stuff"  
Levi snorted, he realised his hand was back on Eren's stomach without even realising. He could feel a small hard spot beneath his hand and gently rubbed the spot  
"Mmm, that actually feels really nice"  
"Does it now?"  
"Yeah. It's like your rubbing away all the gross feelings"  
"I'm glad I could help"  
"I am too"  
Eren nuzzled against his neck before letting out a small sigh   
"I should probably book a scan sometime soon"  
"If you do, can I come?"  
"I wouldn't want to do it without you... besides, I'm probably going to cry when I see them"  
"You and me both. I think I'm in shock... I might have kind of freaked out while you were napping"  
"Having a baby is a pretty big thing"  
"I'm beginning to realise"  
"Better late than never"  
The pair fell into a comfortable silence, until Levi yawned and stretched   
"I guess it's time to put the boys to bed"  
"Mhmm, I can do it"  
"Nope, you're going to stay right there and wait for me"  
"If I must"  
"You definitely must, I intend to show you just how happy I am"  
"Ooooh?"  
"Yep, you better be prepared"

Heading into the twins room, both boys were sitting and drawing, their cats not too far away, but the moment the two felines saw the door was open, they made a run for it  
"Daaaaad!"  
"I know, but it's time for bed"  
"Noooo. I wanna finish this"  
"You can finish it tomorrow"  
"I want to do it now!"  
Eli glared up at him, so Levi glared right back, causing the boy to burst into tears   
"Come on, none of that. You can finish it tomorrow"  
"Noooo"  
"I think someone's tired"  
Levi jumped at the sound of Eren's voice  
"Didn't I tell you to wait"  
"That was before there was screaming and tears"  
"Muuuuum, dad said we have to go bed"  
"That's because you do"  
"But I want to finish this"  
Eren slipped past Levi, and picked Eli up, before sitting him down on his bed  
"We'll finish it tomorrow, and then we can hang it on the fridge"  
"But..."  
The boys lip was still trembling and snot was running down his face  
"Levi, can you grab me a tissue"  
Not having any idea where the tissues were he grabbed some toilet paper out the bathroom and returned to where Eli had some how wound up in Eren's lap  
"Here"  
Eren wiped Eli's face, before holding the toilet paper so Eli could blow his nose  
"Now, go to the toilet and wash your face and do your teeth, you too Ren"  
"But... nope, no more butts, and apologise to dad too"  
Eli slid off Eren's lap, and Ren finally crawled up off the floor, both boys crashed into Levi legs  
"I'm sorry dad, but I don't wanna go to sleep"  
"I noticed, but you've got to listen to mum. Come on, let's get you ready"

Eren had cleaned up all the art supplies by the time Levi got the boys back inside their room. Eli had tried to get away without using toothpaste and Ren had spat on his brother's hand, which had Eli crying again. The pair were definitely over tired  
"Here we go, two sleepy boys ready for bed"  
"Levi, did you let the boys do their own buttons again?"  
The boys had made a shambles of it, but it was so cute he hadn't told them  
"Yep"  
"Eli, come here"  
Eli stumbled towards Eren, and Eren set about fixing his buttons   
"You could do Ren's"  
"Nah, he likes it this way, don't you Ren?"  
Eren sighed at him  
"At least help me put them to bed"  
Wasn't that the plan to begin with? He put the boys to bed, while Eren waited. He was soon kicked out the room, the boys wanted a story from Eren, and Eren being Eren, couldn't say no.

Given he had nothing else to do, Levi headed into the kitchen and washed up the dishes he'd left sitting. Both cats had found the bones from the chicken and their remnants sat scattered around the sink. Fucking gross. By the time he'd cleaned up, he wasn't particularly feeling like anything other than sleep.

Of course that didn't last, Eren was laying in bed wearing nothing but a smile  
"Really?"  
"Mhmm, the boys fell asleep pretty fast, I've been waiting for you to get back"  
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting"  
Eren giggled and spread his legs slightly  
"I do believe you promised to show me how happy you are, daddy"  
Stripping down, Levi climbed across the bed and growled at the sight in front of him. His hands went straight to Eren's stomach as his omega giggled as he peppered kisses to the smooth skin  
"I love you, I love you so much. My perfect omega, pregnant with my pup"  
"Pups"  
Running his tongue across Eren's lower abdomen, his omega whined and wriggled  
"I think you have a new erogenous spot"  
"I do too... it feels so good when you touch it"  
"Is that why you've been so horny lately"  
"Maybe... you always touch my stomach"  
"I do?"  
"Mhmmm"  
"In that case, I'll just have to touch some more"  
"You can touch it anytime you like, but not at school"  
The alpha let out a small huff   
"Fine, but I want you to text me and tell me if your feeling sick"  
"You want to see me throwing up?"  
"I don't want you to go through it alone"  
"How did I end up with an alpha like you?"  
"God? Fate? By being irresponsible?"  
"Maybe"

With Eren asleep in his arms, Levi couldn't sleep. Now that he really looked, Eren looked so exhausted, and he'd lost a little weight. He had no idea how he'd missed so many signs, and no doubt his mate had been worrying himself sick over it. Eren had said he was going to tell him... but when? If he hadn't been feeling so sick today, when would his omega have told him... at his birthday? In front of everyone? No, Eren said he didn't want people to know... maybe Eren was embarrassed? Embarrassed over how shit of an alpha Levi was.... thoroughly disgusted at himself, he pressed a kiss to Eren's neck, before sliding out the bed and pulling his pyjama pants on. He hadn't gotten to call Hannes before, but he really needed someone to talk to about everything.

After double checking that Hannes wasn't in his room, Levi grabbed a jacket, his phone and smokes, before heading out and sitting on the front step. It was a little after 12, but it felt so much later. He felt as though he'd aged about 20 years since Eren fell asleep. After lighting his cigarette, he unlocked his phone and pulled up Hannes's details, before hitting call. He'd nearly given up on the man answering but finally Hannes's voice came through  
"Levi?"  
"Sorry for calling, I hope I didn't wake you"  
"You did, but it's fine. What's going on?"  
"Eren told me"  
"Oooooh. How is he?"  
Levi snorted  
"He's asleep. He's getting his arse kicked by this morning sickness shit"  
"Damn. I'll have to have a hunt around and see what we have here"  
"That would be awesome"  
The line fell silent for a moment, and Levi didn't know how to word all his questions  
"Levi, how do you feel about all this?l  
"I don't know. I was happy... but now"  
"The reality is setting in and you have a million questions?"  
"Pretty much"  
"I have no idea why the contraceptives failed, but he fell pregnant at the start of February"  
"I just don't get how"  
"You don't know how you got your own boyfriend pregnant"  
"I know that bit"  
"These things happen. I know he's been trying to hide it from you, but that's because he's been trying to work out when the time was right, and he wanted to wait until he was further along"  
"He said he didn't want anyone to know, not until his second trimester"  
"That's because things are most likely to go wrong during the first. You shouldn't over think it too much"  
"But Hannes, what about the future? Is he still going to be able to fly to Marley"  
"Levi, he's pregnant. He's not dying"  
Levi let out a groan   
"I'm sorry. I don't know... I don't know anything"  
"You just have to be there for him. That's all"  
"But"  
"Nope. That's it. I'll have a hunt around for different nausea pills, so for now, go back to bed"  
"Good talk Hannes, good talk"  
He could hear Hannes rolling his eyes  
"I'll talk when I'm more awake"  
Hannes hung up on him, and Levi was left shaking his head. There was so much that they needed to do, or at least that's how it felt... but they had 8 or 9 months, so it was plenty of time.


	59. Chapter 59

Sitting at his birthday dinner, Eren was trying not to yawn. The day had been long, and the only concession had been that the new pills Hannes had given him actually seemed to be working  
"Who's ready for cake?!"  
Eren rolled his eyes as Sasha slammed her hands down on the table  
"Sasha, some of us are still eating dinner"  
"Then hurry up!"  
Looking down at his plate, he sighed. They'd opted to go to a Chinese buffet for dinner, which worked out great for Sasha and she'd already finished 4 loaded plates   
"Leave him alone, it's his birthday"  
"Oh, so you're on his side? I see how it is Armin"  
"Good, that makes one of us"  
Hannes looked at Eren and Eren just shook his head  
"Sasha is always like this, but I'm surprised Sasha is happy to be a plate behind Connie"  
Sasha's eyes widened and she looked to her boyfriend  
"That's your 5th?"  
"Mahgbe"  
Connie's reply was garbled by the rib he was gnawing on  
"Noooo, you can't eat more than me!"  
Grabbing her plate, Sasha jumped off and dashed off towards the food  
"Mum, is Sasha weird?"  
"Yeah baby, just a little"  
"Thought so"  
There were a few laughs at Ren's words and his son looked confused  
"It's fine baby. Just take your time"  
"But I want cake now"  
"We'll have cake real soon"  
Picking up his fork, he started to pick at his sweet and sour pork  
"You alright princess?"  
Despite their being plenty of chairs, Levi had some how ended up sitting behind him, it was kind of a tight fit in the booth they were piled in, and the alpha had had one hand on his stomach almost all night   
"Yep, I'm just enjoying my food"  
"Good, you don't have to force yourself"  
So Levi had found out he was pregnant on Monday, it was now Wednesday, and as of Tuesday the alpha had been irritatingly attentive and protective. The alpha had even had Hannes go back to using his sedan, because Levi felt the ute wasn't safe enough. If this was how he was going to act on day 3, Eren dreaded how much worse his alpha was going to get.

"Guys! There's more lemon chicken!"  
It looked like Sasha had dumped the whole tray onto her plate and Eren just shook his head  
"You know, you've probably eaten Krista's weight in food by now"  
Krista gave a small giggle   
"It's not my fault I'm tiny"  
"Yeah, she's perfect how she is"  
Ymir leant over and pressed a kiss to Krista's cheek  
"How come in stuck surrounded by idiot couples?"  
"Because you escaped the stable?"  
Jean gaped at Levi's words, while Farlan leant over to high five him  
"You'll find someone... someday"  
Trust Izzy to be tactful  
"I don't know Iz, he might need to rein in the horse face of his"  
"What is your problem?!"  
Jean jumped up, and Connie reached for his hand  
"It's alright bro, you'll always have me"  
Jean sank back down, looking sour  
"You aren't the only single person here. Look at Hannes, he's single"  
Izzy blinked  
"He is?"  
"I am"  
"Why is that?"  
Hannes let out a long sigh  
"Fell in love with a woman, but she fell in love with someone else. Isn't that always the way"  
There was a moment of silence, before Izzy tried to salvage the conversation   
"It's a shame, you seem like a nice enough person"  
"Hear that Eren, I'm nice enough"  
"You have your moments, your jokes could use some work"  
"My jokes are perfectly fine thanks"  
Eren just shook his head, before trying to stifle a yawn   
"Eren's getting sleepy! It's cake time right!"  
In the few minutes of conversation, Sasha had demolished her plate of lemon chicken  
"Fine, you can have cake now"  
The girl let out a whoop, causing everyone around them to stare  
"It's cake time!"  
Her exclamation sounded like cake just made everything alright.

His friends had organised a cake through the restaurant and Eren blushed as everyone began to sing Happy Birthday. Even random strangers joined in, and when it came to blowing out the candles, the boys beat him to it. Levi leant in to whisper in his ears  
"Happy Birthday Princess. Did you make a wish?"  
He hadn't bothered, everything he wanted he already had. Hannes insisted they toast, before the cake was finally cut. The man had said that he could have a glass of champagne, and he'd carefully sipped from it all night  
"You're 18 now Eren, what's your plan for the future?"  
Grandpa Arlert looked past Eli, the man had been pretty quiet all night, probably because there was a mass of teens  
"Live in Shinganshima, raise the boys... go to Marley... I don't really know"  
"So you're not going to continue studying?"  
"No, the boys will start preprimary in Shinganshima in August, so maybe finding a job"  
"That's a shame, you're such a smart young man"  
"Now now, he's got the kids"  
"That's true, it's still a shame"  
Eren sank back against Levi, he didn't particularly feel like having his life choices picked apart, and they didn't know he was pregnant  
"You ok?"  
"Yeah, just sleepy"  
"We can go home soon"  
"Mmmm, I want my bed"  
"I have another surprise for you when we get home"  
"No, no more surprises"  
Levi had made him breakfast in bed, the boys had gifted him drawing, and they'd spent the morning cuddling, before going to school at lunch time while Hannes was busy in Trost. His birthday had been pretty good, and there hadn't been any tears, which was a win.

The cake left him feeling sick, so Levi decided that it was time to bring the night to an end. It was a bit of an awkward squeeze to get out of the booth and then he hugged everyone but Jean goodbye. Taking Eli's hand, his son tugged at his shirt, so Eren lifted this son into his hold  
"You sleepy baby?"  
Eli nodded, before burying his face against Eren's neck  
"I love you mummy"  
"I know baby, I love you too. Let's go home"  
"I want Titan"  
"I know"  
Levi tried to take Eli from him, but Eren glared at him until he alpha backed away  
"Sorry, just trying to be useful"  
"You're always useful, but I've got this"  
Hannes came up behind him with Ren  
"Everything alright?"  
"Yep, Eli's just sleepy. I think we all are"  
"I know I am"  
"Are you alright to drive?"  
"Yeah, I think there's blood in my alcohol stream"  
"Oh no! We must get home and fix that"  
Hannes shook his head  
"And you say my jokes are bad"

Eli and Ren fell asleep practically straight away, Eren kind of dozed, and Levi chatted away with Hannes. It had been a good day, a little long, but good. He didn't particularly want to do anything, but if Levi had a surprise for him it would probably be something kinky and he felt as sexy as a bag of potatoes.

He was right. Once they were home and the boys were in bed, he finally got some times alone with Levi. Stripping down, he flopped onto the bed with a groan  
"It's bed time right?"  
"Nearly"  
"Levi... nothing sexy"  
Levi snorted and moved over, taking his wrists and pulling him back up and wrapping his arms around him and dropping a kiss on the top of his head  
"Ok, but I still I want to give you your last present"  
"Will I like it?"  
"Maybe. Now, can you stay sitting up?"  
"I don't know, I'm so sleepy"  
Levi lowered him back down  
"One second"  
Looking towards the wardrobe, he watched Levi rummage through, before pulling out a small pink bag  
"More lingerie?"  
"Yep"  
Levi upended the bag onto his chest   
"Thanks babe"  
Lifting up the two items, Eren rolled his eyes  
"You have a thing for thongs don't you"  
"Only on you"  
The set was similar to the white set, but this was electric blue and black  
"I know you said no sexy, but I was thinking maybe when we go to Marley? I mean, it'll be my first really vacation... and we won't have much time..."  
"Mmm, I like the way you think. I'm sorry I'm so sleepy"  
"No, it's fine. You have our pups growing inside of you..."  
"I doooo, it's so much better now I'm throwing up so much"  
"Yeah, your colour looks better too"  
Balling up the lingerie, Eren pressed it back into Levi's hold  
"Go put those away, and then come give me cuddles"  
"So demanding"  
"You have no idea, wait until I'm further along"  
"I'll let you boss me around as much you like"  
"You might end up regretting that"  
"I doubt it"  
Levi placed the lingerie away, before stripping down and crawling into bed. Eren crawled across the blankets and collapsed down half on top of his alpha  
"Thank you for today"  
"No worries baby. I love you"  
"I love you too"

 

*  
Having survived his birthday, the next thing on the agenda was passports and it was a nightmare. Eren's and both the boys were easy enough, but Levi didn't have anyone who had known him for the 6 years that the forms wanted. In the end, Hannes and Grandpa Arlert had lied for him, but then they had do more paperwork as Levi technically had a criminal record. It was nearing the end of April before Levi finally got his passport, and Eren was completely over travelling back and forth to Trost to take care of all the trivial pieces of paper. He just wanted to sit back and relax, but life didn't seem to want to agree.

The talent show had been on the 13th of April, almost two weeks prior, but the school was still gossiping over it. As Eren had suspected they would be, they'd been kicked off the stage for being inappropriate and overly sexualising the song. It might have had something to do with the fact that Sasha had altered her corset and her boobs barely stayed in, or the fact that he kind of looked ridiculously hot in the corset and skin tight, low cut pants. Photos of the cheer team ended up spread across the school, and even now they were still getting wolf whistles over it all. So basically, Eren was looking forward to three weeks in Marley. 

Reiner and Bertholdt had insisted that they stay at their house during the holiday, and that they come to Marley two weeks before the wedding and stay a week after. Bertholdt had told Eren he'd be wearing a dress, and it was going to be custom made upon his arrival. He was still yet to tell his friends he was pregnant, and kind of decided to wait and surprise them.. that and he was still nervous about telling anyone. He and Levi had booked an ultrasound in Trost for the first of May as he'd be 12 weeksish. At first glance no one could tell he was pregnant as the swell of his stomach was slight, but Levi hadn't stopped with the touching and lavishing affection on it. 

Though, it hadn't all been smooth sailing, thanks to his hormones he'd basically screamed at Levi to back off. The alpha had been trying to do way too much around the house, and trying to basically make it so Eren didn't have to lift a finger. For someone who wasn't used to it, and had his own way of doing and handling things, Eren hadn't been able to take it. The cherry on top was the fact that this how the boys found out he was pregnant, and both boys promptly grabbed their cats and tried to run away from home. It had taken some major bribery to get them to settle, and that brought Eren to the situation he was currently in.

"Muuum, it's not working!"  
Sitting out the back of the house, Eren had Ren glaring down at him  
"You have to really concentrate baby"  
"No! You're just lying to us! You don't love us 'cause you and daddy are having another kid"  
"Ren, don't talk to your mother like that"  
"Of course you take his side!"  
The small boy practically screamed at Levi and Eren fought back his tears. They were supposed to be teaching the boys how to shift, but this was turning into a nightmare. Trying to explain to the boys they had to concentrate on the feeling in the back of their brains was hard. They'd always known that feeling, and to them it was natural  
"Ren, calm down baby"  
"No!"  
Tears finally began to spill, and Eren buried his face in his hands  
"Ren... maybe we should take a break"  
"Don't you want to shift Eli?"  
"I do! But you made mum cry"  
"So what! He doesn't love us anymore"  
Feeling Levi leave his side, he winced as the alpha smacked Ren's bum  
"We have had this talk. You know we both love you very much and having another baby doesn't mean we love you any less"  
Ren promptly started to howl, and Eren reached for him blindly. How could his son not think he loved him?  
"Shhhh, baby. I do. I love you. I love you so much"  
"But you're having another baby! You won't need us anymore"  
"I will always need you and this baby is going to need you"  
"Not it won't!"  
"It will. It's going to need its awesome big brothers to teach them all sorts of things"  
"I don't want to share you!"  
Ren finally grabbed onto Eren's shirt, and they both held each other tight as they cried  
"I love you baby, I always will"  
"I... love... you... too... mummy"  
Small arms wrapped around his stomach from behind  
"Mum, do you still love me?"  
"Of course baby, of course I do"  
"Really?"  
"Always baby. You and your brother are my most important treasures"  
"Can I get in on the hug?"  
Eren snorted as he nodded  
"Of course you can"  
Levi wrapped his arms around Ren, and it was a very awkward 4 way hug. It took a long while before Ren finally stopped crying and pulled back  
"Dad, you're squashing me"  
"Sorry kiddo, I just wanted cuddles too"  
"Fine, you've had them, no please tell us how to shiiiiiiift!"

 

*  
Levi moved both boys back so they were standing in front of them, he'd positioned himself behind Eren now, with his arms around his omegas waist  
"Can you feel like a scratching in the back of your heads? Like really really lightly, but it's still there?"  
Eli looked confused for moment, but then nodded  
"How about you Ren?"  
Ren sighed, before nodding  
"That's your wolf side. It's scratching because even though we're humans, we came from wolves and our souls want to go back there"  
"Dad, you aren't making sense"  
Eren snorted and wriggled in his hold   
"Quiet you"  
"I didn't say anything"  
"No, you were just thinking it"  
"Maybe"  
"Guys!"  
Eli put his hands on his hips as he stared down at them, trying to be serious really didn't work with these two  
"Well, you've got to think that you really want to be a wolf. You've got to let that be the only thing you're thinking about"  
"But I caaaaaaan't. I have so many things to think about"  
"I completely understand and it gets easier as you get older"  
"Noooo, you don't know how hard it is being 4!"  
Taking a deep breath, Levi shook his head  
"You're completely right. What was I thinking?"  
"I don't know! I'm not old like you!"  
His son was in fine form, and Levi was kind of proud of his sons bravado  
"Guys, I hate to be the buzzkill, but I need to go to toilet"  
"But mum, we're trying to shift"  
"I know, and I'll be right back, but do you think you can help me up first?"  
Their sons have exaggerated groans as they pulled Eren from Levi's lap, his omega actually smirked as he escaped towards the house and Levi groaned. This was all going to be his fault because the boys couldn't calm down enough to shift.

By dinner time, the boys were in foul moods and Levi was in the doghouse. Neither boy would talk to him, and Eren was getting all the love and attention like he'd done nothing wrong and the baby thing had been forgiven. Part of Levi was still jealous over how easily Eren seemed to be able to read the boys. The omega always seemed to know what to do, and just when to do it. That's why he'd been trying to do more around the house... that and his alpha wouldn't settle down. Even at school he couldn't help himself. When their were in sports class, he always stuck to his omegas side and tried to keep him from doing anything that might be remotely dangerous. He hadn't even realised how bad he'd gotten until Eren was screaming at him about he was smothering him. All he wanted to do was be a good alpha... as it was, it was just about May and he hadn't been able to get a job. Eren had told him to wait until they got back from Marley, but that was ages away, and they had fuck all savings. Eren's account was now barely 5 grand and Levi was feeling more and more like a freeloader.

Still, he sat back and watched Eren with the boys, moving to take the dishes automatically as they boys dragged Eren over to the sofa and made him sit so they could watch cartoons together. He wondered if this what Eren felt back in January when he'd come home and been the centre of the boys world. It was kind of pathetic he was jealous just because the boys were mad at him. They knew the basics of how to shift and now it was up to them when it would happen.

Given how miserably they'd failed the previous day, when they woke to Hannes's yelling, both of them were completely confused as they climbed out of bed and rushed into the hall  
"Eren! Levi! What have you done?!"  
Eren padded down the hallway first, and eyed the destruction of the lounge room with a gasp. The cushions had been the main casualties and the lounge covered in fluff  
"What the fuck?"  
"So this wasn't you?"  
"Why would it be us?"  
"Because they're scratch marks on the floor"  
Eren groaned again  
"One of them must have shifted..."  
"What do you mean shifted? You taught them?"  
"They heard me yelling at Levi and got really upset about me having another baby. I had to bribe them not to run away"  
Hannes sighed and Levi wrapped his arms around Eren   
"They got their cats and they were leaving. Apparently we don't love them"  
"I suppose you had to teach them one day, but I liked those cushions, I spent months moulding them to my shape"  
"So the real issue here is the death of the cushions, not the fact the living room looks like it's been snowed in"  
"Pretty much. Where are the twins now?"  
"Ren! Eli!"  
Levi winced as Eren called the boys  
"Princess, you could have warned me"  
"Sorry, I guess we better check their room"  
"Probably... I can't believe they actually managed it"  
"Neither can I... oh shit. Levi did you lock the back door?"  
"I think so"  
It was a moments worth of panicking, but it felt like a life time. Rushing to push the door to the boys room open, he found both boys in their wolf forms and wrestling on the floor  
"Eren, it's alright, you can look"  
Despite how young they were, both boys had solid forms for pups. Ren's fur was thinner and silkier looking than Eli's, the boy definitely took after him  
"He's got an interesting colour. What's your blood line?"  
"I don't really know. I don't even know if I'm full blood or half cast"  
"It'd be interesting to find out. Both the boys are bigger than I would have expected"  
"You should see Levi in his wolf form then, he's massive"  
"Really?"  
"Kind of... wait, you can find out?"  
"Yeah. It's like a DNA marker test. It won't tell me who your parents are, but it will tell me where your lines from"  
"What about Eren? Where's his line from?"  
"Carla's parents were from here, but I don't know about their parents. I don't know when it comes to Grisha. I always assumed Germany because of the name Yeager"  
"Boys, do you want to go for a run with us?"  
Eli stopped kicking at Ren's stomach, and they bounded over to Eren, both sitting and looking up at him with their tongues lolling from their mouths  
"Eren, are you sure?"  
"Yeah, it'll give Hannes a chance to get to sleep before we start cleaning and he can see your form..."  
Levi turned to look back at Hannes, the man just shrugged  
"Don't look at me, they're your kids"  
"No, not that. Do you really think you can find out where my bloodline comes from?"  
"Yeah, should be able to. I must admit, I'm kind of curious what tests I can run on you"  
"Hannes, don't scare him away"  
"Me? No... never. Now, if you're going for a run, you should probably put something else on, incase you want to shift while you're out"  
Eren leant down and lifted Eli up. The boy immediately licked at his nose  
"Eli, daddy and I are going to get dressed. I need you and Ren to behave for Hannes"  
Eli whined, his ears flopping down at the tips  
"We need photos too... I can't believe they shifted"  
"You do know it's going to be a struggled to get them back to being human"  
"Probably..."

Both boys ran around their feet as he and Eren pulled on long shirts. Eren had grabbed his phone and taken a heap of photos of the twins, but it wasn't enough. Their pups were wolves... they were going to need to teach them all about the smells and sounds of the forest... and how to swim... shit... biting down his panic, Levi walked from the room shakily   
"Levi, you ok?"  
Hannes was in the living room, now nursing a cup of coffee   
"Just... fuck... being a parent. There's so much to worry about"  
"I can imagine, come on out the front, you can show me your wolf form properly. I think Eren's forgotten that I've seen it before"  
"Probably, his minds on the baby and the boys"  
"You two have an ultrasound soon right?"  
"Yeah, Tuesday"  
"Sweet, I wish I didn't have to work"  
"I kind of wish you didn't have to too"  
Hannes held the door open for him and Levi shivered in the early morning air. It was a little after 6, but the sun was only just rising   
"Now, don't scream old man"  
"Ha. Ha. Ha"  
Moving onto the gravel, Levi let himself shift and padded back up to Hannes  
"You really are massive"  
In his form, he probably came half way up the man... maybe a little more. Sitting down, he rose onto his back legs and Hannes laughed  
"Do you know any other tricks?"  
Surging up, he placed his two front paws on Hannes shoulders and stared the man in the eyes  
"Ok! Ok! I won't ask again"  
Pulling back, Levi sank back down and raised a paw   
"You want me to shake it? You really are fucking with me now aren't you?"  
Behind Hannes, the twins bounded down the stairs and straight to his tail. He looked down at them, daring them both to do it, and they did. Both biting down and causing him to yelp  
"Ren! Eli! No!"  
Eren rushed down the steps and pulled them off  
"No, you don't bite daddy's tail like that"  
Yeah, no. Not after Eren nearly drowning because he panicked and over reacted  
"Hannes, we'll be back in a bit, so don't worry about cleaning up"  
"Have fun. Don't get lost and don't go getting hurt"  
"We'll try not to. I better get in as many runs as I can"  
"Oh yeah, you won't be able to before long"  
Eren wouldn't be able to? What? Maybe as a human, but he should be able to as a wolf. Making a mental note of it, he watched Eren shift. The omega nuzzled against Hannes hand as the man patted him  
"Your pups are nearly as big as you. Of you go then"

Levi had never known what it was like to run with a pack. He'd never been able to be so open with his other side, outside of the few times he'd shifted at Izzy's and once or twice to help with what he now knew to be cons orchestrated by Kenny. Even running with Eren was different feeling to this. Their son's were naturally slower given their age, but they were amazingly well coordinated for boys who'd only just learnt how to shift. Eren had left him take the lead, and the omega was bringing up the rear, no doubt making sure the boys didn't take off and get into too much trouble. Leaping up onto a fallen tree, Levi span back to stare down the boys, challenging their next move. Neither boy backed down, both launching themselves up at him, Eli faltered mid-jump and kind of landed in the same spot, while Ren made it half onto the tree before sliding off. Both boys were just fine, but Eren trotted up to them and nuzzled at the boys before pulling them back up by the nape and nipping on the their ears. It was adorable to watch his mate fuss over their boys, and if their sons had been in their human forms, the no doubt would have protested that they "were big boys". Size wise, they kind of were. They realistically weren't that smaller than Eren, maybe just an inch or two, meaning they would definitely be alpha's. Hannes had said his form was massive, but he didn't have any real idea of what counted as massive. All knew was like this, there was nothing that could stop him protecting Eren and their pups. 

Leaping down from the tree, Levi padded over to Eren and nuzzled at his neck, before tugging on his ear like Eren had done with the boys. His omega giving him a small whine, indicating he was alright, but they should probably head back. Both boys seemed pretty tired too, nosing at Ren got him a small yelp and the boy immediately tried to fight. Using his left paw to bop Ren on the head, he shook his head. His started to squirm, so he used the same paw to hold the boys head down, before he gently lifted him up by the scruff. Ren let out a discontented whine, but soon realised he wasn't going to win. Turning towards home, Levi kept Ren in his mouth until Eli came up beside him and knocked against him. The boy clearly asking for his brother back. Lowering Ren back down, the pup was off and running the moment his feet touched the group and Eren came up beside him, nuzzling the side of his jaw. He could feel how proud the omega was, and nuzzled back before licking the side of Eren's face. His mate let out a huff, before trotting on after the boys and Levi took a moment to watch them, before following behind. Yeah. He might just be a little... lot proud of his pack.


	60. Chapter 60

"Alright, let's take a little look"  
Gripping Levi's hand tighter, Eren wrinkled his his face as the cool gel was slowly moved across his stomach  
"Are you ok?"  
"Yeah, the gels just cold"  
Levi was staring down at him with such love and concern, Eren had to force himself to look away. This was his first official and real ultrasound... and Levi was actually here for it. He'd wished so many times Levi would just magically appear and be at one of the twins ones... so he couldn't deny it felt like a dream that the alpha was here with him right now.

Staring at the screen, he let out a shaky breath  
"Is that?"  
"Right here, this is your baby"  
Only one pup... the relief was enormous, but so was the confusion  
"And there's just one?"  
"From the looks of it. Good strong vitals and everything else looks good too"  
Gripping Levi's hand tighter, he pulled on it until Levi leant down and nuzzled at the side of his face   
"You're so amazing"  
Tears had begun to roll down his face, and he used his free hand to wipe at them  
"Is this your first?"  
"No... we've got twin boys"  
"They must be a handful"  
"They are"  
Levi turned back to screen giving him the opportunity to press a kiss to the alpha's cheek  
"What's was that for?"  
"For being here... I couldn't do this without you"  
He felt like an idiot, but he was just so happy and the tears wouldn't stop  
"Let me just take some measurements and we can print out these photos for you"  
"Thank you"  
Watching their tiny baby on the screen, Eren desperately wished his mother could be here for it. He hadn't told Levi, but if it was a girl, he wanted to name her Carla, or at least use Carla for her middle name  
"Levi, why don't you help Eren clean up?"  
Levi jumped, it seemed the alpha was just as transfixed by the image on the screen as he was. The technician passed Levi some paper towels and Levi had to let go of his hand in order to gently wipe his stomach over.

Paying for the appointment, Eren booked one for the first week of July. Given they'd be in Marley for most of June, July seemed the more sensible option  
"Levi?"  
Levi jumped, and Eren smiled gently   
"We can go now"  
"Oh... yeah... right"  
Taking his hand, Eren lead him from the reception and out to the bright sunny day  
"What do you want to do?"  
"I don't know, what should we do?"  
"Celebrate?"  
Levi snorted lightly, before moving to wrap his arms around him  
"And how does my princess want to celebrate?"  
"I want ice cream and pie. Let's find somewhere close that has both"  
Levi pressed a happy kiss to his lips   
"Mmm, I can think of other things we could do to celebrate"  
"Levi! I'm sure I don't possibly know what you mean"  
"Well, I think you'll need some new clothes for Marley and I know you like to shop"  
"Are you actually suggesting we go shopping?"  
"Mostly because I want a say in what you wear"  
"You do realise we'll be using my account"  
"I know, but you're so sexy and beautiful, I just want everyone jealous because they'll never have you"  
Eren happily nuzzled his alpha's face  
"I love you Levi, I love you so much"  
"And I love you. You're so amazing, carrying out baby and so perfectly"  
Eren snorted as he pulled away  
"You aren't disappointed it's just one pup are you?"  
"No! Never, I'm kind of relieved, this baby thing is new to me"  
"I know, I'm relieved too. The twins were a handful, and my breasts ache just thinking about it"  
"Well, I'll massage them every time they hurt"  
"I might have to take you up on that"

Thanks to end of season sales, Eren was able to pick up some really nice things for cheap. He got a white dress to wear on the flight over, as well as some loose flowing pants and a few simple maternity tops that would last a while. Levi had tried to put him in a bikini, but refused to buy one for himself, so that didn't happen. They ended up buying two new suitcases, figuring the boys could just share theirs... though it was more likely Eren would have his own suitcase and the boys would share with Levi. It was money they didn't really have, but they were both determined to make the most of the trip. They'd even do a little researching into things to see, but that hadn't gotten far as the boys were taking up almost all their attention. Neither boy wanted to be human, even at night they'd shift and it was the weirdest thing to see the boys in the wolf forms and curled up with their cats. They'd had a long talk about not shifting in public, but Eren knew it was only a matter of time.

After shopping, they stopped for lunch. They still had to go to class for the afternoon, but that lead to the inevitable conversation   
"Eren, I know you didn't want to tell anyone... but what about now?"  
Choking on his subway, Eren coughed and spluttered until he could finally breath  
"Sorry..."  
"Are you ok?"  
"Yeah..."  
Taking a large gulp of orange juice, he coughed again while waving Levi off  
"God. I hate that when that happens..."  
"Yeah. Um... so..."  
Seeing Levi looking so nervous had Eren sighing  
"Who do you want to tell?"  
"Every body and any body"  
"Well I want to keep it from Reiner and Bertholdt"  
"You want to surprise them?"  
"Consider it revenge for not telling us they got engaged"  
"Fair enough. So that means no Facebook... all our friends are kind of loud mouths"  
"I know... I kind of don't want to tell them..."  
Levi frowned  
"Are you embarrassed?"  
"What? No... it's just, it's our secret at the moment and I don't know, I guess I like that not everyone knows. It feels more intimate"  
"So you don't want to share?"  
"I know we have to, but not really... I might also be terrified about everyone at school finding out"  
"Fuck them"  
"I'd rather not. But there's going to be a lot of rumours..."  
"I know. How about, we keep it a secret until Reiner and Bertholdt know, but then I want to tell Izzy and Farlan"  
"You... you'd do that for me?"  
"Eren, I'd do anything for you. Always and forever princess"  
Feeling his eyes filling with tears again, Eren used the heel of his palm to wipe them free  
"I'm sorry, I know it's still a month until we fly out... maybe we could tell them? Izzy, Farlan, Mikasa and Armin. Just the four of them?"  
"It's alright, we'll wait. Let's just finish out the end of the time we have at school"  
Both teens already knew they were graduating, they'd already been to see the school principal and explained due to "unavoidable circumstances", they weren't going to be at school for graduation, they were also missing the summer senior dance, but given they were going to Marley, Eren was trying not to let it bother him too much  
"Thank you Levi... God. I can't believe we finish school at the end of the month"  
"I can't either. Or that they're letting me graduate"  
"That's because you kept your grades up and we both have special permission to skip classes, and Hannes gives us notes whenever we need"  
"That's true. I don't know what I'm going to do. 3 weeks without his bad jokes"  
"Maybe you'll just have to channel Dave"  
"I thought you didn't like Dave"  
"Levi. I am a healthy teenage male, who's hormones are out of control. I am horny as fuck like half the time, and crying my eyes out the other half. Dave can mount my pole anytime he likes"  
Levi gaped at him, and Eren locked eyes with the alpha as he bit down hard into the sub   
"That was so hot... and then you bit down"  
"Don't worry, I'd never bite your foot long"  
Levi let out a groan and shook his head  
"Who's channeling Dave now?"  
"Me, but it could just be that I'm really happy"  
"How happy is really happy?"  
"Happy enough that if you hurry up and finish eating, I could totally go for a quickie before we go back to school"  
Levi practically inhaled his food, while Eren slowly wrapped his sub back up  
"Aren't you eating"  
"There's something else I'd rather be full of"

Leaving the shopping centre, Eren turned off into a side street and immediately parked  
"Here?"  
"Yeah..."  
Guiding Levi's hand down to his tenting pants, he moaned as the alpha rubbed his erection teasingly   
"You know, you have way too many clothes on"  
"Yeah..."  
With a lot of fumbling, Eren finally got his pants down around his ankles and into Levi's lap. His alpha own pants were around his knees and Eren was too horny to care who might see them. Claiming Levi's lips hungrily, he rose and sank down onto the alpha's erection with a moan. Shivers ran through this whole body, and he really wasn't going to be able to last long  
"Levi... your shirt... I don't want to cum on it"  
Levi rose beneath him, his alpha's fingers making quick work of the buttons and soon enough Eren's aching erection was rubbing against his mates smooth skin, while he rocked and mewed in Levi's lap  
"So perfect, my omega having my pup... god.."  
Grabbing his hips, Levi pushed him down hard before beginning to desperately thrust into him. It wasn't long before Eren came across Levi's stomach and his alpha snarled as he desperately buried himself as deeply inside Eren as he could. With Levi's knot in place, Eren was practically purring and Levi couldn't stop pressing kisses to his lips  
"So perfect. I love you. My omega"  
The words fell on repeat between kisses, until they'd both recovered enough to clean up.

The pain that flared through his arse, had Eren smiling like an idiot. Levi's lingering scent still filled his senses and his alpha had a firm hold on his thigh as he drove back to school  
"Levi, I had a really good morning today"  
"So did I Princess"  
Giving the alpha a slow deep kiss, Eren forced himself back with a groan "Sports is going to hurt like a bitch"  
"Maybe, but if it hurts too bad, I can always supply you with some soothing cream"  
"Was that Levi the masseuse creeping in?"  
"No, that was just me being creepy"  
"Well that's alright then, 'cause I only really want Levi my alpha"  
"That's good, because you're the only one he wants too"

 

*  
Levi wasn't prepared for the wave of emotions that came with their finally day at school. To him, every other school had just been a shit hole he'd been stuck in from time to time. But this place... this place was special. It was here that Eren had come back into his life. Here that he'd actually kind of made friends with people he could stomach for longer than 5 minutes and here that they were spending their lunch break locked in the toilet cubicle having amazing sex for the last time ever on school grounds  
"L-Levi... I'm gonna cum"  
Fumbling a handful of toilet paper off the roll, Levi awkwardly covered the top of Eren's leaking erection and jerked his omega hard until Eren came with a long moan, the omega rocked his hips through his orgasm, and Levi's hand became wet where Eren's cum had missed the wad of paper. His omega was such a slut for him now he pregnant and Levi was more than happy to oblige. Letting his own orgasm take him, he smashed his lips against Eren's and Eren tightened around him so deliciously that he came hard enough to feel momentarily light headed. The only thing keeping them upright was Eren's hold on the cubicle wall and the alpha needed a few long moments to recover  
"Levi?"  
"Mhmm"  
"I don't want to leave everyone behind"  
"I know Princess, but it's not like you'll never see them again"  
"I know... but that's what everyone says. They're all like, we'll be friends forever, but everyone gets busy with their own lives as people drift apart"  
Eren began to sniffled, and Levi sighed  
"Wrap your arms around me"  
With his arms around Levi, Eren wept against the alpha  
"I know baby, but we can to Shinganshima as often as you want. And you'll still see Armin and Mikasa"  
"But what if they don't want to see me?"  
"I doubt very much that would happen"  
"It's so much scarier than I thought it would be"  
"I know, but just think, this time next week we'll be in Marley and you'll get to see Reiner and Bertholdt again"  
"I know... do you think they'll be mad?"  
"At what?"  
"That I'm pregnant?"  
"No Eren, of course they won't"  
And I'll tear them to shreds if they say anything bad about it... though Levi wasn't exactly going to tell his hormonal boyfriend that. Inside he held Eren tighter and rubbed his mates back until he calmed  
"Feeling better?"  
"Yeah..."  
"Good. We still have to go get all our stuff from our lockers"  
"And then we have to get the boys... I'm not going to miss paying for daycare"  
"How much were you paying a week?"  
"Even when they weren't going, it still came out of my account... it was like $300 or something and that was discounted... they stopped taking full payments, so may I hit a limit. I always said I'd pull the boys out when they turned 5"  
"It seems like only yesterday they turned 4"  
"I know... they're growing up too fast... I don't know if I can handle it"  
Eren began to cry again, and Levi bit down a sigh. Readjusting his hold on Eren, he wished his knot would hurry up and go down. He didn't even understand why he was still knotting his pregnant mate... it wasn't like he could get him pregnant while I was pregnant  
"Of course you can. We can. And we will together"  
"I'm sorry for crying"  
"It's ok. Even I'm struggling. I didn't expect to be this emotional about leaving"  
"You're emotional?"  
Levi snorted, before nuzzling against Eren's neck  
"Yeah, after all, it was here you came back into my life"  
"I still remember that. You and Petra were making out"  
"Ew. Not cool. I don't talk about you and Reiner"  
"We weren't dating"  
"That's besides the point"  
Eren let out a small whine and Levi kicked himself   
"Ok. I get it. That was my bad. But still, the only reason that I stayed in school here was for you. When you weren't around, this place fucking sucked"  
"I'd rather be here than be in hospital again"  
"I'd rather you here too"

Sneaking out the toilets, Levi was hushing Eren as they went. They only had a few minutes before the bell was due to ring, and Eren wouldn't stop giggling. All it took was one look at either of them to know what they'd spent their lunch time doing  
"Sprung!"  
Eren spun round and put his hands up, still giggling as he did  
"Sorry Armin! Couldn't resist"  
"Don't you have like the rest of your lives to be sneaking around and sexing on the sly?"  
"Yep, but this was out last chance here"  
Mikasa rolled her eyes   
"By all means totally ditch us! I still can't believe you're going to Marley"  
"It's only gonna be for 3 weeks, we'll be back before you know it"  
"But you won't be here to graduate with us!!"  
"I know, but I couldn't say no to Reiner and Bertholdt"  
Armin sighed and wrapped his arms around Mikasa   
"And you're gonna miss the dance"  
Eren sighed softly, Levi knew his mate had been kind of looking forward to it until he'd realised they be in Marley   
"Don't remind him, he was all happy about going"  
"Well, if you don't go to Marley..."  
Armin was joking, but the smile on Eren's face slipped away  
"After all the messing around to get passports, and clearances and clothes and flights... there's no way we aren't going now"  
"Clearances?"  
"I have a criminal record remember"  
"I thought that would be like all good cause you got charged when you were 17"  
"And I was still serving out my sentence when I turned 18. Anyway, enough about that, Eren you need a selfie with Armin and Mikasa"  
"We took one this morning"  
"You took about a million with everyone this morning, but fuck all with just the three of you"  
His distraction worked and Eren moved to stand behind his friends, while Levi pulled out his phone  
"Now, are we ready"  
"Only if you take a photo with them after"  
"Yes, yes, now shush"  
Eren smiled sweetly behind his two best friends, and then they posed while Levi took a few more photos.

Switching positions, Levi found himself squished between the two teens  
"I feel like a sardine"  
"Mikasa, he can talk, squash him further!"  
Completely crushed, he couldn't help but smile as Eren giggled. His boyfriends moods had definitely been all over the place, but now Eren was smiling again, he never wanted it to stop.

Cleaning out their lockers sucked. For some reason everyone decided they had to crowd around, and Levi was totally pulled to pieces for having photos of Eren and the boys in his locker, especially as Eren didn't have anything like that in his own. He did however find a bud at the back, and given he had no idea how it got there, he promptly passed it over to Farlan. There was an insane amount of tears as their group of friends continued to trail after them, and out to the sedan. Eren had campaigned for the ute, but Levi wasn't having it  
"I don't want you guys to goooooo!"  
Sasha threw herself dramatically over the pair of them  
"I know, but Shinganshima isn't that far away"  
"Noooo, I have to crown the next cheer captain and they all suck"  
"You'll be fine Sasha. It's not our problem anymore"  
"But I don't want them to think I was an idiot"  
Levi snorted and gently detached from Sasha   
"Pick whoever's most annoying"  
"Why would I do that?"  
"Revenge for them all sucking?"  
Sasha glared at him, before squeezing Eren firmly and detaching  
"This isn't over"  
"I know"

Izzy slipped forward and grabbed his arm, pulling him away from the rest of the group  
"Big Brother"  
The girl was already crying, but now she broke down completely and Levi wrapped his arms around her  
"Hey, I'll see you guys again real soon"  
"But..."  
"Izzy, we get back the 25th of June. So you and Farlan can come down and stay with us anytime after that"  
"But this all just seems so final"  
"Izzy, I'm your Big Brother, we're family"  
"I'm gonna miss you!!!"  
"And I'm going miss you too, so take real good care of yourself and Farlan"  
"O-ok"  
"And you can call us anytime. Even if it's because you need a cooking lesson. We can FaceTime, and chat on Facebook"  
"I know"  
Izzy gave him a small squeeze  
"Ok. I'm good now. You and Eren still have to pick up the boys right?"  
"Yeah, that's the next stop"  
"Ok... um... bye?"  
Levi snorted, and slung his arm over Izzy's shoulder as they walked back to the group  
"Everyone said their goodbyes?"  
"Yeah, I guess we better go get the boys"  
Farlan took Izzy into his hold  
"You alright Iz?"  
"Yeah, Big Brother said we could go stay with them when they get back"  
Eren looked to Levi and Levi nodded  
"If you don't mind Izzy, you can make a list of thing you want to try cooking and we can make them when you guys come down"  
Izzy's eyes lit up  
"That would be awesome!"  
"Come on Eren, we better go..."  
His omega slowly climbed into the driver's seat and sighed, Levi could see the tears Eren was fighting so hard not to let fall. Rushing to climb in on the passengers side, he took his boyfriends hand  
"This isn't goodbye forever, you know that"  
"I... know... fuck, I don't know what I'm going to do now"  
"We'll work it out together, but first we kind of need to leave the parking bay"  
Eren wiped his eyes and nodded, before pulling the car keys from his pocket  
"Do you think the boys are gonna be upset?"  
"Maybe..."

 

*  
The boys couldn't have cared less, or at least that's how it seemed. Everyone had signed a card for them, and the daycare director was actually civil as Eren signed the forms to officially unenroll the boys and stop the direct payments. The woman promised that he'd be reimbursed any over paid fees. Eren highly doubted he would be and more than a little relieved he'd never have to drop his boys off here again.

Returning to drop off room, Ren and Eli beamed up at him happily  
"We're going home now, right?"  
"Yep. Have you said goodbye to everyone?"  
"Done and dusted!"  
Levi snorted at Ren's words  
"What about you Eli? You all good?"  
"Yep, daddy has everything, so we can go now"  
There was a cardboard of random looking stuff in Levi's hands, and Eren had a feeling every bit of it was a work of art to the twins  
"Ok, lets go then..."  
The boys took off towards the door, and Eren could only shake his head as he followed. He'd honestly expected tears and screaming, not this...  
"They seem to be taking this well"  
Nodding at Levi's words, Eren moved to open the door for his alpha. Eli and Ren were already outside and waiting by the gate   
"I get the feeling they'll end up missing this place before school starts again"  
"I won't. The woman here's a bitch"  
"Levi, shhhh, there are kids around"  
"And they probably say a lot worse..."  
Letting out a sigh Eren trailed behind Levi. It wasn't like they weren't coming back to Trost in two days time to fly out for Marley, but leaving school, unenrolling the boys, saying goodbye, it was all just so final and Eren honest felt like he was just going to burst into tears. After Marley, he really wasn't going to have much reason to come back to Trost, and he wasn't going to have any particular reason to see everyone he'd gone to school with, just because he'd miss them, didn't make it a two way street. Stumbling forward, he wrapped his arms around Levi and sniffled slightly  
"I know princess, let's just get to the car, and then you can cry"  
"I don't wanna cry"  
"Yes you do, you'll feel better once you do"  
"How do you know?"  
"Because I'm your mate and I love you"  
"Fine..."   
Eren kept his arms around Levi until they made it to the car, he unlocked the doors so the twins could climb in, while Levi placed the box of the twins stuff in the boot with theirs. Closing the car boot, Levi turned around in his hold and took his face into his hands  
"No matter what happens princess, I'm always gonna be here for you. I'm never gonna leave you behind"  
Levi lowered his face down so they were forehead to forehead   
"I'm sorry... it's just... so much at once"  
"And it didn't help having that nightmare did it?"  
Eren shook his head. He'd woken up screaming for the first time in a long time that morning. He'd dreamed about being stabbed all over again, but given the time of year, it wasn't completely unexpected   
"I just feel... like I'm so easy to leave behind... it's stupid. I know it's stupid..."  
"Trust me, you are not easy to leave behind. Those 6 months... never again baby"  
Levi gently tilted his face, and kissed him softly, it was crazy how the alpha could still make his heart skip a beat  
"Let's go home. To our home"  
"Muuuuum! Come on! Stop kissing daddy!"  
Both teens snorted, and pulled apart. Eli was hanging out the door, clearly impatient and small smile came to Eren's lips  
"Yes, yes, we're coming"  
"Good, cause we want McDonald's"  
Letting out a groan, Eren began to move towards the driver's seat  
"What do you think they'd do if we just sat in the car?"  
"They'd probably stage a mutiny. Chuck us out, and then work together to make off with the car"  
"Yeah, no. Hannes kind of needs the car back in one piece"  
"You know, I still don't know why he stuck with the shitty blue ute for so long"  
Eren slid into the driver's seat and looked to Levi, wasn't it completely obvious?  
"Because he knew I hated it"


	61. Chapter 61

Hannes had driven them into Trost for their flight at 10pm and Eren was more than slightly highly strung. The boys had tried to pack the cats, and started screaming when they couldn't take them. Levi had misplaced the passports and the tickets, which turned out to be on top of the fridge. He'd then found himself throwing his guts up, and now he felt like shit and was trailing behind Levi as they headed towards the boarding gate  
"Mum, I need to peeeee"  
Lord have mercy on him, looking around for a toilet, he had no clue and even though it was night time, the airport was stupidly busy  
"Levi!"  
Levi seemed shocked that he and the boys were so far behind him, jogging back, the alpha had a frown on his face  
"What's wrong?"  
"Eli needs to go to the toilet"  
"Oh... can't you take him?"  
It looks could kill, Levi would be dead  
"I mean, of course I'll take him. What about you Ren?"  
Ren nodded, but that might have because Eren looked towards him with the same cold look  
"Ok. So where's the toilet around here?"  
"If I knew that, I wouldn't have had to call you back"  
He couldn't help the snippiness in his tone. He was so tired of being the responsible one today, and his head was throbbing from the stuffy feeling of the air port, he cast a look around again, finding a cafe a little further down from where they were  
"I'm going to sit down and wait at that cafe. I expect you all to have peed by the time you get back"  
When Levi saluted him, he honestly felt like kicking the alpha in the shins. Letting go of the boys hands, he walked off and left them to go find a toilet. He needed a coffee if he was going to have any chance of making it through this flight without strangling one of them.

The airports coffee had sucked, and the moment they stepped onto the plane, Eren's stomach rolled   
"What's our row number?"  
"32. Seats a,b,c,d"  
"Ok? So towards the back more?"  
Given they'd progressed to row 12, it kind of went without saying that yes, they had to keep moving. Following behind Levi and the boys, Eren placed one hand on his stomach. He was wearing a form fitting white dress that made the small bump obvious. He also had a bra on, and flats. He figured he might as well at least look nice, given how shit he felt inside. Reaching their seats, Eren sighed. Given it was 6 to a row, 3 seats each side of the cabin, they'd be separated   
"Boys, get in first"  
Ren beat Eli to the window, not that they could see anything other than inky blackness. With the boys in, Eren sat down in his seat with a heavy groan   
"Are you alright?"  
"Levi, I love you and all, but please just stop talking"  
He shot his alpha a small smile, before leaning back and closing his eyes.

The plane was barely half an hour into the 6 hour flight, when nausea swept over him and he was sent scrambling for the toilet. Thankfully the boys had passed out almost the moment they realised that flying in a plane was just a whole lot of sitting around  
"Eren"  
Levi's hand came to his shoulder, but the omega really couldn't care less, practically stumbling into the toilet, he threw up hard into the sad excuse for a basin  
"Sirs, I'm afraid only one person at a time is allowed in the cubicle for safety reasons"  
"Sorry. Levi, it's fine, go back to..."  
Throwing up with the stewardess right there was humiliating   
"My mates pregnant, we'll be out soon"  
The woman nodded quickly   
"Please see that you are. Would you like something to drink?"  
"Water please"  
It was a few moments before his stomach started to settle and Eren rinsed the sink  
"Better?"  
"Not really"  
"I thought you were supposed to be past this whole nausea thing"  
"Apparently not. Sorry. I don't mean to keep snapping at you, I'm just exhausted"  
"I know princess"  
"Here's your water"  
Levi took the bottle from the stewardess and opened it before handing it over, after rinsing his mouth, Eren passed it back  
"I'm alright now. Thank you"  
Levi stayed stuck to him like glue as they walked back down the isle and to their seats. Eren sank down and looked to the boys, thankfully they hadn't woken  
"Try and get some sleep"  
"Yeah, that's the plan"

After his second trip to throw up, he was sorely tempted to just stay in the bathroom. The stewardess was kind enough not to bother sending Levi away again, though it was a tight fit inside the cubicle for both of them. Sitting on the floor was find of gross, but Levi was rubbing his neck and shoulders, which helped a little... and unfortunately had him hard, which was completely stupid given how crap he felt  
"You alright princess?"  
Looking down at his lap, Eren sighed   
"I'm throwing my fucking guts up and I'm hard. I think my body has just given up"  
Levi snorted   
"Do you want me to suck you off, you might feel better"  
"How can you even want to touch me? I literally just threw up"  
"I know you're struggling with your hormones, but every time I look at your stomach..."  
Levi's hand slid down from his shoulder, across his stomach to his tenting dress  
"I want you"

With his legs either side of Levi's head, Eren was lost in pleasure. His left hand was stuffed in his mouth, as he tried to stifle his moans. His alpha was so fucking good at this. If it wasn't for the fact they tended to get really loud when they fucked, Eren would have been begging for Levi's knot. Instead he was rocking his hips needily, as Levi rubbed at his sweet spot while putting his mouth to good use around his erection. When his thighs began to shake, Levi began to thrust his fingers in and out harder and faster until Eren finally came down the back of his alpha's throat. Completely spent from his orgasm, Eren laid back against the mirror shaking, while Levi pulled back with a smirk   
"Feeling better?"  
"Much... I don't think I can move"  
"That's alright. I'll clean you up, and hopefully now you'll get some sleep"  
"Mhmm thank you Levi"  
"Anytime princess"  
Levi cleaned him up throughly and triple checked that none had of his slick had gotten on his dress or underwear. The alpha was then tasked with getting him back to his seat, and he finally managed to drift off.

 

*  
Having survived going through customs, and having napped the rest of the flight. Eren was feeling so much better. He still couldn't quiet believe what they'd done, but it seemed to have helped. Or at least that was the story he was sticking too  
"So Reiner and Bertholdt are meeting us here right?"  
"Yes Levi"  
The alpha has asked him three times since the plane had landed, and that's why he was carrying the twins, while Eren was pulling the suitcase along. Both boys were still sleepy and super grumpy  
"Yeager!"  
Catching sight of Reiner and Bertholdt, he let go of the suitcase handles and ran over to throw his arms around his friends. Bertholdt caught him a huge hug   
"You look great!"  
Eren giggled, but Reiner grabbed him from behind and span around with him in slow circles   
"Stop! Nooooo! Mercy! I'm in a dress!"  
Reiner snorted as he lowered him, his hand sliding over Eren's stomach   
"Eren, are you?"  
"Yep! 4 months!"  
Both alpha's hugged him at once and he felt squished   
"Guys! Don't crush the pregnant omega"  
"Why didn't you tell us?"  
"Because you didn't tell me you'd even gotten engaged! Consider this revenge"  
Finally reaching them, Levi sighed   
"If it counts, you're the first of our friends to know"  
Reiner pulled back and stared down at him  
"Really?"  
"Yep! So no more spinning me around, I've already thrown up enough for today"  
The alpha wrinkled his nose  
"Fun times"  
"Totally. Anyway, can we please get out of here? The boys are cranky, and I need sleep"  
"Thank god. I was worried you'd changed, but you're still the same old Eren"  
"Of course I am. I have Levi to keep me on the straight and narrow"  
Sliding from the hold of his friends, Eren wrapped his arms around his alpha and pressed a kiss to his cheek  
"Ok, we get the message. You're ridiculously happy, we're ridiculously happy. It's time to get out of here and then happy times ahead!"  
Eren snorted at Bertholdt's words and Reiner moved to retrieve the suitcases  
"Let me guess, Eren has his own"  
"Yep! Though, I for one would be happy if he wore less"  
"Guys! Don't tease me!"  
Letting go of Levi, Eren grabbed Bertholdt's arm  
"Come on, you need to tell me everything!"

Reiner and Bertholdt had driven to the airport separately, so Eren opted to go with Bertholdt instead of Reiner, purely because he wanted all the gossip. Climbing into the front Bertholdt's SUV, Eren sighed and rubbed his stomach   
"You alright?"  
"Oh, yeah. The flight didn't exactly get along with my morning sickness, but it's fine now"  
"That's good to hear, I'd hate for your first night here to be in hospital"  
"Nope, no need for that. Anyway, spill! I need to know everything"  
Bertholdt snorted, before clipping his own seatbelt and starting the SUV  
"Where do I start?"  
"Um, with school and go from there?"  
"Schools good, it was a little weird at first, the place is like 4 times bigger than Trost"  
"Holy shit"  
"Pretty much. We spent most of the first week lost, but the soccer teams pretty nice, most of them helped us out"  
"That's good. Our went to shit, we got knocked out in the first round of competition"  
"Oh wow, I wasn't expecting that"  
"Yep. Morons kicked the ball into our own goals"  
Bertholdt let out a groan, while Eren nodded his agreement  
"We didn't even have that much of cheer year either"  
"Well I saw your performance at the talent show"  
"How?"  
"Armin, he posted it on Facebook. I can't believe you guys got kicked off"  
"Yep, we over sexualised the song, but I had a feeling it would happen"  
"Still, it was getting pretty good"  
Eren bit down a yawn and sat up a little straighter in his seat  
"If you're tired, you can nap. We live a good half an hour from here"  
"No, I want to hear more about you and Reiner, like when did he propose?"  
"Christmas morning. Can you believe it? I woke up with the ring on my fingers and a piece of card stuck on the ceiling above our bed saying "Will You Marry Me?", he'd put it up while I was a sleep"  
"Aw, that's adorable. I can't believe you didn't tell me sooner"  
"We didn't know how it would go over, we didn't want to upset with Levi not being home"  
"Still, you've had months!"  
"How about this then, next time we get engaged I'll call you first"  
"Deal. You have no idea how happy I am for you guys"  
"Reiner said you were broken"  
"I couldn't talk. I was just so happy and I could stop smiling"  
"I can't image you without anything to say"  
"Ha ha ha"  
"Anyway, what about you? Since when are you pregnant?"  
"Since the first week of February. So in four month now. I hope you're not too mad"  
"What the hell would I be mad about?"  
"Because I'll have a bump in your wedding photos"  
"Eren, it's fine. It's more than fine... but we'll have to find you something non-alcoholic for the wedding"  
"Hannes says my limit is 3 champagnes"  
"Oh, that's alright then"  
Catching Bertholdt's eyes, both teens laughed  
"God, I've missed you"  
"We missed you too Eren... and the boys, they've gotten big"  
"I can't believe they'll be 5 so soon. Does Marley have a zoo?"  
"Eren, Marley has practically everything"  
"Hey, I'm allowed to be a little ignorant, I'm so tired that I can't even brain"  
"I told you you can take a nap"  
"But I'm too excited. Today's been soooo long, but now I'm here I'm wide awake"  
The yawn that slipped out ruined his argument  
"Tell me again how wide awake you are"  
Despite his protests, Eren still fell asleep.

"Come on princess time to wake up"  
Grumbling and swatting in the direction of Levi's voice, Eren tried his best to stay asleep  
"Levi, do you want me to carry him?"  
"No, I've got it"  
Strong arms lifted him from the seat and Eren shivered as he was suddenly exposed to the cold night air  
"So mean"  
"We thought you might actually like to sleep inside, but we can leave you in the car if you want"  
"Nooooo, but you're still mean"  
Opening his eyes, he found himself at the front of a large house... a ridiculously large house  
"God, I forgot you guys were rich"  
"Just a little. Our parents didn't like the apartment we were renting"  
Because that just explained everything. Clinging to Levi, he let his alpha carry him towards the front door. Bertholdt was carrying the twins and Reiner had their suitcases. It seemed he'd missed a fair bit during his nap.

The moment Reiner opened the door, Eren's breath was taken away. The inside was incredible, like something from a magazine, and he felt incredibly small and insignificant in his $15 dollar dress  
"You ok?"  
"Yeah. This place is just insane"  
"It is a little and it's far too big for just the two of us"  
"Trust me, with the boys running around, it's going to feel a whole lot smaller"  
"Nah, it's fine. I'll show you up to your rooms, and I'll give you the proper tour in the morning"  
"I'm sorry I'm so sleepy..."  
Bertholdt snorted   
"He tried to say he was wide awake, and then he ruins it with a yawn and falling asleep almost straight away"  
"Dobber"  
"Well he has had a long day, I'm sure throwing up on the plane didn't help in the slightest"  
"Your rooms got its own ensuite, so you want have to worry about throwing up"  
"Yay! I can throw up somewhere new"  
Levi laughed at his sarcastic tone  
"He's got nausea meds, but I think he was mostly throwing up from stress"  
"Guys, I'm like right here"  
"We know"

Closing his eyes again, he nuzzled against Levi's neck, his alpha's scent helped to lull him back to sleep and he was snoring before they even made it up to the bedrooms.

 

*  
Levi was still on Trost time. Having woken to find it was 7, he was confused until he remembered Marley was an hour ahead... and then he remembered they were on holiday and didn't actually have to be awake just yet. Rolling over, he wrapped his arms around Eren and nuzzled into his neck. He had thought being trapped in a car with Reiner would have been torture, but the alpha mostly asked about how everyone at school was and how Eren had been. It might have been a little awkward at first, but that passed.

Eren slept for maybe an hour before letting out a sleepy sigh. Levi had tried to fall back to sleep, but it just hadn't happened  
"Hey princess, have a good sleep"  
"Mmmm, this bed is ridiculous"  
"Wait until you see the whole room"  
Eren rolled over to face him, groaning as he did  
"I'm sorry I fell asleep"  
"No, it's fine. You were exhausted after all"  
"Yeah, I don't think I like flying"  
"I don't know, I found it pretty fun"  
Eren's cheeks reddened slightly and Levi moved to gently kiss Eren's pouty lips  
"Thank you for carrying me"  
"I stripped you too"  
"I had a feeling that was you..."  
"Mhmm, all the easier to touch you"  
Eren snorted and shook his head  
"Not even awake 5 minutes and you want me"  
"I always want you. Besides, you have no idea how beautiful you are"  
Levi's hand slid across Eren's stomach and his omega let out a shaky breath  
"Levi..."  
"Relax. The kids are probably still asleep, no ones going to interrupt us"  
"Really?"  
"Yep, now come here you"  
Sliding beneath the covers, Levi rolled Eren onto his back and moved between the omegas legs. He'd been horny since blowing his boyfriend on the plane and he probably would have exploded if Eren had rejected him. With careful and light touches, his fingers danced across his mates smooth skin, causing Eren to moan unashamedly as he went  
"I want to take you from behind"  
Eren nodded, and Levi pulled back so his mate could position himself. He couldn't help but lap at the slick beginning to leak from his lovers opening, and Eren's mews were just so perfect. Losing himself in Eren's heat, he didn't want the moment to stop. When he finally knotted his omega, he pulled Eren close to him and nuzzled against his shoulder  
"My omega"  
"Mmmm, always yours, and only yours"  
His hands slid to rest on Eren's stomach and his boyfriend moaned lightly  
"Our pup"  
"Yes alpha, yours and mine"  
Eren tilted his head, allowing Levi access to his neck, and Levi pressed appreciative kisses against it  
"I can't wait to meet our pup, your stomachs going to swell so big, so full"  
Massaging firmly against the bump, Eren rocked against him  
"Full of your pup..."  
Taking hold on Eren's half hard penis with one hand, he continued to rub and massage the swell possessively until Eren was a shaking mess. His boyfriend came with a low whine, and Levi held him tighter   
"My omega, so perfect. So proud to be your alpha"  
"Mmm, I'm proud of my alpha... so good to me, so good to our pups and so protective..."  
Smirking at Eren's words, Levi rolled his hips. His knot had begun to lessen, and he wanted to hurry up and knot Eren again, especially seeing his omega was being so receptive, but he was also worried about hurting his precious mate and their pup  
"Can I shower with you?"  
"Please, I don't want you to let me go"

Eren laid limply against him as the hot water poured over them. He hadn't been able to stop from knotting his mate again, and Eren was exhausted from his third orgasm  
"I love you princess"  
Pressing a kiss to the side of Eren's face, he received a small sleepy smile  
"I know"  
"And one day, we'll finally get married too. But I want a job first, so can you wait for me?"  
"I'd wait forever for you"  
"You're so kind and beautiful and precious, I want to give you everything you want"  
"All I want is you"  
Fuck. Eren had him wrapped around his little finger, his life had been complete shit before Eren. Eren was his world, he'd never be able to recover if anything ever happened to him. His fingers moved to gently stroke the scar. He hated knowing that as his mates stomach swelled, the scar would grow too  
"Levi, please"  
"Sorry. Sometimes I just get so scared. It's hard to believe you survived"  
There had been so much blood...  
"I did, and I'm here... please don't be so sad"  
His mate had fucking nightmares about that fucker Grisha, and yet Eren was telling him not to be sad. His boyfriend really was one of a kind.

Half an hour later, both teens were dressed. Eren was still asleep on his feet, so Levi was carrying him again  
"I can walk"  
"Or you could let me carry you. I assume you want to see the boys first?"  
Nodding quickly, Levi sighed. Parent mode activated. The boys room was on the other side of their ensuite, and there was a connecting door, but it was locked from their side... unlocking the door, he peaked into he room. Both boys were asleep in the middle of the king sized bed they were sharing  
"Still asleep"  
"I want cuddles"  
"From them or me"  
"Both"  
"Hold on then"  
Carrying Eren over to the side of the bed, the omega slid from his hold and over to wrap his arms around Eli, while Levi climbed in behind him  
"We made cute kids"  
"We do... do you think this little ones a boy or a girl?"  
"I don't know"  
"What do you want it to be?"  
"Healthy and happy"  
Eren snorted   
"Fine, maybe a girl... daddies little girl, but I feel like the boys would totally pick on her"  
"And then her daddy would come to the rescue"  
"What do you want it to be?"  
"A girl, but honestly, the idea of it being a girl is terrifying. I don't know what's normal for girls and when she starts dating..."  
"I'll scare them all away"  
"I know you will... You do know, we probably just jinxed him"  
"I'll still love him all the same"  
"Yeah..."  
Settling into silence, they both watched the boys sleep.

There was a light knock on the door, and Reiner popped his head in  
"I thought you might be in here, how are we feeling this morning"  
"Good, I'm sorry I fell asleep last night"  
"It's all good, we're just happy you're here. The boys still asleep I see"  
"Yeah, they had a long day yesterday"  
"I think we all did"  
Eren snorted  
"You weren't the ones screaming because you couldn't bring your cat"  
"That's true"  
"I'm going to start breakfast if you guys want to get up"  
"I suppose we should wake them"  
"I'll just be downstairs, if you get lost, just call out and I'll come find you"  
"Thanks Reiner"  
Reiner closed the door quietly and Eren shifted in his arms  
"I'll bath the boys, do you want to get their clothes ready while I do?"  
"Mmm, thanks Levi"  
Levi nuzzled into Eren's neck pressing a kiss to the bonding mark as he did. He could smell how sleepy Eren was and wanted his mate to spend the day relaxing... not that would probably happen  
"Eli baby, time to wake up"  
Shaking their son gently, both teens were startled by the way the boy shot up in bed  
"Mum! Why did you let us sleep so late!"  
"It's not that late, but you need to go take a bath with your brother, before you can go see Reiner and Bertholdt"  
Eli promptly started shaking Ren   
"Ren! We're in Marley! Get up already!"  
Ren sprang up like Eli had and Levi couldn't help but laugh  
"Ok, I think that means their excited. I'll be back soon"

With the boys in the bath, Levi watched them splash around. The bath in the ensuite was huge, and he'd only needed to fill it a third of the way  
"Their clothes are on our bed"  
"Ok Princess, we'll be done soon"  
Eren disappeared out the bathroom and Levi looked back to the boys  
"You guys done?"  
"This tub is huuuuuuge"  
"It is, but you can't stay in there forever"  
"Why not!?"  
Eli sounded scandalised   
"Because Reiner is making breakfast"  
"Can't he bring it here?"  
"Nope, come on, out we go"  
The moment he lifted Ren out, the boy was running off to the bedroom, and Eli followed suit. Carrying the boys towels, Levi followed and let out a small groan. Both boys were jumping around on their bed naked and completely happy to be  
"Guys, come on. You can do that later"  
"But daddy, it's fun"  
"And mummy is waiting for you"  
"But we're on holiday"  
Walking over, he grabbed Eli first and bundled him into the first towel, before carrying him through the bathroom and sitting him down on the bed he was sharing with Eren   
"Eren, we had two escapees, you better keep an eye on him while I get the other one"  
Eren rolled his eyes  
"Eli, did you escape from your father"  
"We wanted to jump on the bed"  
"Of course you did"  
By the time he got hold of Ren and carried him to where Eren was waiting, Eli was dried and dressed   
"You look exhausted"  
"They have way too much energy"  
"Don't they always?"

Ren and Eli ran down the stairs ahead of them, while Levi kept and arm around Eren   
"You don't need to hover"  
"But I like hovering"  
"That you do. I was thinking, maybe we could take the boys to the zoo while we're here. We probably shouldn't do too much on their birthday, but if we go a couple of days before, we can just do something small"  
"That's probably a smart plan. They won't know any different"  
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I don't want to go all out and end up exhausted"  
"Princess, I understand. Why don't we take a look online at the other things we can do. Maybe we can find an aquarium?"  
"Mmm, the boys don't like fish that much, but I'd love to go"  
"What did fish ever do to them?"  
"I don't know"  
Even after the stepped off the staircase, Levi kept his arm around Eren and nuzzled against his omegas neck   
"I love you"  
"I noticed, you're being very loving this morning"  
"That's because we're on holiday"  
"Oh, so you won't be this loving when we get home?"  
"You know what I mean. We have literally nothing to worry about, and all the time in the world to do it"  
Dropping a kiss on Eren's lips, the pair then promptly proceeded to get lost.


	62. Chapter 62

Eren had hardly expected to be whisked away by Bertholdt the moment he'd finished breakfast, yet here he was standing outside a bridal store with his friend  
"I should have warned you sooner, but my mothers already here... she's a bit..."  
Bertholdt scratched the back of his head, as if he had no words   
"Yeah... maybe. But it'll all be ok, right?"  
"Maybe"  
Taking his hand, Bertholdt lead him into the store and Eren was transported to another world.

Dresses of all styles were on display and one look told Eren he'd never ever be able to afford anything this nice, still, he found himself staring  
"See something you like?"  
"Pretty much everything"  
Bertholdt laughed lightly  
"Only pretty much?"  
"Yeah, and I suppose I'll like them a whole lot less when I see the price tags"  
"Bertholdt Hoover! How long did you intend to keep me waiting"  
Bertholdt jumped and winced at the sound of, what Eren assumed to be, his mothers voice  
"Mother, sorry about that. Traffic was chaos"  
"Then you should have left sooner"  
Following Bertholdt into what seemed to be the changing area, Eren soon found himself in front of a stern and somewhat scary looking woman  
"So this is the infamous Eren"  
"Eren Yeager, it's a pleasure to meet you"  
"Yes, yes, I'm sure it is. Bertholdt, you neglected to inform me Eren was pregnant"  
"Because that doesn't change anything"  
"Are you sure you still want him in the wedding party like that?"  
Feeling exceptionally self conscious Eren's hands went to his stomach   
"Nothing against you, I'm sure you're nice enough, but my son is only getting married once and having his best man in a dress, honestly Bertholdt what are you thinking?"  
"I'm thinking that it's my wedding and you have no right to talk to Eren like that"  
"Your cousin Annie..."  
"Mother, no. Eren is an important friend to both Reiner and I"  
"An important friend who used to screw Reiner"  
If the ground opened up and swallowed him right there and then, Eren would have been eternally grateful, but it didn't  
"Mum, that's enough. You don't know what you're talking about"  
"And you're blind. He's obviously no better than street trash. Look at him"  
"I am looking at him, and he looks good! You have no idea what he's been through and you're being exceptionally rude to him"  
"Excuse me, perhaps now isn't the time for the this"  
Both Hoovers turned and looked to an older woman who was clearly the stores proprietor   
"Yes, you're right. Go on, dress him up, not that it will remove the stink of poor from him"  
Eren had no idea how such a bitter and twisted cow had raised such a caring and loving son like Bertholdt. As it was, he was exhausted by her already and tears were very nearly about to fall   
"Eren, we've selected a few dresses already, perhaps you'd like to come try them on"  
He hadn't expected the woman to know his name, but he supposed Mrs Hoover had ranted up a storm about him  
"Sure"  
He pushed a smile and slipped past Bertholdt, following the woman into what seemed to be a small workspace  
"Now dear, why don't you take a seat, you look like you need a few moments to collect yourself"  
Eren nodded silently and sank down in the chair the woman had gestured to  
"She's a nasty piece of work, she's been here since we opened"  
"Oh..."  
He didn't know what to say   
"Pretty much dear. Are you feeling alright?"  
Rubbing his stomach slowly, he let out a deep breath  
"Yeah, I suppose it's my fault for not letting them know sooner"  
"It's fine, do you mind if I ask how far along you are?"  
"Four months"  
"It seems like just yesterday my daughters were born"  
"We chose not to find out the sex"  
"Ah, I suppose people do tend to go in for that sort of thing. Now that your colours looking better, do you feel ready to try on these dresses?"

The first dress Eren didn't like. It was a prawn pink, or as some might call it "Salmon" and he felt like Bertholdt's mother was just fucking with him. Walking out and into the show room, the woman took one look and whooped with laughter   
"Mother!"  
"No, she's right, it doesn't suit me at all"  
"That's not what I meant. The wedding colours are white, silver and black. Which she knew"  
"But doesn't he look hilarious"  
Spinning and walking back out the showroom, Eren clenched his fists. All he wanted was one good punch to her stupid mouth.

The next dress was white, but no matter how he looked at it, it was much too much like a wedding dress. Though, he did look really sexy in it. Walking out, Bertholdt's eyes widened, before he coughed  
"You look amazing"  
"Yeah, but I'm not the one getting married"  
"Next"  
Rolling his eyes, he headed back.

This process continued on until he slid a silver and white flowing dress on. It was gathered across the bust, and then dropped away, which helped hide his baby bump. Spinning slowly, sighed to himself. He really liked this one, but it all came down to Bertholdt's mother  
"You look lovely dear"  
"I kind of like it"  
"It's a good cut, and it doesn't feel too heavy does it?"  
"No, its feels nice... I just don't know if I can't take her laughing at me again"  
"She'll soon shut up when she sees you in this, though in my opinion you've looked lovely in everything"  
There was no mocking or judgement in her words and he resisted the urge to wrap his arms around her and hug her as tightly as he could   
"Here goes"  
"Fingers crossed"  
Walking out into the show room, Bertholdt immediately nodded  
"That's the one. How does it feel?"  
"Great. Even hides the bump"  
Walking into the centre of the area, he span around slowly  
"It's fine"  
"Mother, its more than fine. He looks amazing and it's kind of what I had in mind. Eren, are you comfortable to wear it for the ceremony?"  
"I would be honoured"  
"In that case, come with me love and we'll get your measurements and see if anything needs to be altered"  
After giving Bertholdt one last spin, Eren followed the woman from the room  
"Bertholdt picked that one out himself, he came to see me about a month ago to see if I could do the job"  
"I had a feeling his mother hadn't. God, she scares me"  
Stepping up onto the podium, Eren stood as still as he could manage while the woman fiddled with the dress   
"Now, do you want me to make this with two shoulder straps, or is over the one shoulder fine?"  
"I like it the way it is"  
"Good, that makes things easier for me"  
She jotted down a few things in her notebook, and Eren resisted the urge to sit. His hips were starting to ache again, and his nerves were completely shattered. The moment they got home, he was definitely curling up with Levi and not moving for anything other ice cream.

By the time he came out, Mrs Hoover had left and he let out a huge groan of relief  
"Pretty much. If it counts, we won't have to see her again until next weekend"  
Noooo, that's was way too soon  
"I know she's your mum and all, but she scares me"  
"She scares me too. Growing up I was like, I'll never turn out like her"  
"Well you turned out pretty awesomely"  
Bertholdt snorted and shook his head  
"Sometimes I have to wonder. Now, you've got everything?"  
"Yep"  
The woman finally appeared from her work room  
"I'll give you a call when it's ready to be picked up. It's was very nice to meet you Eren"  
"You too"  
"Thanks Cathy, we'll see you soon"  
Bertholdt wrapped an arm around his shoulder and lead him from the store  
"Is there anything you want to do?"  
"Honestly, I just want to curl up with Levi and eat icecream"  
"Home it is"

Despite his best efforts, Mrs Hoovers words were playing on his mind the whole ride home and the moment he was back in Levi's arms, he burst into tears, sobbing whole heartedly against his alpha  
"Hey, whoa, princess what happened"  
"My mother was a complete and utter cow towards him. I have never been more ashamed to be that woman's son than I was today"  
Levi lead him over to the sofa and Eren immediately curled up in his lap, keeping his face buried as he cried  
"What did she say? I thought they knew each other"  
"Not really. And basically if she could have a go at him for it, she did. She's like that with everyone, but god. I wanted run her over"  
It helped that Bertholdt was mad, but the idea of him and his mum fighting was what really hurt. It stirred up too many bad memories and he let out a whine of despair  
"Hey, no. Come on. Deep breaths for me"  
Levi could stick his deep breaths where the sun didn't shine  
"I'll give you two some space. Where are Reiner and the boys?"  
"In the back yard. The boys wanted to play soccer..."  
"That actually sounds like a great idea. Eren, there's ice cream in the freezer, please help yourself"  
"T-th-thanks"

Having cried himself out, Eren still didn't move from Levi's lap. He was completely exhausted and his head was throbbing from crying so much  
"What did she say?"  
"It... it doesn't matter"  
"It does to me"  
"Bertholdt stood up for me, and I don't want you to be mad. I just want cuddles"  
"Ok. But Eren, no matter what, I love you"  
Sniffling as he wriggled in Levi's lap, his alpha's hand came to his stomach  
"And I love this little one too"  
Levi had no idea how much he'd needed to hear that  
"I love you too... so much Levi"

 

*  
Levi held Eren close as he sobbed, and struggled to suppress his murderous rage. Eren was beyond distraught and Bertholdt looked just as upset. This holiday was supposed to be about Eren relaxing, but their first day here and Eren was already imploding. Gently hushing his omega, he rubbed Eren's arm and pressed kisses to the top of his mates head, not that Eren seemed to notice. It seemed to take forever before Eren calmed and the fact that the teen wouldn't tell him what happened, left him wanting to hunt down Bertholdt's mother all over again. Eren had just fallen asleep in his arms when Reiner, Bertholdt and the boys returned  
"Mum!"  
"Shhh, he's asleep"  
Reiner grabbed both boys and lifted them easily   
"Do you want some help getting him upstairs?"  
"I don't want to wake him up, he was pretty distraught"  
"Yeah, Bertholdt filled me in. I'm so sorry he had to go through that"  
So Bertholdt had told Reiner, Levi wondered if the teen would also fill him in... but that would have to wait  
"So what are you guys doing?"  
"We were going to see if you were up for lunch, but given how upset Eren seems to be, we'll just make something light and take the boys upstairs to the games room"  
"I'm sorry you're chasing after them already"  
"It's all good, after all, it's our fault he's so upset. Though, a head's up they can shift would have been good"  
Levi groaned  
"They didn't"  
"They did"  
"Sorry, they both went crazy when they found out Eren was pregnant and we bribed them with teaching them"  
Reiner looked down to the two boys under his arms  
"Did you do that?"  
"Maybe..."  
Rolling his eyes, the alpha readjusted his hold on them  
"Do you want me to bring you something to eat?"  
"No, but a blanket would be awesome. Eren feels a little cold"  
Bertholdt moved to grab a blanket and gently laid it over Eren   
"Did he tell you what happened?"  
"No, he said he didn't want me to be mad"  
"I'm so sorry. Mum pretty much had a go at him for being pregnant, being an omega, for what was between him  
and Reiner, and for being poorer than us. She tried to tell me to drop him from the bridal party. Needless to say, that's not happening. She had no right to talk to him like that"  
Bertholdt sounded livid as he whispered everything to Levi and Levi shook with anger  
"You're lucky you mean so much to him"  
"I know. If she wasn't my mother, she'd be disinvited. Hell, if she even looks at him the wrong way, I think I just might"  
"You better go, thank you for telling me"  
Bertholdt gave a nod, before jogging off to rejoin Reiner and the boys. What the teen had said certainly explained why Eren was so upset. It must have been so hard for his mate to listen to all that shit and keep his composure. It was hard enough to listen about it. He tightened his hold on Eren, while gently nuzzling against his sleeping mates head. How could anyone in the world be so cruel to the loveliest person in existence?

Eren woke after a couple of hours, Levi had been dozing, but was wide awake the moment he felt his mate move  
"Hey you"  
"H-hey... I guess I fell asleep again?"  
"Yeah, but it's fine, I did too"  
"Where is everyone?"  
"Reiner and Bertholdt are with the boys in the games room"  
"Ok..."  
Eren chewed his lip and Levi sighed  
"Bertholdt told me what happened"  
Eren paled, opening his mouth, but Levi got in first  
"He was really angry about what she said"  
"I know... that's part of the problem. I don't want him to be angry at her"  
Levi knew he shouldn't be shocked, and yet he was. After everything terrible she'd said, he was still worried for Bertholdt and his relationship with his mum  
"They'll sort it out. Now, what about you? How do you feel?"  
"Tired, sore, crampy"  
Levi didn't like the sound of that, especially the last one  
"You're cramping?"  
"Yeah... it happens cause the baby's getting bigger so everything has to expand. It just feels a little uncomfortable"  
Levi moved to rub Eren's stomach softly  
"I wish I could make you feel better"  
"You already are"  
Letting out a sigh, Eren nuzzled at Levi's neck   
"I suppose we need to have lunch?"  
"Yeah. Bertholdt said something about ice cream"  
"I told him all I wanted was you and ice cream"  
"Ahhhh, I see. How about we get you some ice cream and go find the kids?"  
"Aren't you hungry?"  
"Don't I get to share the ice cream?"  
"You want to take your pregnant partners ice cream away before I even get it...? So mean"  
Ok, so he definitely wasn't going to come between Eren and ice cream, and survive by the seems of it  
"I'll have a hunt around in the kitchen, do you want me to carry you"  
Eren nodded against him, and Levi cursed Mrs Hoover. His mate must be hurting badly to be so desperate for comfort.

10 minutes later, Eren was armed with triple chocolate ice cream and a spoon. Levi had a simple cheese and he sandwich, which he'd kind of wolfed down the moment he made it. He was more concerned with getting Eren settled back down, especially when he'd seen his mate wincing as he sat on the kitchen island. Carrying Eren upstairs, Levi tried to remember the tour of the house that Reiner had given him earlier. As far as he remembered, the games room over looked the pool and the pool was to the left side of the house. He managed to get only slightly lost, before coming to the realisation that the games room was at the end of the hall where their rooms were. Heading into the room, he raised an eyebrow at the boys and the two teens. It seemed like they were playing a game of pool where you rolled the white ball instead of using a cue  
"Eren! Have a good nap?"  
"Yeah, sorry. I feel like all I've done is sleep"  
"That's because you have!"  
Reiner smiled across the room at Eren, but Eren only looked down  
"Hey, no. It's not a bad thing. You're on holiday and you're more than welcome to sleep all you like"  
Crossing over to the sofa against the window, Levi carefully sat, before positioning Eren between his legs and wrapping them around him. His mate leant back, and immediately began to pick at the tub of ice cream in his hold  
"So who's winning?"  
"Me!"  
Eli beamed across at him, and Levi snorted  
"So are you on a team?"  
"Yep! With Reiner, but he's not very good"  
Reiner tickled Eli gently and the boy squealed  
"That's not fair!"  
"It's not my fault I'm not ticklish"  
"It's still not fair, is it Ren?"  
"Nope. It's not"  
Reiner smiled as he lifted Ren up to sit on the edge to the table next to Eli  
"We decided we wanted to go out for dinner and the boys said it had to be anything but Chinese"  
"That's probably because we had Chinese for Eren's 18th. You should have seen Sasha and Connie"  
"Who won?"  
"I think Sasha had more cake than Connie did..."  
"That sounds about right. What do you want for dinner Eren?"  
"I'm good with this"  
Levi rolled his eyes  
"Princess, you have to eat properly"  
"I am. This is my dose of calcium"  
"So that means you need a dose of the other food groups"  
"But the other good groups don't have ice cream"  
"If mums having ice cream, we want ice cream too"  
Ren looked to Eli and Eli nodded   
"You can't have ice cream for dinner"  
"But mum said..."  
"Mum was joking"  
"But we want ice cream"  
Eren sighed, and held the tub out  
"Come here then"  
Both boys jumped off the table and ran over, snatching the tub from Eren's hands  
"Are you sure?"  
"Why not, pretty sure I can't fuck up any more than I have"  
Levi was the only one who heard his reply and closed his eyes before counting to 5 mentally  
"You haven't fucked up"  
"I don't know. I stink of being cheap and poor"  
"Eren, I'm not having this conversation just because some old bat hasn't had an orgasm in the last hundred year"  
"You two ok over there?"  
"Yeah, Eren and I don't mind where we go for dinner"  
"We know a good restaurant that served American style ribs and that, is that alright?"  
"Yeah, it should be, right Eren?"  
"Yeah. I just need to remember to take my tablets"  
"We'll remind you. I'll call ahead and book us a table"  
"Sounds good"  
Eren nodded, before sinking further back against him. The omegas hands went to his stomach and Levi tried to swallow down his worry. If Eren said he was alright, he'd have to believe him.

 

*  
Eren was sitting on the bed wrapped in a towel, his omega had wanted to shower and Levi figured that he must need a few moments to himself. This gave him a few minutes to Facebook stalk Bertholdt, he'd hoped he'd find something relating to the teens mother, but found nothing. Of course the snooty cow was too good for Facebook. Inconsiderate cow. How was he supposed to size up the bitch if he couldn't find anything out about her.

"Eren?"  
Eren jumped and looked towards him  
"Sorry, I was in my own head"  
"I noticed. Do you know what you want to wear?"  
"Not really"  
Eren looked so lost and sad, that Levi couldn't help but moving over and wrapping his arms around him  
"Hey, none of that. Bertholdt's mother doesn't know how amazing you are, and she had no right to say those things to you in the first place"  
"But she's right. I am poor"  
"So what? In her books probably everyone but her is poor"  
"Levi we have fuck all savings, how are we supposed to bring a baby into the world when we have no money"  
"With love and a lot of help. I'll get a job when we get back, and I'll get my licence and we'll live on two minute noodles if we have to. We'll make this work"  
"I'm sorry... she just really fucked me up"  
"I know she did, but Reiner and Bertholdt are the ones who are getting married. They're the ones who want us here. Don't forget that"  
Eren nodded against him with a sigh  
"I just feel completely cheap"  
"You're not. You're priceless"  
"You know, price less means without a price and that usually means free in our world"  
Eren snorted at his own words and Levi just shook his head   
"Now you're just nitpicking. How about I choose what you wear?"  
"You may as well, I honestly can't be bothered thinking"  
Walking over to their suitcase, Levi flipped the lid up and hummed. To him all of Eren's things looked nice, it's not like clothes had to be expensive to be nice... pulling out a blue blouse and a black pair of loose pants, he smiled as he rose  
"Here!"  
"Did you remember to get me underwear?"  
"I can't remember everything"  
Handing the items to his mate, he turned back and fossicked through for a pair of plain black boxer briefs  
"Ta Da! Now praise me"  
"Very good boy, who's a good alpha?"  
Raising an eyebrow, he threw the pair at Eren   
"You think you've tamed me don't you?"  
"No, I wouldn't dream of overestimating abilities so"  
Moving across the room, Levi wrapped his arms around Eren and pushed him down onto the bed, before kissing him happily  
"I think I'm pretty tamed"  
"Well you are house trained... so I suppose that's something"  
"Of course it is, now lets get you dressed, so I can take my time undressing you later"  
Eren pushed him back with a small laugh, which was music to Levi's ears.

Having finally gotten dressed and made it outside, Levi eyed Reiner's SUV  
"I cleared the back out, so now we only need to use one car"  
The alpha was obviously pleased with himself over it, and Bertholdt wrapped his arms around his fiancé  
"You have the best ideas"  
"I know right. Gotta put the boys in first though"  
The boys had to climb through back, but seemed to like having their own small seperate seats. Eren was offered the front passenger seat, but opted to sit in the back with Levi, despite the fact there wasn't that much leg room, but as it turned out the restaurant was only a 10 minute drive away, so it wasn't that bad.

Moonshine on The Copper, was huge. It's sweeping hall was decked out in a mismatch of chairs and tables, and the whole place had a laid back vibe. Not at all what Levi had expected. Reiner headed over to the bar, and it was clear that both him and Bertholdt frequented the place a lot  
"You order food and drinks at the bar, and the prices are really good"  
Eren's hand tightened its hold on his own, but Eli let out a gasp and that's what got Levi's full attention. Looking down to the boy in his hold, he saw his son was staring at something intently  
"What's up?"  
"Daddy, they have games!"  
Off to the right of the entrance was a mini-arcade of sorts with skill testers and such, and Levi knew they weren't making it out of there without the boys playing something  
"After dinner and if you're good, we can check it out"  
"Aw Yes!"  
Reiner gave them a small wave and Eli started struggling   
"Hold on, let me put your down first"  
Given that Eli was being put down, Ren wanted down too, struggling in Eren's hold, and managing to knee the omega in the stomach on the way down, Eren let out a hiss and half dropped Ren.  
"Shit, Ren, you've got to be more careful"  
Eren waved it off  
"It's ok... unexpected but I'm ok"  
Ren looked confused, but Eli grabbed his hand and dragged him away towards Reiner  
"Are you sure you're alright, Eren?"  
"Yeah Bertholdt, I'm fine"  
Levi hovered beside Eren as they walked over to the table that Reiner and the boys were waiting at  
"Everything alright?"  
Levi could hear Eren mentally sighing, if his boyfriend thought he was bad before, he was now copping it from three concerned alpha's  
"Yeah, just the perils of being pregnant and having boys. They have quiet leant gentle"  
Reiner let out a loud laugh, and ruffled Ren's hair  
"You wouldn't have them any other way though"  
"No, I really wouldn't... oh, I can't remember if I told you last night or not, can we not say anything about my being pregnant on Facebook? And no incriminating photos... we want to tell everyone face to face"  
"That's fine, I'm kind of surprised you haven't taken a hundred selfies by now"  
"I haven't had the chance, but now that you mention it..."  
Eren pulled out his phone and Levi snatched it from his hold  
"It's easier if I take it"  
"Good plan"

It soon became evident that the boys wanted to be in every photo, not that Reiner or Bertholdt seemed to mind. Eli had slid off his own chair and was now in Bertholdt's hold, while Ren was in Reiner's   
"You two look good with kids"  
"Bertholdt looks good all the time"  
Bertholdt blushed slightly, and pressed a kiss to Reiner's cheek  
"Reiner's a hopeless sap"  
"So's Levi"  
Levi rolled his eyes  
"Don't go bringing me into this, anyway, Eren's right. You guys do look good with kids"  
"Well, kids are on the plans, but not for a few years"  
Eren looked to Reiner with a huge smile on his face  
"That's awesome! Adoption or..."  
"Adoption. There's so many kids out there in need of a good family, besides, we're both alpha's"  
"Soooo? There's such a thing as a surrogate"  
"Maybe one day. We've got plenty of time to decided"  
"That's so cool"  
"I still can't believe you're pregnant"  
Eren took his phone back as be nodded   
"I know right. There's a tiny pup in there... it's insane"  
Eren's hands moved to his stomach, blushing lightly at Levi's words. His mate was so damn adorable. Sliding across his chair, he wrapped his arms around Eren's shoulder and pressed a kiss to his mates cheek. Eren giggled lightly  
"Enough, we're in public"  
"Yeah dad!"

Having been put back in his place by Eli, Levi settled back in his chair and picked up his menu  
"So what's good here?"  
"Pretty much everything"  
"'Cause that's helpful"  
"It really is, all good I mean. This place is kind of our monthly date spot"  
Reading down the menu, Levi liked the sound of all of it, and the prices were awesome. He could imagine Bertholdt's mother having a heart attack over how cheap everything was  
"I think I'm going for the ribs"  
"They're soooooooo good"  
Bertholdt looked like the was drooling at the thought of them   
"What about you Eren?"  
"I have no idea, I don't even know what to get the boys"  
"We want meat!"  
Bertholdt laughed at Eli's exclamation   
"We're in the right place for that. But what kind of meat do you want?"  
"Mum, what do we like again?"  
All 4 teens were left trying not to laugh, Eren was the only one who succeeded, letting out a shaky breath  
"You guys like everything"  
"That doesn't help, mum"  
"Maybe ribs for them? They're on the kids menu"  
Reiner pointed it out to Eren and Eren nodded  
"That works. I think I'll maybe just have a burger. Levi, you'll eat my chips right?"  
"Or you could"  
"Aren't you supposed to eat more now that you're eating for two?"  
"Yeah, but thanks to a wayward knee, I'm not that hungry"  
"Eren, you need to eat"  
"And I will. Levi, pass me my wallet so I can go order for us"  
"We've got this"  
"No, it's fine. You guys have already paid for so much"  
"Then consider it a congratulations present"  
"Then shouldn't we be paying for you?"  
Reiner rolled his eyes  
"Do you really think you can get past me and to the counter?"  
"Never underestimate a cheerleader"  
Reiner leant down and whispered in Ren's ear, the boy then slid down and moved to wrap his arms around Eren   
"Really? Using my own son against me?"  
"Yep, it worked didn't it?"  
"Just for that, I'm cooking dinner tomorrow"  
"Really?"  
Shaking his head, Reiner rose and walked over to the counter. 

 

*  
Dinner was amazing. The ribs were perfectly cooked, and Eren's burger was huge. The omega struggled through half of it, before his stomach said no more and slid down in his seat with a groan  
"I'm full"  
"I'll eat it!"  
Ren was gnawing on a rib as he claimed dibs and Eren snorted lightly  
"Maybe you should finish what you have first?"  
"I will! Mum, this is so good. It's much better than your cooking"  
Given he was quite proud of his cooking, the boys comment hurt more than it probably should have, and tears filled his eyes. Reiner seemed shocked to see him crying  
"Eren, you ok?"  
"Yeah, sorry. It's just hormones. You should ask Levi what I'm like at home. I was reduced to tears the other day because I couldn't get the jar of mayonnaise open"  
"He really was. I think he was ready to deck me when I opened it on the first try"  
"It sounds rough being pregnant"  
"Kind of, but Levi's been great. He even lets me scream at him"  
"You've got him well trained then"  
Levi's hand moved to rest on his thigh, before squeezing gently as a silent way to tell him he was there for him  
"He does. I'm completely whipped and the boys have me around their little fingers"  
"I can imagine, they're just like Eren after all"  
Eren didn't think they were that much like him, not really. Both had his stubborn streak... and the tendency to rush in... ok, yeah maybe they were  
"They're nearly bigger than Eren in their wolf form already"  
"Wow, you'll have to show us the size comparison"  
"We can shift now!"  
"No babies, not in public"  
"But Ner said we looked coooool"  
Great... the mental image of the boys shifting at the wedding flashed through his mind and Eren groaned  
"Sorry babies, maybe tomorrow"  
"Speaking of tomorrow, what do you want to do? Dress shopping didn't take that long, so we don't have to worry about anything wedding related until next week"  
"I want to take Eren to an aquarium while we're here"  
"Dad, what's an aquarium?"  
"It's a place full of fish"  
Eli wrinkled his nose  
"That's gross, why would mum want to go there"  
"Because fish are pretty"  
How was he supposed to convey how peaceful and pretty fish were, to a nearly 5 year old who hated fish when they'd gone to the zoo   
"Oh, why don't you guys do that tomorrow? We can all good look at the fish"  
"But I don't wanna look at the fish"  
Eli pouted and Reiner snorted   
"How about this, if you really don't like it Bertholdt and I will take you guys somewhere else"  
Eren protested immediately, his friends had more important things to do than play babysitters   
"No, it's alright. It was just an idea"  
"Eren, it's fine. Honestly. We've missed the boys too"  
"But..."  
"Nope. No buts. Think of it as practice for when we have our own kids"  
Bertholdt blushed at the words kids. It was kind of amazing how in love his two friends were and he was sort of jealous they could be so wrapped up in each other without having to worry about anything other than school and soccer  
"Why don't we talk about it tomorrow?"  
Levi thankfully saved him and he smiled gratefully at his mate  
"Yeah, sounds good"  
While everyone finished their meals, Eren just relaxed, his hands gently rubbed his stomach. Levi hand remained on his thigh, so Eren moved it up to rest on his stomach before intertwining their fingers. He loved Levi's hands. His alpha was so powerful and had such a colourful past, but Levi's hands were always soft and gentle when it came to him  
"What you thinking about?"  
"You"  
Eli let out a loud sigh  
"I'm sorry, they're always like this"  
"I think it's kind of nice. Eren always deserved to be happy"  
"But they're always kissing or touching... it's weird"  
"You'll understand when you're older"  
"And daddy always makes mum make all these weird noises..."  
Eren's face burnt bright red, releasing Levi's hand, he used his hands to cover his face. Reiner was half choking and half laughing, while Bertholdt was telling Eli that "that wasn't the kind of thing to say in public". It was mortifying to think their boys had heard them  
"Well he does make some pretty nice noises"  
"Levi!"  
"It's true"  
Completely embarrassed, Eren stayed hidden behind his hands until Levi gently pulled the down from his face   
"If..."  
"Levi. No. No more talking about it"  
"I was just going to say..."  
"Nothing. You weren't going to say anything. I think I'm going to escape to the bathroom"  
"Do you want me to come with you?"  
Reiner snorted and Eren sighed  
"I feel like this is only going from bad to worse. I'll be fine on my own"

 

*  
Levi watched Eren retreat, and shook his head  
"He's too cute for his own good"  
"It's nice to see him so happy"  
"It hasn't been smooth sailing, but things are better now"  
"Yeah... it was about this time last year wasn't it?"  
"Yeah. Grisha only got 3 years. I'm so... livid"  
Trying not to swear sucked, but Eren would probably tell him off if he found out he had   
"That's crap"  
"Yeah. He still had nightmares sometimes. He had one the other day. Waking up to him screaming made my blood run cold"  
"Is he getting counselling or anything?"  
"Yeah. I don't know much about it, it was a little shaky at first, but he seems to like his counsellor now"  
"That's good. I take it Shinganshima's still the same?"  
"They got a pizzeria while I was at boot camp, but other than that, yeah. We still have Hannes living with us. He's taking care of the cats while we're here"  
"Who's Hannes? The names familiar..."  
"He's the doctor who treated Eren when he was stabbed"  
"Oh that's right, and he's living with you?"  
"Yeah. He's like a father to Eren... well, both of us really. He's been a real life saver"  
"It's good that he's got that support"  
"Yeah. It's going to be weird when he moves out"  
"He's moving out?"  
"Well apparently he was only going to stay until Eren turned 18. But now with our pup on the way, we'll need the space"  
"That sucks"  
"Yeah"  
They fell back into silence and the boys moved to help themselves to Eren's unfinished dinner. A few moments passed and Eren still hadn't returned   
"Do you guys mind watching the boys?"  
"No, it's fine. Go check on Eren"

The toilets were easy enough to find and the moment Levi opened the door, he found Eren bailed up by two rather large alpha's. Forcing himself not to explode, he crosses over and wrapped his arms around Eren   
"Everything alright here?"  
"Y-yeah..."  
No in other words  
"Oh, so this your alpha? Bit on the small side isn't he"  
Eren was trembling, and Levi slipped between his mate and the alpha's   
"That is none of your business. Eren, go back to the table"  
"But what about you?"  
"It's fine"  
Eren slowly backed away, and Levi stood his ground until he heard the door open and close  
"Do you make a habit of picking up other alpha's pregnant mates?"  
"It's his fault, he was asking for it"  
"He was what?"  
"Looking all meek like a good omega should"  
Levi's fist connected with the first alpha's face before either of them could process what happened  
"Stay the fuck away from my omega"  
The taller alpha staggered back, rage filling his eyes  
"You little...!"  
Casually sidestepping the man's wide swing, Levi brought his knee up hard and into the man's groin, dropping him like a sack of bricks. He glared at the remaining alpha, but the man swallowed hard  
"If either of you touch him again or even look at him, neither of you will ever be able to walk again"  
Turning and walking from the bathroom, he walked back to the table and gathered his crying mate into his arms  
"Is everything ok? Eren started crying, but wouldn't say what was wrong"  
"Some alpha trash bailed him up. But they've learnt their lesson now"  
"Are you sure? Maybe Bertholdt and I..."  
"No! Please... no... they just scared me because I wasn't expecting it"  
Eren's words came out like a broken sob  
"Ok. But if you change your mind..."  
Eren shook his head  
"No, I just want to have a nice night"  
Levi nodded and nuzzled against his mates neck   
"Ok baby, whatever you say"  
"Dad, is mum alright?"  
"Yeah, he'll be fine. Do you guys still want to try those games?"  
"We can?"  
"You were good during dinner weren't you?"  
"Yeah"  
"There we go"  
"If it's skill testers, Bertholdt can't be beaten"  
Eren snorted and pulled away from him  
"I think you're being challenged"  
"I think I am too. You up for watching me win?"  
"Y-yeah... sorry for crying"  
"You don't have to be sorry. Come on, let's go show them how we win in Shinganshima"

Their competitive nature was well and truly in display. Levi sucked at the skill tester, but kicked Bertholdt's arse at the racing car game. Eren even got in on it and actually managed to beat Reiner at the shooting game and basketball game. But given their alpha natures, they were happy without a clear winner, which came down to the bucking bull. The bull was pretty much centre stage at the opposite side of the hall, and Levi eyed his opponent with determination. It was him versus Reiner. Reiner had the obvious advantage though. Eren wasn't allowed to compete due to being pregnant, and the omega wasn't too happy as he sat on the sidelines with his arms around the boys  
"You get one practice round each, and then for real"  
The man operating the machine seemed to find their little competition funny and was more than willing to sit and laugh at their expense.

Reiner made the practice round seem easy, while Levi fell off. The boys cheered loudly for "Ner", which only served to make Levi more determined. The second time around, Reiner lasted 7.3 seconds on high. He emerged from the ringed area with a smirk on his face, before pulling Bertholdt close and dipping him for a passionate kiss   
"Levi, be careful"  
"Don't worry, I've got this"  
Climbing into the back the beast, he gripped hard with his thighs. All he could think was all the "riding" Eren had done lately, his omega would beat them all. For some stupid reason, it seemed easier on high and he managed to last a whole 9 seconds, before finally falling off  
"Daddy!"  
Emerging from the ring, the boys jumped on him  
"I do believe I win"  
"That you do"  
Brushing the boys off, he stalked over to Eren and lifted him by the arse, his mate automatically wrapping his legs around his waist as Levi devoured Eren's mouth to the sound of wolf whistles  
"Ok you two, save it for when we get home"  
Eren smiled at him so brilliantly as he pulled away, his green eyes sparkled and Levi felt like he'd fallen in with the omega all over again  
"Did I do good?"  
Eren nodded quickly   
"My big strong alpha"  
"Yep"  
Pressing a smaller kiss to Eren's lips, his mate giggled into his mouth   
"What's so funny?"  
"You three alpha's getting so competitive"  
"I seem to remember a certain omega getting competitive"  
"Who was that?"  
"Hmmm, I wonder. What do you say we get out of here?"  
"Mmmm, I like that plan. Oh, by the way, what happened with those alpha's?"  
"I punched him in the face, and when he tried to hit me, I kneed him in the nuts"  
Eren gasped   
"Levi! You didn't have to do that"  
"I know, but they made me so mad and it sickens me to think they might try that shit on another omega"  
"My big brave alpha, protector of the omegas"  
Readjusting his hold on Eren, Levi nodded before looking to Reiner and Bertholdt. Their friends were completely lost in each other and Levi had a feeling they were just as anxious to get out of there  
"Shall we go?"  
Reiner jumped and Bertholdt blushed for what seemed the millionth time that night  
"Yeah... probably a plan"  
Without prompting, the two alpha's took the boys hands. Both were protectively holding the stuffed toys Bertholdt had won them from the skill testers against their chests and looking adorable as they did.

Reiner and Bertholdt bid them goodnight the moment they made it into the house and Levi smirked as the pair practically ran up the stairs  
"10 bucks I can guess what they're doing to do"  
"No deal. It doesn't count if you can smell their pheromones"  
"Drats. How about I put the boys to bed, and then we have a little fun of our own"  
"Mmm, I like that plan"

The boys however didn't want to cooperate. Even after being read their favourite story, they wanted another one and then another. By the time Levi got back to Eren, his mate was barely awake  
"Sorry, the boys wanted 3 stories"  
"That's alright, come here, I want cuddles"  
Stripping down, Levi climbed up and under the covers, before sliding over and pulling Eren close  
"Other than that alpha shit, did you have a good night?"  
"Mmmm, yeah. Thank you for saving me"  
"Any time baby"  
Eren whined soft and nuzzled his chest  
"I'm sorry I'm so tired, I still want sex, but..."  
Eren yawned loudly and Levi pressed a kiss to the top of his head  
"It's ok princess, just get some sleep"  
"Mmmm, I love you alpha"  
"I love you too omega"  
Eren was asleep within minutes and Levi a few more minutes after that.


	63. Chapter 63

After some very intense and mind blowing sex, Eren was blissed out. He had no idea what the time was, but he'd woken painfully hard and with his thighs wet with slick. Levi being Levi, was only happy to help with his slight issue. The alpha cleaning him thoroughly with his tongue, before finally fucking him so hard that Eren's mind had gone completely blank. Their already amazing sex life, was on another level now that he was pregnant and he couldn't get enough. Rolling them over, so he was on top, Eren wrapped his arms around Levi  
"You ok princess"  
"Shhh, sleeping"  
His alpha laughed lightly   
"Ok, baby. Sweet dreams"  
Levi pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose and Eren sighed happily as he wriggled slightly and settled against his mates chest fully. He didn't even have to move as Levi pulled the blankets up, and let himself fall back to sleep.

Waking to find Levi still inside him, Eren made the most of the moment, his alpha woke in confusion, before letting out a possessive snarl and grabbing his hips  
"Having fun without me?"  
"Maybe... I couldn't help it, you didn't pull out"  
"So it's my fault now is it?"  
"Yeah... Levi, I know we were supposed to go out today, but do you think we can go tomorrow"  
"Why, so we can stay in bed and do this all day?"  
"Yeah..."  
Levi smirked up at him  
"By all means, go ahead and continue to fuck yourself with my erection"  
"I don't mind if I do"  
With the sheet sliding down to to pool around his hips, Eren lost himself in pleasure, he'd only just cum when the door opened and Levi's knot flared  
"Fuck. Sorry. Didn't think"  
Levi snarled and the door closed again  
"I think we just scarred Bertholdt for life"  
"Possibly. Lay back down"  
Levi pulled the blankets up, so everything from his shoulders down was covered   
"Bertholdt?"  
The door slowly opened and Bertholdt coughed   
"Sorry guys... I didn't even think..."  
"No problem... what's up?"  
Peaking across Levi's shoulder Eren watched Bertholdt awkwardly shuffle   
"Reiner and I need to go into college for a bit this morning. Something to do with updating our enrollments given my name change. We should be back before lunch, but Reiner said I should let you know"  
"We might hang out by the pool then, if that's alright"  
"Y-yeah. Sorry for interrupting"  
Bertholdt promptly retreated and Eren pushed himself back up  
"Did you have to knot me right as the door opened?"  
"In my defence, I didn't know it was about to open"  
"I can't believe he saw us... especially after last night"  
Levi snorted and the alpha moved to take his face in his hands  
"Eren, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. Sex is perfectly natural, and you probably didn't see the fact that Reiner pretty much mauled his neck last night. I'd say they were still going for it when they got the phone call"  
"Ewww I don't want to think about them while you're between my legs"  
"Good. Because I might have to get jealous"  
"Please don't. As it was, I was expecting some fireworks"  
"Nah, its all cool. Besides you're happy being my mate right?"  
"You have no idea"  
"Then all's well that ends well"  
"Yep"

After showering and dressing, Eren was ready for a nap in the sun. Levi was going to give the boys a swimming lesson, and Eren was trying not to worry too much. Both boys were more than a little excited as they wolfed down their breakfast while Eren picked at his toast  
"Mum, come on already!"  
Rolling his eyes, he picked up his plate  
"Lets go then"  
Following the twins, Levi had hold of his free hand  
"Are you sure you're ok with this?"  
"Yeah... maybe. I trust you with them and I know you can swim"  
"I know, by the way, that skirt looks amazing"  
Eren looked down to the faded purple denim skirt he had on  
"Thanks, not too shabby for 5 bucks"  
"Not at all"  
Eren also had a white spaghetti strapped singlet on. He didn't want to risk having tan lines in the wedding photos, so had tucked the straps in, effectively turning it into a boob tube  
"Dad! Come on already"  
Reaching the glass doors, Levi had to let go of his hand so he could slide the top bolt down, and unlock the door. Eren was more than a little relieved the boys couldn't get into the pool area on their own, he didn't need the added fear that they'd wake up and sneak out to swim.

The pool area was, like the rest of the house, immaculate. The neat glass panelling hid none of the amazing view, and the limestone paving looked like it was brand new. At the side closest to the house there was a monster inlaid barbecue, complete with sink and fridge. Large ferns sat on both sides, and a white wooden table was up against the glass with 4 chairs out, the other two were close to the pool. On the side where the glass doors were, there were 3 sun lounges and this was where Eren was intending to nap. Carefully laying down, he let out a happy sigh  
"Mum, aren't you swimming?"  
"Not right now baby"  
"Awww"  
"What am I not good enough?"  
"You're fine dad, but we want mum too"  
Eren smiled as he propped himself up with his elbows  
"Let me finish my breakfast, and we'll see how I feel"  
Eli rolled his eyes at him  
"Fiiiiiine. Dad, can we swim now?"  
Given the shallow end was the end away from the house, Levi ushered both boys that way. It was only then that Eren realised napping would have to wait, and he rushed to stuff the rest of his toast in his mouth. His boys were learning to swim! He needed photos!

Pushing himself back up, he moved to the sun lounge closest to the boys and pulled his phone out. Levi was standing in the pool already, but Ren and Eli were standing on the edge   
"Dad, if we jump, will you catch us?"  
"No Jumping!"  
He didn't need a trip to the ER  
"But mum"  
"But mum nothing. Now listen to your father"  
Levi nodded  
"Let's try getting you used to the water first"  
Both boys took that to mean that Levi wanted them to walk to him, so they rushed over, splashing water everywhere   
"Careful! You can't be silly around water"  
"But you let us play in the bath"  
"That's because theirs less water in the bath and you don't have to swim"  
Backing up a little more, Levi fell off the step and both boys howled with laughter. The alpha emerged looking like a drowned rat   
"That's what you don't do"  
"Levi, let's just teach them doggy paddle"  
"That's what I was intending, unless you want to get in here"  
"Nope, I'm on photography duty"  
His alpha shook his head, before swimming forward enough so he could stand again  
"Watch me first"  
Turning and pushing off, Levi swam a wide circle doggy paddling. It soon became evident to Eren that Levi would need the extra help. Stripping off his skirt, he was grateful he wasn't wearing white underwear as he moved to slowly wade into the cold water  
"Eli, come here"  
Taking his sons hand, he lead him to the edge of where the boy could stand   
"You need to trust me, I won't let anything happen to you"  
Eli nodded and Eren moved to lift him into the deeper water, supporting his weight as he did. The boy valiantly tried to kick his legs and move his arms, but all he managed to do was soak Eren completely   
"Princess, why don't you take your shirt off?"  
"No, its fine"  
Since becoming pregnant, he didn't want people to see his small breasts, not that he was really alright with it before. They just seemed more sexual now that they were growing slowly.

Both boys soon became impatient with them trying to teach them doggy paddling and shifted to their wolf forms. That had more success that way, and the two could keep their heads above water well enough  
"Eren, you can lay down now if you want. I'm going to go ahead and shift"  
"Maybe I want to shift too"  
Levi nodded, the alpha shifting easily, before paddling around the boys. Eren let himself shift, but stayed up in the shallows, enjoying the feel of the sun and the water. When he felt like he was becoming too waterlogged, he padded from pool and stretched out on the sun lounge. This was nice. They definitely should do this more at home.

He was still dozing off and on when Reiner and Bertholdt came home  
"Oh god, all of them have shifted"  
"The big ones Levi, and I think those are the twins"  
"Which means Eren's got the right idea"  
Given that Levi was playing with the boys, Eren shifted back and stretched. His singlet had ridden up and his stomach was showing   
"Whoops. Hey guys"  
"Having fun?"  
"I don't think they'll ever be Olympic swimmers"  
"I think you're the only one with the right idea"  
"I wasn't swimming, but the boys needed both of us supervising"  
"It's fine. We're all guys here. Did you guys still want to go to the aquarium?"  
"I do, but I think the boys will be too tired. They've been playing with Levi for a few hours now"  
"I'm surprised Levi's still happily swimming around"  
"He's really good with them, and they adore him, so that makes things easier"  
"I think we have some pool goals somewhere, we could have a game"  
"In that case, I might take a shower and raid your kitchen. I assume your barbecue works?"  
"Yeah, but I've got to warn you. Bertholdt and I kind of live on takeaway. We have the bare essentials..."  
Eren rolled his eyes  
"Why am I not surprised. Is there a shop near by?"  
"Yeah, want me to take you?"  
"That would be awesome. I definitely need a shower then"  
"You're mostly dry, just put your skirt back on. That way if you feel like swimming again, you won't have to have another one"  
"Fair point"  
Struggling out of the chair, Eren moved to snag the skirt with his toes, and then slide into it  
"Levi!"  
His alpha looked to him, before shifting back and swimming over  
"I'm going to the shop, is there anything in particular you want?"  
"Can we have a barbecue for dinner?"  
"That's the plan"  
"Steak... and rissoles... and potato salad"  
"Ok, now gimme a kiss"  
Squatting down, Levi obediently gave him a kiss, before kissing his stomach   
"Be safe"  
"You too"

Marley prices were awesome. But once he took into account the exchange rate, it was pretty much the same as Trost. Reiner followed behind with the trolley, as Eren planned out what he wanted  
"Are you sure we need all of this?"  
"I feel like you alpha's have no idea how much you eat"  
Reiner snorted  
"Fair point. So what's on the menu?"  
"Didn't you hear Levi? Steak, rissoles, potato salad"  
"You're putting in more than that"  
"Fine. Salad, rolls, chicken kebab sticks... I haven't gotten to use a barbecue before, so I kind of want to experiment"  
"And we're you're guinea pigs?"  
"Yep. And whatever we don't eat tonight, we can have tomorrow"  
"You don't have to do all this"  
"Have you ever considered I want to?"  
"That's alright then, but don't push yourself too hard"  
"God, you sound like Levi. He seems to think because I'm pregnant, I can't do much of anything"  
"Don't pretend you don't love it"  
"To an extent, but when he tries to follow me into the bathroom, well, it gets old pretty fast"  
Reiner snorted  
"But you're happy right?"  
"Yeah. I am"

 

*  
While Eren and Reiner were off shopping, Levi was trying to keep the boys from swimming towards the deep end. Bertholdt had gone to change, and the boys seemed to have gotten their second wind. He was ready to for a break, but couldn't just leave the boys to themselves.

Things were much easier when Bertholdt came back, the boys actually listened to them, and even shifted back so they could play with the pool equipment Bertholdt had dragged out with him. Levi was finally able to drag himself out and collapse on the sun lounge Eren had been using. Retrieving his boyfriends phone, he snapped a few photos of the boys with Bertholdt, before a few bad selfies for Eren. He chose the worst and made it his boyfriends look screen. Eren would love it, his boyfriend was such a dork like that.

Reiner and Eren had brought the whole shop by the seems of it and despite their earlier conversation, Levi did feel a twinge of jealousy as Reiner whispered something to Eren and Eren laughed. Sliding back into the pool, he swam over to where Eli and Ren were sitting into the shallows, throwing an inflatable ball back and forth, with Bertholdt  
"Who's winning?"  
"I don't even know what game we're playing"  
"Sounds about right"  
Climbing up behind Ren, he slid up behind the boy  
"So, what are we playing?"  
"I don't know..."  
"Hear that Bertholdt, they don't know either"  
"Oh, well in that case, why don't we make a game out of it?"  
"It's not going to turn into a rematch of last night is it?  
"Only if you want it to?"  
"Not really, it would be too mean if I beat you both again"  
"We could attempt water polo, Eren should be up for that"  
"I don't know, he and Reiner are busy over at the barbecue"  
Bertholdt looked behind him and laughed. Both teens were staring ta the barbecue like it was something from out of space  
"I'll go see what's up"  
Bertholdt swam off to the other end of the pool and Eli sighed  
"Daddy, I'm cold now"  
"Do you guys wanna get out?"  
"Nooo"  
Pulling Ren closer to him, he rubbed the small boy  
"I think it's time you two got out for a bit. You don't want to get sick do you?"  
"We won't get sick"  
"You might"  
Eli looked up at him with wide eyes and Levi nodded  
"You guys can warm up in the sun for a bit, and I'll see what's going on with the food"  
Both boys grumbled as they climbed from the pool, both stumbled over to the sun lounges and sprawled out across them.

Walking over to Eren, his omega was off in his own world, while Reiner and Bertholdt were discussing the barbecue   
"Hey princess, everything alright?"  
Eren jumped and span around   
"You scared the crap out of me"  
"Sorry"  
"No you're not. I'm thinking it would be easier to do all the prep work inside"  
"But we're all out here"  
"And there in lies the problem"  
"Aw do you want a hug?"  
"Nooooo, you can keep your cold wet hug"  
"Where's the love?!"  
"There's still plenty of love, but I'm happy being dry right now"  
"Really, you seem pretty happy when you're wet"  
Eren groaned and rolled his eyes  
"You're so lucky I love you. I see you got the boys out"  
"Yeah, they were cold. We forgot to get towels"  
"I have to go to the bathroom anyway, so I'll grab them some"  
"You only just got back and now you're running away"  
Eren's eyes widened and get wet and like groaned internally  
"No baby, sorry. I was joking"  
"I know... but apparently my hormones don't... sorry. I'll be back soon"  
Eren brushed past him and Levi bit his lip. He'd fucked up...  
"Where's Eren going?"  
"Bathroom, and to get the boys some towels"  
"Towels, great plan... Bertholdt said we're playing water polo"  
"You'll have to count Eren out. He's got his mind in mum mode"  
"Oh lord, the horror"  
"I know right. How dare Eren feed and look after us like we're his kids"  
Bertholdt snorted and shook his head  
"I think I'd rather him as a mum than my own mother"  
"Don't tell him that"  
Bertholdt frowned  
"Why not?"  
"Because his mother died and apparently they had a silly little fight that morning. So now he's paranoid about fighting and dying before making up. That's why he was trying to help his dad"  
"Ok, yeah. I see your point. He's too nice for his own good"  
"Pretty much, also everything's like in overdrive now he's pregnant"  
"Like your sex drive"  
Grabbing Reiner's arm, Bertholdt pulled him down into the pool  
"Excuse my future husband. He has no filter"  
"Not gonna lie, you're completely right"  
Bertholdt pulled a face, before spluttering as Reiner pulled him down. The blonde teen came up laughing, his arms wrapped around Bertholdt's waist  
"Sorry, I couldn't resist"  
"I wish you had"  
Reiner shrugged  
"Well I'm in now, so are my socks and my shoes and my jeans and shirt..."  
"Yeah, yeah we get the message, you're miserable"  
"I feel like my misery brings you happiness"  
A sudden slash had Levi's blood turning cold, both boys had jumped in down the deep end, but Reiner had hold of them before Levi could react. Pulling the two crying kids up, Bertholdt swam over to grab Ren   
"What were you thinking?"  
Jogging around to the side of the pool, Levi lifted the boys onto the paving  
"What were you two thinking?!"  
His stern tone had the boys crying harder  
"We wanted to scare Reiner..."  
Throwing his arms around his sons, he held them tightly   
"That was very naughty, you're lucky Reiner was able to get to you in time"  
"W-we we're sorry"  
Eli's words fell between hiccuping sobs  
"Good. Now, no more pool for the rest of the day"  
Both boys nodded and Levi looked to Reiner and Bertholdt   
"Thank you. I froze..."  
He hated the fact he froze for that second. He didn't even know why he froze. He'd been stupid to think the boys would stay on the sun lounges quietly   
"Levi?"  
Shaking his head, he lifted both boys  
"I'll be back down soon, these two need baths. Sorry guys"  
"No, it's alright. They'd have a shock... I think we all have"  
Bertholdt nodded  
"Yeah, I think that's enough pool for today"

Eren was still in the bathroom when Levi carried the boys in. The omega immediately span round from rushing his teeth   
"What happened?"  
"They jumped in trying to scare Reiner and scared themselves. Reiner dragged them up and Bertholdt helped get them to the edge"  
Eren swayed slightly before grabbing the bench  
"Eren?"  
"Sorry... god..."  
The omega sank to the floor, and Levi carried the boys over to the bath  
"Clothes off"  
The boys nodded, and Levi put the plug in, before leaving it to fill and then moving to check on Eren. His mate was sitting on the floor with his knees before and his head in his hands  
"Eren?"  
"Where were you?"  
"Standing where you left me. We were talking, and next thing there was a splash"  
"Levi, you can't take your eyes off them!"  
"I know. I know I fucked up and I was so fucking scared"  
"I trusted you to watch them"  
"I know you did"  
Hanging his head sadly, he was well aware of how badly he'd fucked up. But hearing it from Eren only made it worse  
"Get out. I don't want to see you right now"  
Eren was shakily rising and when Levi went to help, he got his hand slapped away. Hurt was pouring off his mate and he retreated to their room, before sinking down against the wall and smacking his head against it. He was so fucking stupid. Why hadn't he noticed...? If he'd only just noticed...

Eren ignored him when he emerged with the boys, so Levi slipped into the bathroom. The trio were gone by the time he got out the shower and he didn't particularly want to face them anyway. More like he couldn't. It was his job to protect them, and the boys... shit.

 

*  
Eren was a ball of rage and fear. The boys could have been in real danger and he'd been busy throwing up... once the initial anger at Levi passed, he just felt miserable for snapping... he'd just been so scared. The boys had cried silently for most of their bath and that fucking hurt. They'd been having such a good time. So far, their holiday hadn't been of too a very good start. He's been torn to shreds, Levi had gotten into a fight and the boys nearly drowned... 

Carrying the pair down to the kitchen/dining/living area, he settled them down on the sofa. Ren and Eli both curled into each other and Eren covered them with the blanket from the recliner and then found the TV remote  
"Babies, are you sure you're alright?"  
"Y-yes... we didn't swallow any water"  
Kissing both their foreheads, he sighed gently  
"You understand what you did was bad right?"  
"Yes mum"  
"So you promise you'll never do it again?"  
He held out his little finger and both boys shook  
"I love you two so much, and so does daddy. We were both so scared"  
"We... we didn't"  
Ren started to sob again, and Eren moved to wrap his arms around both boys  
"I know... when you see Ner and Ber, you've got to say thank you"  
"We will"  
"Good, now, you can watch cartoons while mummy organises dinner"

Apparently while he'd been upstairs, the shopping had been moved to kitchen and that made things easier. Given today's activities, he decided to cook the rissoles, and do a salad with them. That way they could just turn them into burgers. He might have let his worries get the better of him and wound up cooking way too many rissoles. Shaking his head, he set about finding everything and setting the table. Reiner and Bertholdt were the first two out of the three to reappear  
"Whoa, I think you've cooked enough for an army"  
Wiping his hands, Eren rounded the kitchen island and threw his arms around the pair  
"Thank you for saving the boys"  
"It's fine. Reiner realised immediately what had happened, all I did was help after"  
"Still... I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to them"  
"Are they alright?"  
"Yeah..."  
Pulling back from his friends, he wiped at his face  
"They're sitting on the couch together. They gave themselves a hell of a scare"  
"They gave us all a scare. I don't think I've ever seen Levi so pale"  
Eren groaned at the alpha's name   
"What?"  
"Nothing... I snapped at him without thinking and told him I didn't want to see him"  
"Do you want me to go talk to him?"  
No... he should do that himself... but he was too ashamed  
"I'll go talk to him, Reiner, why don't you help Eren set the table?"  
"Oh, its already done"  
Reiner rolled his eyes  
"Of course it is"  
"Then what were you doing in the kitchen?"  
"I don't really know"  
Reiner wrapped an arm around his shoulder  
"That's it. You cooked, job over. Time to sit"  
"No, it's fine"  
"Eren..."  
Reiner's voice was gentle, yet firm and Eren knew he wasn't getting out of sitting. Sinking down at the dining table, he rubbed his stomach. As soon as he'd heard about the boys, pain had flared through the swell, but it was slowly settling now  
"Are you ok?"  
"Yeah. I need to take my pill, I forgot this morning and ended up puking again"  
"Where are they?"  
"In the suitcase, Levi knows"  
"Ok. Ren, Eli, dinner time"  
Whoever had the remote turned the TV off, and both boys appeared from behind the sofa. They sniffled sadly as they walked over to Reiner and wrapped their arms around him  
"We're sorry... thank you for saving us"  
"It's alright. I'm just relieved you guys are alright"  
Both boys nodded, before letting go of Reiner  
"I think your mum needs some cuddles"  
Ren and Eli turned to him and Eren held his arms open   
"I love you babies"  
"I love you too mummy"  
"Me too"

Dinner was nice, slightly awkward because Levi seemed to be avoiding catching his eye. Eren didn't know what to say, so skirted the issue immediately. After dinner, he was kicked out the kitchen and as the boys were sleepy, he took them up to their bed. They both pretty much fell asleep immediately but given the scare he'd had he curled up around them. They were safe. They were just fine. Letting out a deep breath, he closed his eyes and his thoughts filled of how to make things up with Levi... but he just felt so stupid. How was supposed to apologise for totally snapping when Levi had to have been just as scared, if not more so?

He was just about asleep when the bed dipped and he was gently slid from under the covers. He knew it was Levi straight away and he shook as he wrapped his arms around his alpha  
"I'm so sorry..."  
Levi hushed him as he carried him through to their room and carefully sat down on the bed with Eren in his lap  
"I'm sorry... you must have been so scared..."  
"Shhhh, it's alright"  
"No, it's not alright... I was so scared when you told me... and I told you I didn't want to see you..."  
"I deserved it"  
"Noooo..."  
"I did. I feel like such a fucking fool. Everything was going well, and then I went and ruined it by not thinking"  
Eren shook his head as his hands moved to clutch at Levi's shirt  
"I shouldn't have snapped, I know you'd never intentionally put the boys in danger"  
"But I did"  
Letting out a miserable whine, Eren didn't know what he was supposed to say, especially because Levi wasn't listening to him   
"Levi... p-please... listen to me. I'm sorry..."  
"And I'm telling you, you don't need to be"  
Forcing his fingers to release there hold on Levi's shirt, his hand shook as he sought out his alpha's and moved it to his stomach  
"Please... please don't be angry at yourself. It was a close call... for all of us... if you think you're to blame, then we all are"  
"But you weren't even there"  
"Exactly. I was throwing up because I forgot my pills... maybe if I'd been there I could have told the boys no..."  
"But..."  
"Exactly. No one saw that this was going to happen... please Levi..."  
"I just feel like a failure as an alpha. Reiner moved before I could even react. My blood ran cold and I was so scared... I keep thinking maybe you'd be better with an alpha like Reiner..."  
Letting out a choked sob, Eren buried his face against Levi's neck   
"You're the one I want to be with. You. Not Reiner or Bertholdt. You're the father of this pup, and they need you too... the boys need you"  
"But what if I freeze again?"  
"And what if you don't? None of us know what's going to happen"  
He was crying so hard that his stomach was starting to hurt again  
"Shhhh, Eren, I can't stand to see you like this"  
"Then listen to me"  
Levi started to gently rock him as he hushed him  
"I keep trying to think about how I can be a better alpha, but I just keep coming up short"  
"No you don't"  
"Really?"  
"Really. Think about our first date. You forgot about me completely"  
Levi snorted   
"But the next date was amazing"  
"That's because you're amazing"  
"You cook and clean, and you look after the boys"  
"Things you were doing years before I came along"  
"You helped fix up the house"  
"Then ended up in jail trying to come up with more money"  
"You look after me. You hold my hair and rub my back when I'm throwing my guts up"  
"Well I did get you pregnant"  
Their whispered argument was helping to calm him down, Levi's answers seemed so silly  
"You gave up everything to move to the middle of nowhere to be with me"  
"I didn't have that much to give up. Sex with strangers, drugs and alcohol doesn't really amount to much"  
"You let me yell at you"  
"Most of the time I deserve it"  
"Ha. Most of the time. Levi, you do so much for me and the boys and you don't even seem to realise. You just being here makes everything so much better"  
"It doesn't always feel that way"  
Forcing his shaking form to pulled back from Levi, he tried to convince his lungs they needed oxygen   
"Eren?"  
"Just..."  
Holding his hand up, he kept Levi at bay until he could breathe a little easier. Moving to take his alpha's face in his hands, he stared into Levi's pained grey eyes  
"Do you want to be with me?"  
"Yes"  
"And do you love the boys?"  
"You know I do"  
"Then please stop second guessing yourself. I don't have my mum anymore, I don't have her support, but I'm still going because I have you. I need you and our pup needs you"  
Eren continued to stare into Levi's eyes until he nodded  
"It's just..."  
Letting out sigh, Eren shook his head   
"I feel those things too, and you always tell me how perfect or beautiful I am. To me, you're all those things and more"  
Leaning in gently, Eren kissed Levi as deeply as he could. It didn't matter that the kiss tasted like snot or tears, he just needed Levi to understand he was truly loved, no matter what happened.


	64. Chapter 64

After managing to make it to Friday with no new drama, Eren was excited for the aquarium. Not even the fact that thanks to Bertholdt's mother being a nosy cow, they were having dinner with her that night could bring him down. True Bertholdt's father was going to be there, and he was kind of counting as the man to keep his wife in line, but most importantly was the thousands of fish they were going to see.

The boys were still anti-aquarium, even though Ren was riding on Reiner's shoulders and Eli on Bertholdt's. Eren thanked his lucky stars that his friends were so amazing and patient with the boys, as it left him to wander around with Levi behind the group. His alpha was more than happy to let him gasp and "oooh" over everything. Even insisting on taking at least a dozen photos before they even made it past admission desk. At the moment they were walking through a giant aquarium, and he squealed as a giant stingray glided over them  
"You really love this stuff don't you?"  
"It's just so peaceful. If I wasn't a wolf, I'd definitely want to be a mermaid"  
"I don't think there's such a thing as mermaids"  
"They were wiped out by humans, that's what mum said. Some people don't believe we exist, so I like to hope they do"  
"And that's what makes you so adorable"  
Nuzzling his nose against Eren's, Levi kisses him gently  
"I love you Levi"  
"I love you too princess"  
Taking their time to finish walking through the tunnel, the boys had roped their friends into looking at the huge skeleton of a sperm whale. It was kind of awe inspiring that something so big had once lived and breathed for decades in the ocean  
"We should get a photo"  
"On it"  
Pulling out his phone, Levi took a few stealthy photos of the group, before Ren caught sight of them and waved his arms happily   
"Hey daddy! Hey mum!"  
"Dammit, we've been seen"  
"We could act like we don't know them?"  
"Maybe... but those little ones are too loud"  
"Yeah... foiled again"  
Wrapping his arm back around Levi, they wandered over to the group  
"Isn't it huge mummy? It's even bigger than Reiner"  
Reiner raised an eyebrow  
"Since when am I a unit of measurement?"  
"Right now"  
Bertholdt pressed a kiss to Reiner's cheek and Reiner cleared his throat   
"Ok. So what's the plan? Do we follow the path to the left? Or the one to the right?"  
Eren shrugged, he was happy enough wandering around with Levi by his side  
"Do we have to look at all the fishes? Can't we just look at the cool ones and go?"  
Eli clearly wasn't giving the place a chance at all  
"Well, your mummy looks pretty happy to be here..."  
"Then let's leave him with daddy"  
"Noooo, what about our family photos?"  
"We'll take them with Ner and Ber"  
"Just because they're family, doesn't mean I don't want photos of you guys with daddy"  
"Sticking together as group. Got it"  
Eli let out a huff and Ren reached over pinched his arm  
"What was that for?"  
"Because you're being mean to mum"  
"Ren, you don't have to pinch Eli. Eli, I love you, but you've got to be in the photos with us"  
"What's in it for me?"  
"Didn't we tell you that we'd take you somewhere special if you don't like this place"  
"I thought you were lying"  
Reiner schooled his features the best he could  
"I promise if you don't like this place, we will take you somewhere else"  
"Pinky promise"  
Reiner raised his pinky so the boy could shake it  
"Fine, let's get on with it"  
Falling behind the group again, Eren watched his kids from the corner of his eye, he did want family photos, but he also really wanted to see all the fish. He'd never even seen the ocean, and that only made this more amazing.

At the centre of the aquarium complex was a huge fish tank that ran all the way to the ceiling. Thousands of brightly coloured fish danced through the water like a rainbow. Eren felt like he could stare at it for a life time and never see them all  
"Go stand in front of it so I can take a photo"  
"Only if we take one together after"  
"Deal"  
He felt like an idiot as he stood with the swirling colours moving behind, but it was just so breath taking that he couldn't stop smiling. When Reiner and Bertholdt came over, Reiner convinced the boys to be in a family photo, and then Eren got one of Reiner and Bertholdt together, and one of them with Levi and the boys. He really didn't want to move on from the room, but was immediately glad when he did. On the left of the room there was a petting pool and this time Bertholdt took photos of him being an idiot with Levi. Pretty much silly photos like wrinkling his nose when he touched the star fish. The boys finally got slightly curious and even touched both a small shark and a turtle, which Eren took as a win. The twins didn't know they were going to the zoo on Monday, nor that that was the place Reiner was talking about. His friend had helped him organise the tickets for the day, and the boys were going to get their photos taken with a tiger. He'd paid for the tickets himself, and it might have wiped out almost all the money he had converted, but the day care had actually refunded nearly $1200 which was way more than he expected.

Beyond the petting pool was a set of double glass doors which lead to the outside displays. Levi lead the way, and Eren's breath was once again taken away. He had no idea how close to the sea this facility was. When he stopped to think about it, it made sense, but looking out over the water of what he assumed was a bay, it just seemed to go on forever. It had been his, Armin and Mikasa's dream as kids to see the ocean, but that was because their whole world had been Shinganshima at the time. Now he was seeing it, he wanted them to too  
"I need to make a quick call"  
Levi seemed curious, but nodded as he moved away from the group to FaceTime Armin. It took forever for the blonde to answer his phone   
"Eren! Is everything ok?"  
"Yeah? Why wouldn't it be?"  
"Because I'm at school right now"  
"I might have forgotten about that... what times it there?"  
"11:30"  
"So if I call back in half an hour, you'll be with everyone?"  
"Yep"  
"Sweet, talk to you then"  
He hung up on Armin and walked back to the group  
"I've got to wait till 12 to call Armin back, he always wanted to see the ocean"  
"It's a pretty awesome view. We can totally sit for a bit. We've been walking around for the last hour and half"  
"No way"  
"Check your ticket then, we got them at 10"  
"Sorry guys, it's because I'm so slow isn't it?"  
"You're not slow. Besides, these places are supposed to be enjoyed slowly. There's some tables over there, why don't we sit down for a bit and I can see about getting us something to drink"  
Levi wrapped his arms around him as he nodded   
"Best alpha ever"  
"It's a blessing and a curse"  
Making their way over to the tables, Eren realised his error the moment he sat. Now that he was sitting, he realised how tired he was and that he totally needed to pee as well. Thankfully who ever had designed this place had brain cells. There was a small cafe backing the seating area and a sign saying toilet   
"Do either of you need to go to the toilet?"  
Eli and Ren both nodded, so Eren forced himself up   
"I'll take them to toilet. I take it you two will be alright unsupervised?"  
Bertholdt shook his head  
"You have no idea what mischief we could get up to"  
"That's kind of scary"  
Levi walked with him over to where the door for the toilets were  
"Is there anything you want to drink?"  
"Ummm... maybe a milk shake... I'm kind of hungry too"  
"Should we get lunch?"  
"Yeah"  
Pulling out his wallet, he passed it to Levi  
"I don't know about you, but I feel like I'm supposed to have "fish and chips" now that I'm at the ocean"  
"I could go for that. Should I get the boys juice?"  
"I can't have a milk shake in front of them... maybe see if they do small milk shakes? Sorry, I really should be coming with you"  
"It's fine, they need to pee, no big deal"  
"Well it's about to be. I'll meet you back at the table"  
Ducking through the door, Eren lead the boys to the male toilets. 

Some how what should have been a 5 minute in and out job wasn't. He had to wait for both boys because they decided that they only wanted to wash their hands in the middle sink, for some reason the two outer ones were white, but the middle on was a kind of see through blue. They then wanted to play with the hand dryer and then the powers that be went and decided he needed a blood nose. He was truly beginning to believe Marley had it out for him.

Returning to the table with a wad of paper towel against his nose, he sank down with a heavy groan  
"Apparently you can only wash your hands in the middle sink"  
"Screw the sink, what happened to your nose!?"  
"Nothing, it's probably because it's warm out here and cold in there. It's just about stopped. I take it Levi's not back yet?"  
"Nope. I thought he was just getting drinks for you"  
"Nah, we kind of decided we needed food"  
"Oh, we should totally get food too"  
"Well I told him to get fish and chips, but I have no idea what he's up to"  
"I'll go check. Bertholdt, make sure Eren doesn't go passing out on us"  
"I'm fine"

Levi returned with Reiner a few minutes later, carrying two table numbers and a pile of serviettes   
"He caught me just in time, I was able to add their drinks to our order. The line is huge in there... and what happened to your nose?"  
"It's just a blood nose"  
Placing the numbers on the table, Levi moved to take his face in his hands and pulled away the paper towel   
"You're still bleeding"  
The alpha grabbed a serviette and pressed it against his nose, before kissing his forehead  
"Levi, I'm fine. I'm sitting in the shade, drinks are coming and I'm resting. You don't need to worry"  
"I can't help it"  
"I know"  
"You guys are ridiculously sweet, you should just hurry up and get married already"  
"We've decided to wait. With the baby coming, things are going to be pretty hectic and we still have a few more things we want to do before we do"  
Eren tried to keep his answer vague. He didn't want his friends taking pity on them over the fact they were skint  
"We better get invitations"  
"You definitely will"  
"Good"  
"Eren will make such a pretty blushing bride"  
"That he will. I'm so lucky he puts up with me"  
"I'm the lucky one"  
"Here they go again"  
Ren and Eli just shook their heads, and Bertholdt lifted Ren into his lap  
"Don't you think your mum would be pretty in a wedding dress"  
"You do know mums a guy. He doesn't have to wear a dress if he doesn't want to"  
"That's a very good point"

Their food had just arrived as Armin called back. Eren rushed to down a mouthful of his banana shake before answering the FaceTime   
"Eren!"  
"Hey guys, Armin guess what!?"  
"What?"  
Standing up, Eren walked to the edge of the railing and swapped his camera to the back  
"Is that?"  
"The ocean. We're at an aquarium and I totally didn't realise how close it was. It didn't feel right not having you here"  
"It's so big"  
"It is! I had to show you"  
"I'm happy you remembered"  
Switching back to his front camera, he walked back to the table   
"So how is everyone?"  
Armin swapped his camera view and everyone waved. Izzy and Farlan were sitting with their group of friends and Eren was relieved see they hadn't been shunned  
"Hey everyone!"  
"Hey Eren! Hey Levi!"  
"Who said Levi was here?"  
"As if he'd leave your side"  
"In that case, take a look at this"  
Swapping his own view, he slowly panned over Reiner and Bertholdt   
"Oh my god! Hey guys! Congratulations!"  
"Thanks Armin!  
"I've seen some of the photos, I'm so jealous!"  
"Maybe next time we get married, you can come"  
"I feel like you're just teasing me"  
"Maybe a little. We've got to go. Eren brought food and I'm starving"  
Both alpha's waved so Eren yet again swapped views   
"It's so good seeing you guys! I miss you all so much"  
"We miss you too"  
"Izzy and Farlan are coming to stay when we get back, you guys should totally work out a night that they'll be there and come round"  
"We're totally coming to see you the moment you're back in Shinganshima"  
"I'll believe it when I see it"  
Levi leaned into view   
"Hi guys. Bye guys"  
The alpha pressed a kiss to Eren's cheek as Eren ended the call.

Having been fed and watered, they continued on with their exploration. The boys perked back up when they saw there was a dolphin show on later that afternoon, and Reiner agreed they could go. The alpha seemed just as excited. They wandered past the seals and octopus tanks, and more turtles. All of iybeas amazing, but even after seeing the everything else, Eren's favourite thing was still that huge aquarium... until the dolphin show. Entering the arena, the boys wanted to sit near the edge, but thanks to the splash zone and dinner with a certain sea witch, they managed to force the boys a couple of rows back, but it wasn't like they had anyone in front of them anyway. Given it was hot, Levi was using his hand as a shield for Eren's eyes as Eren leant against him. The heat was forgotten the moment the trainers voice came over the PA and the show began. The main thing he liked was that there was no violence demonstrated towards the dolphins. The animals seemed happy enough, and watching their graceful movements seemed surreal. They made wolves look like completely uncoordinated fools. Ren and Eli were both gasping at and clapping at everything, and even Levi was getting into it, tensing slightly before each jump the dolphins performed. It was sad when the show came to an end, but he was definitely ready to get out the sun.

Exiting through the gift shop, he barely got to look properly, before Levi had him sitting down and sipping on a bottle of water   
"You can look after you've rehydrated. Your face is all red, and I felt how warm you arm"  
"I might be a little dehydrated, but your face is red too"  
It was true, inside away from the glaring light, he could see that his paperwhite alpha was indeed burnt  
"We'll need to pick up some aloe Vera and sunscreen on the way home"  
"Yeah. And I think we should take things slowly on Monday. Try and be inside during the hottest part of the day"  
"Now you're thinking like a dad. Gimme a kiss"  
Levi kissed him as requested, before letting him go back to sipping on the water   
"Mum! Mum! Look what Reiner and Bertholdt got us!"  
Ren came running over with a clown fish, while Eli had a dolphin  
"I thought you guys didn't like aquariums"  
"It might have been cool... only might"  
Eren snorted  
"Did you thank them?"  
"They did. We got you and Levi something too"  
"Should we be worried?"  
"Nah, we'll give them to you later. Did you still want to look in the gift shop?"  
"Nah, I'll save that for next week"  
That and the only reason he'd go in would be to buy something for the boys... and Levi. Couldn't forget the big boy.

 

*  
The plan had been to go straight from the aquarium to dinner, but given they left around 3:30, there had been enough time to head home beforehand and clean up. Eren had dozed most of the way home and Levi been worried that his mate might still be dehydrated, given the omegas body was still warm to the touch and his lips were slightly cracked. Arriving home, he'd carried Eren from the car and up to their room, despite Eren insisting he could walk. 

Trying to get the boys in an out the bath hadn't been working, so the ensuite ended up half flooded as Levi got them both under a cool shower, then dressed, before then doing the same his him and Eren. His omega had fallen silent and Levi knew Eren was mentally working himself up over what Mrs Hoover was going to say tonight... actually, he was probably terrified what the boys would think once the woman had finished laying into him. He'd held him tight in the shower and when he'd tried to kiss Eren's lips, all he'd gotten was a sad sigh.

Eren ignored him almost completely after they stepped out the shower. The omega raiding his suitcase as fast as he could, before disappearing back into the bathroom and Levi was coming up with mental images of the ways he could stealthily get his revenge on Bertholdt's mum, without anyone finding out it was him. Admittedly all he'd come up with was laxatives in the woman's drink... but that was such a shitty idea that it hardly warranted a second thought.

When Eren emerged, Levi smirked, he could see Eren was taking his own form of revenge. He hadn't even realised his boyfriend had packed the dress from Valentine's Day. But fuck, Levi was happy he did. It was coupled with a pair of black wet look pants and the same black heels from that night. His mate had also styled back his hair and thick hoop earrings hung in his ears... a weaker alpha than him would have blown his load on the spot   
"..."  
Levi opened his mouth, but nothing came out, he coughed to clear his throat, before swallowing hard  
"You look amazing"  
"That's the idea. She can suck my left testicle"  
"I'd really rather she didn't... but I'm happy to bury my head between your legs right now... if it really needs to be sucked this very minute"  
Eren giggled and crossed over to him, before wrapping his arms around him and nuzzling at his face  
"I'm sorry I was so quiet before. I just needed to mentally prepare to have our whole lives torn to shreds"  
"Eren, I don't know if I'll be able to keep my tongue... not if she says something about you or the boys"  
"Please try. She's Bertholdt's mother... they're getting married in 10 days and I want everything to go as smoothly as possible for them"  
"I know. It's just, you're so unbelievably incredible that I can't stand to think that anyone would even try and find fault with you"  
Eren snorted, before moving to kiss him gently  
"Levi, I think you spent way too much time in the sun today. Even if dinner goes to shit, I had an amazing time being there with you"  
"Yeah, me too princess. I love that smile of yours so much"  
"If we survive dinner, I might just let you put another kind of smile on my face"  
Given he was already half hard and fighting to keep himself from just jumping his boyfriend, Levi was forced to pull back. Eren smelt so intoxicatingly sweet, he couldn't help but he drawn like moth to a flame   
"The boys already headed downstairs, so we should probably too"  
"Ok... I think I left my wallet and my phone in the car anyway"  
"I don't know where mine are either, worse comes to worse, we skip out and she has to pay for all of us"  
"That's actually really tempting, but did you check your jeans?"  
Rolling his eyes, Levi moved to snag the jeans he'd folded and placed out the way so they could be washed. His wallet and phone were in them as he'd expected and he slid both into his pockets. What Eren didn't know was that Hannes had transferred money into Levi's bank account as an emergency fund. It had come about after Eren had left his internet banking open on his laptop, and Hannes had "accidentally" snooped at it while in the kitchen. The funds were for things like going to dinner and having their card rejected... but he had no idea how he'd even explain that to Eren without Eren becoming embarrassed, so he would have preferred to just leave his wallet home and say he had no money. Moving back to Eren's side, he took his mates hand  
"We can do this..."  
"Yeah... watch me fall face first down the stairs. I'm so fat"  
The dress accentuated Eren's curves perfectly, including his bump. Levi couldn't help but notice that it had grown in the last 5 days, but maybe that was just part of his wishful thinking  
"No baby, you're perfect"

Both Reiner and Bertholdt stared as they stepped off the stairs, Levi couldn't help but notice the small amount of arousal that mingled into the pairs scents. He knew nothing would come from it, but instantly felt overly protective of his mate. Reiner seemed to be the first to recover   
"Damn. We need a photo of that. Levi, you've got yourself one yummy mummy"  
"I know. I brought his this dress for Valentine's Day this year, I didn't even know he'd packed it"  
"Well, it looks amazing. Hand me your phone"  
Levi was relieved Reiner wasn't using his own phone to take the photos. They got a couple of nice ones, before a few more with the boys. Both boys seemed in awe of how amazing Eren looked and Levi couldn't wait to see the smug bitches face  
"I see you still have the watch"  
Levi hadn't even realised Eren had put the watch the pair had gifted him on, but his mate laughed lightly  
"Of course I do. I had this tantrum at the start of the year, that's when I went crazy and burnt all my clothes, cut my hair and got rid of almost all my jewellery, but I could never get rid of this"  
Bertholdt looked at Eren, clearly completely shocked  
"You did what?"  
"It's kind of a long story, basically the boys were getting bullied over Eren being "too feminine", and said they were embarrassed by him. I promptly put my foot in it, and he found out..."  
"I'd like to bully those shitty little kids"  
Reiner nodded at Bertholdt's words  
"Just because they can't compare, doesn't meant they get to be jealous arseholes"  
"Guys, language... small ears remember. And I'm sorry, I know I was the one brought it all up, but I'm about to cry thanks to my hormones, so we can please talk about something happier on the drive?"  
"How about them dolphins..."  
Given the boys didn't understand what was with the sudden topic change, the pair immediately began to enthuse over the dolphins. Keeping up their loud words of praise until they were all in the SUV, and the radio was playing in the background.

The restaurant was jaw droppingly impressive, but Eren supposed he shouldn't have expected anything different after all, especially as Mrs Hoover picked the venue. Eren had to take a moment to compose himself, before Levi took his hand  
"It's ok, I'm here"  
Reiner and Bertholdt came up on his other side   
"We're here too"  
Trying to lift his own mood, Eren joked   
"3 alpha's looking out for me... way to make an omega feel special"  
"Three alpha's that care a whole shit load about you. Don't forget that"  
Eren smiled slightly at Levi's words  
"Sorry, I'm just really nervous"  
"Mum has that effect on everyone, but what she said the other day was completely out of line"  
"It's ok. I guess I'd be suspicious if my sons suddenly flew a total stranger and his family over to another country... especially when they were..."  
He shook his head, nope. He was better than this  
"Never mind. I suppose we should head in?"  
"Yeah. Levi, why don't you help Eren up the stairs? We can carry the boys"  
"You don't have to do that"  
"We know"  
Reiner winked at him and Eren has a feeling it the alpha's way of having a dig at his future mother in law  
"That would be great..."  
Falling behind Reiner, Bertholdt and the twins, Eren tried to concentrate on not tripping over his feet. His stomach was doing backflips and he felt like he was totally going to either throw up or pass out at any moment. With Levi by his side, they slowly made there way up the stairs without incident and before he was ready, they'd plunged into the restaurant  
"Reservation for Hoover"  
The woman at the podium nodded, and waiter appeared from no where to guide them over to where Mrs Hoover was already waiting, with a rather plain looking tall man, which Eren assumed was Mr Hoover. His heart was racing and his palms felt sweaty... this was going to be a very long night.

"Bertholdt darling, what's that on your hip?"  
That? How dare she call Eli a "that"  
"Mother, this is Eli. Reiner is holding Ren. I know you've met Eren, and the alpha beside him is his mate Levi"  
Mr Hoover rose and Eren found himself shaking hands with the man  
"It's very nice to meet you Eren. Both Reiner and Bertholdt speak very highly of you"  
"Thank you, you've raised an amazing son"  
Mr Hoover smiled slightly   
"Please sit, you look like you're ready to fall down"  
"Dad, play nice. But Eren, he's right. You do look a little pale"  
Oh god... nooooooo. He was supposed to be cool, calm and collected. He was about to sit in the chair furthered from Mrs Hoover, but that woman wouldn't have that  
"Eren, why don't you sit across from me"  
Oh fuck. It ended up with Bertholdt sitting closest to his mother, Reiner naturally next to him. Then Eren, the twins and finally Levi sitting closest to Mr Hoover. As huge and bear like in his comforting presence Reiner was, he wasn't Levi  
"I've already ordered us champagne to start to with"  
"Mum, you know Eren's pregnant"  
"Oh that he is, such a shame, I'd completely forgotten about that"  
"It's fine, my doctor said I was allowed as long as I stick to my limit"  
Mrs Hoovers lips pursed in annoyance  
"Eren, I hope you didn't mind me asking, but how far along are you?"  
At least Mr Hoover was trying  
"17 weeks"  
The man nodded  
"And you're excited?"  
"More nervous, but yes, excited"  
He moved one hand to his stomach and rubbed gently  
"And you're parents don't mind you being pregnant at such a young age? It's a shame you've shackled yourself down so soon"  
"Mum! That's enough. Eren is our guest, and important to both Reiner and I..."  
"It's alright Bertholdt. I've got nothing to hide. My three children are all fathered by Levi. My mother died suddenly, but she adored the boys. My father is currently not in the picture"  
The woman clearly loved the fact she was getting under his skin   
"I'm sorry to hear about your mother, where you close?"  
"Very"  
Mr Hoover nodded, and there was a brief reprieve as the champagne arrived, but that didn't last. Mrs Hoover turned her sights to Levi   
"And what about your parents? They didn't mind you disgracing your family line by choosing a mate at such a young age?"  
"Mum! That's enough!"  
"Yes dear, quiet enough"  
"Be quiet you, I want to know the types of people my son seems to think it's alright to associate with"  
"My mother died when I was young, I didn't know my father"  
The woman sighed, as if to say "that explains it all"  
"You've both had such tragedy so young. You definitely deserve some happiness"  
"Thanks. I'd like to think we're pretty happy. Both the twins are happy and healthy, and so is this little one. Things might not always be perfect, but it's more than enough"  
Mrs Hoover looked like she'd been slapped in the face, though Eren had no idea why.... maybe poor people weren't supposed to be happy?  
"Now that all the introductions are out of the way, how about we take a look at the menus?"  
Trust Reiner to save him by bringing up food. Eren picked his up as Eli tugged on his arm  
"What's up baby?"  
Leaning down so his son could whisper in his ear, he tried his hardest not to laugh  
"Mum, I don't like that woman, but it's ok, I farted and waved it her way"  
Turning so he could whisper back  
"Baby, I don't either. But that's Ber's mother, so we have to be nice"  
He kissed his sons forehead before giving the boy a small nod  
"Everything alright?"  
"Just fine"  
There was absolutely nothing kid friendly on the menu, but then again, this definitely wasn't the kind of place to bring kids in the first place   
"Eren, what are you thinking of ordering?"  
"I'm not sure, whatever I order, I'll be sharing with the boys, same goes for Levi"  
"Surely they can eat their own meals"  
"Mum, Eren knows how to raise his kids"  
"I never said he couldn't"  
Bertholdt let out a sigh   
"Can we please not to do this. Eren is important to Reiner and I"  
"I don't understand how. He used to be with Reiner"  
"There's more to that story than you know. Besides, Eren is happily bonded with Levi and I am happily bonded to Reiner"  
"Oh yes, lets just rub in the fact that my alpha side has cast his away right to breed an omega, in favour of being mounted by another alpha"  
"Mum!"  
"What, its true and as far as I understand Eren was the one who got you two together. So do forgive me if I can't forgive the meddling omega who ruined our plans for your future"  
"How dare you! I love Reiner! I have for years"  
"No you don't darling, that was just lust. Do you know how disappointed I was that you let him mark you. You can't break a bond"  
Eren snapped. Reiner was shaking, and Bertholdt looked close to tears. Pushing his chair back he rose  
"Reiner and I were sleeping together because we both loved people we never thought we'd get. That ended long ago. You have no right bringing this up. You have no right to be ruining your sons happiness because he chose love over your stupid plan for his future. He and Reiner are amazing people who are so very much in love. They are happy. That should be all that matters. If my alpha boys ever brought home an alpha, I would be happy for them because I know they would be happy. Your son is marrying Reiner, I don't care if you can't make your piece with it, but stop being such a goddamn cow over it"  
Sinking back down, he was well aware they were being stared at  
"I'm sorry, but as a fellow mother, you suck as understanding your son"  
Everyone sat there silently, but Mr Hoover looked slightly amused  
"What would Bertholdt know about love?"  
Bertholdt rose, the alpha's whole body shaking as he moved away from the table. Mrs Hoover rose, but Eren was up before her  
"You stay here. I'll go check on him, because he is my friend and I actually give two shits about what he feels and says"  
Storming after Bertholdt, Eren ignored the discomfort and pushed his way through the restaurant doors after Bertholdt. His friend was fumbling out his keys, and Eren couldn't catch him in heels  
"Bertholdt!"  
"Go back inside Eren"  
"Not until you talk to me"  
Rolling his ankle on the last stair, all the poise and grace went out the window as he landed on his hands and knees with a pained yelp  
"Eren!"  
Bertholdt rushed to help him up   
"Are you alright?"  
Eren shook his head  
"I need to sit"  
Bertholdt guided him to the garden wall near the stairs, but instead of sitting on it, he sank down and pulled Bertholdt down, before wrapping his arms around him  
"I'm sorry..."  
"No. What you said, I've been wanting to say... but I never had the courage"  
Bertholdt began to cry so Eren shifted so he was basically sitting between the alpha's legs and could hold him better  
"I love him so much! I always have!"  
"I know, and Bertholdt I know you just said you always wanted to say it. But you do. It's clear to everyone with every small touch and laugh and smile how much you two love each other. You don't always have to say the words for everyone to know"  
"She just makes me so mad! She had a go at you from the get go. I'm so sorry"  
"Bertholdt, it's not our job to apologise for our parents actions. You are your own person. You are an amazing person, and Reiner adores you just as much as you adore him"  
"But..."  
"But nothing. I'm a mum, let me bask in my superior mum knowledge"  
Bertholdt snorted  
"Yeah, you're a really good mum"  
"I try. You should have met my mum. Dad went crazy when he found out I was pregnant, but mum swallowed it down and she was there for me every step of the way. She's kind of my hero"  
"That's must have been nice... mum was always busy with her clubs and functions. I felt more like an accessory"  
"Well, you aren't. Reiner sees you for you, even if you feel lost and confused over who you are"  
"Thanks Eren. I'm so happy you're hear right now"  
"Even if I'm the reason you're out here crying?"  
"You're not the reason, she is. I love him Eren. I love him with every thing I have"  
"Well, do you want to know how to get back at her?"  
Bertholdt sniffled and nodded  
"We go back inside, we have an amazing dinner and you stop trying so hard to be anything other than yourself"  
"I don't know if it's safe to go back inside. We left our alpha's in there"  
"That's a fair point, but as gross as my stomachs feeling, I need to eat"  
Bertholdt wiped his face and shook his head, his gaze then moved to Eren's swell  
"I didn't even think. What happened?"  
"I rolled my ankle, I was too busy rushing because I was in mum mode. The scare definitely upset this little one, but that will pass"  
"I'm so sorry. I'd never forgive myself if something happened you and your baby"  
"If you really want to make it up to us, you can totally help me up. I think I'm stuck"  
Bertholdt laughed lightly. It was ridiculous how easily the alpha rose with Eren in his arms  
"Better?"  
"Maybe. But you should probably put me back down"  
"No, I don't trust you on those steps..."  
Eren hummed, he didn't trust himself either. He was actually feeling really shitty. The sun had taken a lot out of him, and he was definitely slightly dehydrated still  
"Do you think this place has juice?"  
"Maybe?"  
"I could totally go for juice right now"  
"Yeah, I could definitely do a beer"  
"See, now you're getting it. I know you guys tell me I'm important and stuff, but you and Reiner are really like family to me. I love both of you very much and I'm so proud of both of you"  
"That's enough being mushy"  
Eren nodded, he took a deep breath as Bertholdt stood him back up. He straighten out his dress before taking a small step  
"How is it?"  
"I'll be fine"

Holding his head high as he limped back into the restaurant, Levi rose immediately   
"What happened?"  
"I said hello to the ground"  
"Are you ok?! Is the baby ok?"  
"I'm fine, and so are they. It was just a tiny scare and Bertholdt came to my rescue. Now, how about we have a nice family dinner. Reiner's going to order me and the boys juices, as well as him and Bertholdt a beer. What do you want?"  
"I wouldn't say no to double whisky neat"  
Eren looked to Reiner and Reiner nodded with a grin  
"Eli, do you want to sit on my lap or daddy's?"  
"Daddy's"  
"You heard the boy"

After a slight chair rearrangement, Eren was between Reiner and Levi. Reiner had Ren in his lap, and Eli of course was in Levi's. Bertholdt's chair was as close to Reiner's as he could get and both alpha's were finally smiling   
"Levi, what do you want to try?"  
"I don't know. Wanna just pick something and hope for the best"  
"That sounds good. What about you guys?"  
"Yep. Looking at this place, I feel like I need to order half a dozen starters"  
"We could totally do that and share?"  
"I like the way you think"  
Mrs Hoover sat there looking more and more sour by the second, but Mr Hoover seemed to be getting into it. The man ditched the champagne for a beer and even loosened his tie.

Eren was quiet happy with how the night went. Bertholdt and Reiner both let down their walls and Eren was sure Mrs Hoover was seeing her son in a whole new light. He was open with his affections, even feeding Reiner little bits of his meal, and the whole atmosphere felt so much nicer. Mrs Hoover didn't join in with the conversation, but she did hug Bertholdt at the end of the night, and the alpha actually seemed to enjoy it. Eren found himself pulled aside by Mr Hoover, and he couldn't deny he was nervous until the man started to speak  
"Honestly, I didn't know what to make of you. You seem so young, you and your alpha both do. But you really stepped up tonight. My wife was never one of those hand on mothers, and I think Bertholdt was always scared of disappointing her, so he always blindly did as she said. That's why when he got with Reiner, she wasn't too concerned as she thought it would never last. Needless to say, she wasn't exactly happy when they announced their engagement. But thanks to you, she got to see a whole other side of Bertholdt tonight. We both did"  
"I know I shouldn't have lost my temper, but Reiner and Bertholdt have both helped me out, even when I was at my lowest point, they were there. I can understand your wife thinking that maybe we wanted their money or something, but it was honestly never like that. I couldn't care less if they're rich or poor, as long as they're happy. That's what's important to me. You have a truly amazing son, and an equally amazing soon to be son in law"  
"Thank you Eren"  
"I'm just relieved this whole night didn't go to crap..."  
"I thought it was going to when you and Bertholdt were outside. Reiner and Levi looked murderous"  
"We were worried about that too, but Bertholdt just needed to calm down and recollect himself. It's hard pretending to be someone you're not"  
The man snorted lightly  
"You're a good kid Eren. If we can ever help you out, please don't hesitate to ask"  
Eren nodded with a smile  
"We should probably get back"

Eren limped back over to Levi, resting his arms lightly over the alpha's shoulders, before stealing a kiss  
"What was that for?"  
"For existing. I love you"  
"I love you too. You were so sexy tonight, putting Mrs Hoover in her place"  
"I thought I was sexy before then"  
"You were and are, I can't wait to take you home and do despicable things to you"  
"Mmmm, I can't wait either"  
As they group began to move towards the door, Eren went to start limping, but Levi scooped him up off his feet   
"Levi!"  
"Nope, no more walking on that ankle, besides, I want everyone to see you're mine"  
"Mmm, because there was ever any doubt?"  
"Nope"  
Levi nuzzled the side of Eren's face gently  
"You really are amazing"


	65. Chapter 65

Monday morning was overcast, but still relatively nice, the cloud cover helping to keep the temperature relatively comfortable. But the Levi couldn't care less about it as he was currently casting worried looks over at his omega. Eren had slept fitfully, thankfully his boyfriend hadn't had a nightmare, but apparently he just hadn't been able to get comfortable, and it was only once he was employed as his mates pillow that Eren finally fell asleep properly... which was roughly at sunrise. Despite his lack of sleep, Eren still seemed happy enough as he ushered the boys towards the ticket gates  
"Daddy, hurry up or we'll leave you behind"  
Jogging over to Ren, he lifted his son up and to his hip  
"Sorry, daddy was just daydreaming"  
"Well daddy needs to get our passports out, so that we can validate our tickets"  
Ren scowled at him until he placed the boy down and slid the passports from his front pocket. Reiner had brought his bag, but it was just easier to have them in his pocket until they actually got into the zoo  
"Tada!"  
Ren didn't look impressed  
"Hurry up, I wanna see the kitties"  
"Someone's getting told"  
Levi nodded at Reiner's words  
"Story of my life"  
Taking Ren and Eli by the hands, Levi held them back while Eren chatted away with the woman at the counter. It seemed to take forever before she handed him a couple of pamphlets and a piece of A4 paper  
"Ok guys, we're all good!"  
Heading through the gates, Levi was kind of in shocked at the world behind the huge walls. He'd never been to a zoo, but hadn't expected this... it was just soooo fricken green. Looking at all the shades, it was like looking into Eren's eyes  
"Levi?"  
"I'm coming. It's just so green"  
Eren smiled happily as he nodded   
"I know right, the woman said there's a tram that runs a circle of the whole zoo, and you can get on and off wherever you want"  
"That sounds handy"  
"They don't have one in Trost, but it's a great idea"  
"Maybe you'll have to take me to the Trost one and play tour guide. We could dress you up like you're going on safari"  
"Maybe, but right now, we have two boys who are attempting to escape"  
"Our boys escape? Never..."  
Reaching for Eli, Levi lifted him onto his shoulders   
"I'd like to see him try and escape now"  
"Don't tempt him, he just might"  
"We ready to move guys?"  
Eren poked his tongue out as he looked to Reiner   
"Just discussing tactics in case the boys try to run for it"  
"Well let's do that away from the entrance"  
"Probably a plan. First we need photos"  
"I'll take them, you go stand with Levi and the boys"  
"You're awesome"  
Eren lifted Eli onto his hip, and Levi took his hand as the moved to stand against one of the massive walls. The massive gaudy elephant painted on the wall made the perfect backdrop for cheesy family photos  
"Everybody ready?"  
"Yep!"  
After half a dozen photos of them with the boys, Reiner insisted on getting a couple of just them, and then just the boys. Levi finally got to offload their passports into Reiner's bag, and Eren dumped everything but what seemed to be a map in with it. His omega seemed confused when Reiner went to step away from the area  
"What about you two?"  
"Nah, we've been here before"  
"Not with us you haven't"  
Eren was clearly having his photos how he wanted. Levi sighed internally as he watched his mate walk up to a random stranger and ask if they'd mind taking a photo of the whole family together. Luckily he'd picked a nice enough man who was happy to help. Levi swore it took at least half an hour for Eren to get all the photos he wanted, and both boys were impatient to get moving.

Given the reptile house was closest, they visited that first. It was here that Levi learned he didn't particularly like snakes, they were shady little bastards that slithered around like they were scheming something. Eren on the other hand seemed interested enough, but then again, his boyfriend had posed for a photo with a snake before... something he had zero intention of ever doing. The geckos and other small lizards were just as creepy, but didn't raised the same feeling of unease. From the snakes they proceeded through and came out into the nocturnal animals. Bats he liked, their cute little faces screamed "fear me", but they were just too cute to fear. Ren didn't seem to particularly like them. Both boys shied away from the glass window of their exhibit. Given that the boys were holding Eren's hands, he was kind of left to wander at his own pace, while Eren would stop to read the plaques or explain things to their boys. Reiner and Bertholdt had moved ahead of them, the pair off in their own little world, and Levi kind of hoped he'd have a chance to be like that while they were here. Basically, he was jealous that he couldn't be next to Eren, and was kicking himself for it. Pausing too long to look for some rodent, he looked up to find he'd lost sight of his mate and kicked himself all over again. Not sure what to do, he slowly made his way through the displays, only to bump right into Eren   
"Um, hi?"  
Eren rolled his eyes and took his hand  
"You're worse than the boys. I turned around and you were gone. Don't scare me like that"  
"I'm sorry, I was looking for this giant rat thing..."  
"You know, if you walked beside me, I wouldn't lose you"  
Levi mentally rolled his eyes, but tugged Eren closer to him  
"Levi, what are you doing?"  
"Well I was going to kiss, then tell you I love you and maybe even give you a hug..."  
"Mmm, can I have my hug while you kiss me? We're kind of on a time schedule here"  
"We are?"  
"Yep, tigers at 12 and its 10 now..."  
"That's two hours"  
"And we've already been here for one... I want to spend time with you too, but we need to keep moving"  
Frowning at his boyfriend earned him a kiss   
"Lets goooooo"

Letting Eren tug him along, Levi could only shake his head as other people looked at them. It turned out that he wasn't that far behind the group, but he felt like a little kid by the time they made it to where everyone else was waiting  
"Dad. Did you get lost?"  
"No, I was looking..."  
Eli looked to Ren and Ren nodded  
"He totally did. You better hold mums hand"  
Both Reiner and Bertholdt snorted and Levi said a mental prayer. His sons thought him a total idiot   
"Don't worry, he is. If he's lucky he might get away with wrapping his arm around my waist"  
Eren let go of his hand, and Levi immediately wrapped his arm around his boyfriends waist  
"Like this?"  
"Perfect. Now I've got alpha cuddles and a day at the zoo"  
Eren smiled happily as Ren took his hand, and Eli moved to take Levi's free one  
"Dad, getting lost is really uncool"  
"But I wasn't even lost"  
"You weren't with us"  
"That's because I was looking for this rat thing..."  
Eli hummed, clearly skeptical of his story   
"I'm not going to win am I?"  
"Nope, but I'll still love you"  
"At least someone around here does"

Most of the animals were kind of interesting, but having rabbits just seemed silly, as did having deer. On the other side of the deer enclosure was a small museum, and given Reiner and Bertholdt had skipped it last time, it was decided they'd explore it this time. The skeletons of extinct animals sat in glass displays, and some of the bigger ones were if lions and tigers, even a rhinoceros. But down the back, was wolf skeletons, in particular skeletons of shifters. The decal across the top of the wall read "Marley's Shameful Past", and the article below talked about how Wolfblood's had been slaughtered by the hundreds right up until the early 1930's when they were finally recognised as having human sides. Reiner and Bertholdt intercepted the boys, leading them through the double doors, but Levi was left holding Eren's hand as his boyfriend quietly cried. The hardest thing to see was the body of small girl who was fed to dogs in the 1920's. The article claimed the message of the piece was that they must never forget, but Levi was sure that Eren didn't even notice anything other than the girl's skeleton. Leading Eren away from the exhibit and out the doors, Levi eyed Reiner and Bertholdt with the boys on the other side of a small patch of lawn near some bamboo, which gave him the chance to pull his mate over to the nearest chair and hold him tight   
"Shhhh baby, nothings going to happen to our pup"  
"I had no idea they killed them like that... you know... when I bought the sunscreen for today, the woman looked at me funny. I guess I know why now"  
"Hey, come on. They don't do that anymore... no ones going to come after us for our Wolfblood. No ones going to harm you, or the boys or me. I won't let them"  
"It's just so sad... that little girl was tiny"  
"I know baby..."  
"I kept seeing the boys in her place"  
Eren crumbled further against him  
"Never ever will I let that happen"  
"Her poor parents... I wonder if they ever knew"  
"Maybe they didn't. Maybe the thought she ran away and made a new life for herself?"  
"God... I can't imagine their pain"  
Eren let out a miserable whimper and Levi pushed him back so he could look his mate in the eyes  
"Princess, I love you. But you've got to calm down for me. Our pup is fine, our boys are fine, but you look exhausted. Let's just take a small break, and then we can go do the tigers"  
"But you haven't seen that much"  
"I missed like 5 lousy animals in the nocturnal. Big deal. You're more important"  
"But I feel like I'm holding you back"  
"You're not holding me back and right up until we hit that display, I was having a good time with you and the boys by my side"  
"Really?"  
"Really"  
Eren sniffled and nodded  
"Sorry... I'm ok..."  
Levi raised an eyebrow, Eren didn't look ok in the slightest, but he pressed a kissed to his mates forehead anyway  
"Ok. Now take a few deep breaths for me"  
Eren nodded and actually did as he was told, then Levi helped him stand   
"You ready?"  
"Yeah"  
Levi kept a firm hold around Eren's waist as they moved to rejoin the group. The boys didn't understand why Eren had been crying, and Levi was grateful for that. His sons didn't need to know about how people's fear had lead to the persecution and death of hundreds.

After a small bamboo forest, the path opened to the pandas and Levi snorted at the sight. Two massive fat pandas were laying on the grass in their enclosure like they didn't have a single worry in the world  
"I feel like next time I'm reincarnated, I want to be a panda"  
"Levi, you do know pandas are too lazy to have sex"  
Scrunching his face up, Levi shook his head   
"Let's just come back as rabbits"  
Reiner laughed beside him and Eren let out a small groan   
"Is it bad all I can think is "my poor arse"?"  
"Yeah, because you'd totally love rabbit me anyway"  
"I would"  
Ren and Eli both posed in front of the enclosure for photos, but they had to due to the fact they were no where near where they needed to be for the tigers.

To get to the tiger enclosure, you had to follow a high board walk over some of the non dangerous exhibits, and then down a small and kind of weird set of stairs, but it was so worth it. Ren and Eli didn't realise what was happening, both shying away as a short woman in a zoo uniform, and a camera around her neck, came to greet them   
"Hi, I'm Rika. This must be Ren and Eli"  
The boys withdrew further, hiding behind their legs  
"Sorry, they aren't usually shy like this"  
Bertholdt laughed  
"I don't think they've ever been shy in their lives"  
"That's fine. Mum, seeing you pregnant, I'm going to have to ask you wait out here, but dad, if you want to come in with us for the photos, that's fine"  
Holy fucking shit... Levi might have been freaking out internally at the mere idea of being so close to a tiger... it was only after his freak out about his own safety that he realised he maybe should have freaked out over the boys first. Smooth one Ackerman.

Eren placed a small kiss on Levi's cheek  
"Have fun!"  
"Fun... I'm terrified"  
"Don't worry. These guys have spent their lives in captivity and have been handled since birth"  
"So I'm not going to become lunch?"  
"No, they've already had a huge feed"  
"Thank god. Eli and Ren, how would you guys like to see a tiger up close?"  
Ren stuck his head out first  
"She's not here to tell us off?"  
"Do you need to be told off?"  
"We didn't do anything"  
"Then why did you think you were in trouble?"  
"Because she's wearing a uniform"  
Rika giggled lightly  
"No, you guys aren't in trouble. My names Rika and I work with the tigers. As part of our awareness and conservation campaign, we let people come and meet our tigers and take photos with them"  
"Wait, so we actually get to see a tiger?"  
"And touch it"  
"No way!"  
"Yep. Mum, do you have the slip of paper you were given at the gate? And your ID?"  
"Oh, sure. Um, Reiner our things are in your bag"  
Reiner nodded, the alpha already on it as he pulled out the piece of A4 paper Levi seen earlier and then passed him the pile of passports   
"Is it just Eren's you need to see?"  
"Yep, he's the one who booked the photos"  
Finding Eren's passport, he handed they and the paper to Rika  
"Perfect"  
She handed the passport back, but kept the piece of paper  
"Are you two ready?"  
Both boys finally abandoned hiding completely, moving to take Levi's hand and Levi followed Rika away from the group and through a locked door.

During the short walk, the woman talked about the work they did conserving the tigers and how many were left in the wild... that sort of thing, until they passed through another door, and then a small caged entrance and into the enclosure. Levi's heart raced as once of the tigers immediately came towards them  
"This is Nala. She was born here, she really loves pats and cuddles"  
The giant feline brushed up against Rika's leg, before moving to head butt Levi's hand and finally flopping down and looking up at her. He had no idea what had happened, but that had to count as touching a tiger  
"They're really just like a giant version of a house cat"  
"We've got cats at home"  
"Do you?"  
Both boys nodded and Levi wasn't sure what to say, so bumbled out a sentence  
"They're both shelter cats"  
"Oh, that's great. Come on Nala, time to pose"  
It was like the feline actually knew what that meant, she rose and shook herself, before padding slowly across the grass and flopping herself down happily  
"Dad, I'll get you to wait here while I settle Nala with the boys"  
Levi was struck dumb by the idea of standing in a fucking tiger enclosure by himself, but the boys were happy to ditch him and follow Rika over to Nala. The pair of them sitting on the grass, before gently stroking Nala's back. Damn, his kids were more fearless than he was.

The whole experience only took about 5 minutes, but it felt like forever. As Nala bounded away, and Rika came over with the boys, Levi did his best to suppress the horror movie playing in his head... in other words, he totally expected Nala to come back and tear him to shreds  
"Dad, she was sooooooo soft!"  
"Really?"  
"Yep. She felt so cool. Can we get a tiger?"  
"Er, it doesn't quiet work like that, and I don't think Mr Kitty or Titan would like having to share you"  
He felt like an idiot for saying "Mr Kitty". He was a fully grown alpha... but it had just slipped out. Rika let them back through the entrance and into the cage  
"Now, we'll send you threw an email of the photo, as well as a hard copy to the address Eren provided, but do you want to take a sneak peak before we do?"  
"Sure"  
Rika unslung her camera and pulled the image of the boys with Nala up. Both looked like they were in heaven  
"That's perfect, thank you"  
"No worries, you have pretty cute kids and they were really well behaved. Sometimes we get kids that are way too excited and it takes a dozen shots to get a proper one"  
"Well their mother loves animals, and these two love their cats, I suppose they don't realise how scary they can be"  
Rika nodded and turned her camera off, before looking to the boys  
"You two ready to tell your mum all about it?"  
Both boys nodded quickly   
"I wish he could have been there..."  
"Maybe next time"  
Rika lead them to the door they'd originally come, pausing just before leading them out. Grabbing a basket from the open cupboard against the wall, she held it out towards the twins   
"As a special thank you for visiting Nala, you get to take one each"  
Inside the basket were small stuffed tigers and both boys happily accepted their tigers   
"Now, I saw your mummy is pregnant. Do you think your new brother or sister might like one?"  
Both boys looked to Levi, before looking back to Rika and nodding slowly. The one picked out a tiger and passed it over to the boys   
"Make sure you tell them all about the tigers"  
"We will"  
"Boys, what do you say to Miss Rika here?"  
"Thank you for letting us touch the tiger and for our tigers"  
"You're very welcome"  
Rika placed the basket back and opened the door, the woman didn't follow them out, but Levi wasn't surprised. 

Eren was sitting with Reiner and Bertholdt, in the shade of the walkway, and Levi smiled as the boys ran over to him  
"Mum! We got to pat a tiger!"  
Both boys threw their arms around Eren, before trying to outcompete each other as they told him all about it  
"She was soooo big mummy!"  
"And so soft... like Titan, but not Mr Kitty"  
Eren laughed as he pulled them closer and pressed kissed to their cheeks  
"Happy Birthday Babies. I'm so happy you like it"  
"Look! We even got these! This ones for the baby though"  
Ren meowed as he waved the paw of the stuffed tiger and Levi wished he'd been recording the moment  
"For the baby?! Really?"  
"Yep! Rika said we had to tell them alllll about tigers. But I don't know much about tigers"  
"Then I guess we'll learn about them together"  
Both boys nodded enthusiastically, but then Eli's stomach rumbled and Levi couldn't help but laugh  
"I guess that means it's lunch time"  
"Yeah, we were going to go find somewhere to get drinks from, but we didn't know how long you'd be"  
"We were lucky that Reiner thought to pack drinks, to begin with"  
Now that Eren mentioned it, he was actually really thirsty, and the boys probably were too. They'd gotten a drink from the water fountain near the pandas, but that was ages ago now  
"I don't remember seeing any tram stops along the way we came"  
"That's because we kind of did like the outer edge. If we go past this area, we'll come out near one... that's right isn't it Bertholdt?"  
"As far as I remember. Why don't we carry the boys? That way Levi and Eren can have a walk at their own pace"  
Levi's eyes narrowed as Eren looked away, and he waited until their friends had a hold of each by, before pulling his omega up and placing a hand to his forehead  
"You're hot"  
"Just a little. I felt a little faint, that's why we were sitting in the sun"  
"Why didn't you drink anything when we were near the pandas?"  
"Because I didn't want to have to pee given we were short on time to get here"  
Levi groaned   
"Eren, no. That's not ok. You need to take care of yourself. I know you didn't sleep well and I know you wanted everything to go smoothly, but we are taking a proper break this time. You are going to eat, and drink and cool back down"  
"I did. Well, Reiner had his water bottle with him, so we sat in the shade while I sipped on water"  
At least Reiner had been thinking. His omega must have been even further out of it than he'd realised this morning, or Eren would have thought of that. Wait... why was he relying on Eren? Why hadn't he thought of that? Shaking his head to dispel his thoughts, he sighed softly   
"How about I carry you?"  
"Levi..."  
"I'll piggyback you, so you won't have to be embarrassed by being in my arms"  
"But..."  
"I don't want you collapsing"  
Eren bit his lip, but nodded and Levi moved to kneel down so Eren could climb onto his back. He had to admit it felt weird as fuck, but kind of nice, especially when Eren slung his arms over his shoulders  
"You know, if I was any bigger, we really couldn't do this"  
"No matter how big your belly gets, I'll find a way to carry you around"  
Eren laughed gently   
"My sweet alpha, such a softy. I wonder if this is how the boys feel?"  
"I'm pretty sure I could carry you on my shoulders if you want to find out"  
"No, this is high up enough for me. Maybe once I've popped this pup out"  
Levi snorted and shook his head, honestly, what was he going to do with Eren.

Piggy backing Eren was an experience. His omega wriggled like there was no tomorrow and wanted photos of like everything, especially the boys awing over the lions. The alpha couldn't help but notice they way the boys seemed to want to distance themselves, but Levi was happy because Eren was happy. When they reached the tram stop, he was almost sad to put Eren down, but his boyfriend insisted. Letting him slide down onto the bench seat, Levi immediately turned to check that Eren was safety settled. His omega had the biggest grin on his face and for the upteenth time in his life, his heart skipped a beat.

The tram was old fashioned with sweeping curved seats and swirling wood patterns bordering its windows. The conductor was a wealth of knowledge, and was more than happy to prattle on into his headset as they passed each exhibit. It turned out they would have to back track a bit because Eren wanted to see the bears now that he knew they were here. The omega was worse than the twins, but he loved it and pretty soon he was actually looking forwards to seeing them too. Arriving at the cafe, they hopped of the tram, and Eren gave him a small kiss before disappearing towards the toilets  
"He seems happy"  
"Yeah, thanks for being, I didn't even think to bring water"  
"You can thank Bertholdt for that. He noticed Eren seemed a bit off this morning"  
"Yeah, he didn't sleep very well. He couldn't get comfy"  
Reiner frowned  
"It wasn't the bed was it?"  
"No, it's the tummy"  
"Ahhh, of course. We'll take the boys in, so you can wait here for Eren"  
"Thanks. I don't know if I've told you lately, but you guys are awesome"  
"Hmmm, I can't remember, but I'll take the compliment"  
Reiner patted his shoulder and headed off with the Bertholdt and the boys.

Eren emerged a short time later, his boyfriend had wet back his hair, and Levi immediately rushed over to him  
"Princess?"  
"It was really fucking hot in there"  
Levi shot a glare at the bathroom door, before moving to support Eren   
"Why don't we sit inside? There's aircon in there?"  
"But it's nice out here"  
Casting a glance around the patio area of the cafe, Levi spotted a table near an open window  
"Fine, but I'm picking the spot"  
Eren grinned like he'd won the argument and Levi let him have his moment. As soon as he'd lowered Eren down in front of the window his omega sighed happily  
"Ok, you win. This is heavenly"  
"I know right. The best of both worlds. Bertholdt and Reiner already took the boys in, so what do you want to eat?"  
"Ugh... I don't know. Nothing too heavy... but I do want a Gatorade"  
"Which flavour?"  
"Watermelon if they have it. Otherwise green apple"  
Pressing a kiss to Eren's lips, Levi then nuzzled his face gently  
"I'll be back soon princess"  
"I'm not going anywhere"

The inside of the cafe was decked out in jungle motif. Large green fronds were painted over every inch of spare wall space, and Levi was struck with the feel like he was in Jurassic park. Yep. All he needed was the damned raptors. Spotting Bertholdt near the drinks, he made his way over to him  
"All good?"  
"Yeah. I just can't decide what I want. Reiner's already ordering with the boys"  
"Of course he is. Do you know if the boys got drinks?"  
"Yeah, they're getting milkshakes and they wanted fries"  
"Ok, I suppose I have to make my mind up now too"  
"When did this become so hard?"  
Given there were 6 fridges filled with drinks, Levi groaned in sympathy   
"Well Eren wanted Gatorade..."  
"Oh, that's right here. What flavour?"  
"Do they have watermelon?"  
Bertholdt opened the fridge and squatted down  
"He's lucky, it's the last one"  
"Sweet, I should probably grab another one for later. Do they happen to have green apple?"  
"Nooo, they have orange"  
"That'll have too do"  
Bertholdt passed him the two drinks, before rising with a sigh  
"They didn't give us this many options in Trost"  
"And there's even less in Shinganshima. They only have one fridge for the cold drinks there"  
"Confusing the country alpha's, what is this?!"  
"I call conspiracy"  
Bertholdt nodded  
"Definitely. I guess I'll just grab a coke"  
"Don't tell me they have the different flavours for it"  
"Cherry, diet, vanilla, ginger, zero, sugar free, caffeine free diet..."  
"No more. I can't take it"  
"But I wasn't finished"  
"I'll just take a normal coke"  
"What size? There's small cans, normal cans, small bottles..."  
"Just a normal sized bottle please"  
Bertholdt snorted and grabbed out two cokes in glass bottles  
"Jesus... this place has it all"  
"Coke tastes better from a glass bottle"  
"I wouldn't know... but you know what? Now we have to pick what we want to eat"  
"Ha! Reiner's ordering nachos and pizza"  
"Damn, Eren said something light, but I don't know what how light, light is..."  
"Getting a piece of cake or some slice or something"  
"That doesn't count as heavy?"  
"I don't think so"  
Bertholdt passed him his Coke   
"Good luck man"  
The alpha headed over to the counter and Levi sighed before moving to look through the display fridge filled with cakes and sandwiches. He ended up getting a ham and salad roll for both him and Eren, purely because he was tired of thinking and just wanted to get back to his mates side. 

Walking back to the table where he'd left Eren, he slowed to pull his phone out and flick it to video. The omega had the third tiger that Rika had given the boys, and was in the process of playing with boys. Eren's tiger was currently being "pounced on" by Eli's, while Ren's was sneaking up behind. Looking up, Eren gave him a small smile as he blushed slightly, before whispering something to the boys. Both boys looked up at waved at him with silly grins on their faces  
"Hi Daddy!"  
"Dad!"  
Cross to the table, he kept recording as he sat   
"You guys enjoying yourselves?"  
"Yep! Ner's getting our lunch!"  
Levi snorted, of course the only thing the boys were thinking about was food  
"Do you wanna tell the camera what you did today?"  
"Went to the zoo!"  
"And we met Nala!"  
Eren looked to Ren   
"And who was Nala?"  
"Nala was a tiger! We got to pat her and then we got the tigers! One each!"  
The twins waved their tigers paws, making them wave at the camera so Levi ended the recording there  
"Can I put this one on Facebook?"  
"If you want to... my stomach isn't showing is it?"  
"Babe, you have a loose shirt on, so no... or at least I don't think so"  
"Ok. But if we get questioning phone calls, you're explaining"  
"Fine with me"  
After passing Eren his roll and drink, Levi set the video to upload, before settling down across from Eren. He'd literally only just got settled when the twins jumped up and ran over to Reiner  
"Sweet! Free seat! Dibs!"  
Eren giggled as Levi gathered his stuff and moved  
"You're the only one who would call dibs"  
"That's because I have excellent taste"  
"You do"  
Raising an eyebrow, he couldn't help the smiling like an idiot as Eren giggled again  
"You're such a dork"  
"Quite possibly, now eat your lunch"

Levi was mid-bite when Eren's phone started ringing and the omega pulled it out with a frown  
"It's Grandpa Arlert..."  
Stuffing the rest of the roll in his mouth, Levi nodded while trying to talk  
"You should answer it"  
His words turned out totally garbled, but Eren nodded, cautiously swiping his thumb across the screen and bringing it up to his ear. His mate didn't look terribly happy, and Levi slid closer, only to get a hand to the face, holding him back. It remained there as Eren yes and no'd old man Arlert, until finally thanking him and hanging up with a huge sigh   
"Everything alright?"  
"Yeah, Hannes had to drop the cats over there. He's gotta go to Trost because he went and broke his leg"  
"Wait... he broke his leg and still dropped the cats off?"  
"He suspected it was broken. He fell off the front steps trying to change the lightbulb. So being the idiot he is, he rounded up the cats first and took them to over to the Arlert's, and then went to hospital"  
As expected, there were tears in Eren's eyes despite how hard he was trying not to cry. Annoyed, but given no choice, Levi wiped his hands on his jeans before wrapping his arms around Eren   
"If he was getting around, it mustn't be too bad"  
"I know... it's just... Hannes has always been... I never really thought anything would happen to him"  
"And he probably didn't expect it would either. But he's probably already at the hospital and got every nurse he can chasing after him"  
"Yeah... maybe..."  
"Do you want to call him?"  
Eren sniffled  
"Maybe later... if he has to go to Trost, he'll need X-rays and a cast and all that... casts are horrible"  
Eren's left hand went to rub at his right arm and Levi nodded. He could smell how upset Eren was, even if he was trying to hide it unsuccessfully. His alpha was on edge and he growled, somewhat embarrassingly, when Reiner went to pat Eren's shoulder. The teen laughed, which Levi's alpha didn't particularly like and Levi struggled to rein back in his feelings  
"I'm sure Hannes wouldn't want you to be this upset"  
"He really wouldn't. Hannes is pretty much our dad. Or at least he's kind of what I imagine a dad being like"  
Eren nodded  
"Yeah. Hannes is definitely what I imagined an actual loving father being like... and Levi, don't go growling at our friends"  
"I couldn't help it. My alpha hates to see you so upset, especially when you were looking so much better"  
"Thanks..."  
"You're welcome. We'll call Hannes later, but for now I want you to finish your lunch"  
Eren rolled his eyes  
"But muuuuum"  
"Did you just "but mum" me?"  
"Yeah... let's just pretend that never happened"  
"Nope"  
Pulling away from him, Eren wiped his face and went back to eating, so Levi opened up Facebook.

His video already had 3 likes and 4 comments. It wasn't like his posts ever got that many likes, except the ones of Eren... so he clicked on the notification and scrolled down  
Hanji Zoe: OMG! Levi! That's soooo cute! Where are you guys?  
Armin Arlert: I want a tiger! And the boys are so cute  
Eld Ginn: Shit that's cute. Eren's looking great ;p  
Isabel Magnolia: @hanji zoe agreed! They're in Marley at the moment! I'm so jealous! @armin arlert I want a tiger too!

"Armin and Izzy want us to bring back tigers"  
"Of course they do..."  
"They can't have ours..."  
Ren clutched his protectively to his chest  
"No baby, we'll have a look at the gift shop. Those ones are just for you"  
"Good... they can't have the baby's either"  
Eren nodded with a smile  
"Of course not"  
Eren finished his lunch slowly, being the last at the table to finish, but smiled happily enough once he was  
"We get to look at the bears now right?"  
"Muuuuum"  
Eli tugged moved to tug on Eren's arm and Levi mentally cringed at the odd way Eren had to turn to lean down so Eli could whisper in his ear  
"Sorry, we need a bathroom break"  
"I'll take them"  
There was no way Eren was going back into the bathroom to undo all his hard work   
"That would be awesome. Thanks"  
His omega gave him a quick kiss and Levi slid from his spot   
"Ren, come with us"  
"But I don't need to go"  
"Then you can come for a walk. Oh, we better leave the tigers here, we don't them getting lost"  
Both boys looked to Eren and Eren held his hands out  
"But..."  
"Daddy's right. We don't want anything happening to them"  
Neither wanted to hand them over, and both sighed as they did, casting sad looks back over their shoulders as Levi lead them to the bathroom.

They were only in there a short time, but Levi was melting by the time he came out. Thanks to the massive sky light and windows on one side of the room, it was fucking ridiculous in there. He glared at the bathroom door for the second time that day, and lead the boys back to table  
"Bear time?"  
"Definitely"  
The boys rushed to snatch their tigers back, before throwing themselves at Reiner and Bertholdt. Both alpha's laughed as they lifted them onto their hips  
"I'm beginning to think that if soccer doesn't work out, I'll just become a taxi"  
"You're certainly big enough. But I don't know you're road legal"  
Reiner rolled his eyes at Eren's comment  
"I'm more road legal than you are"  
"I don't know. I carry my passengers for 40 weeks... or so"  
"That makes you sound like you've abducted them and kept them in the boot until you got bored of them"  
"Maybe I do? Levi's made Hannes use the sedan now, and that's actually got a boot"  
"But does Hannes let you drive?"  
"Yep. I've got one of those fancy things called a license"  
"No way"  
"Way! But it's from when my hair was long"  
Eren moved to Levi's side, and Levi reached to play with the omegas hair  
"It's getting long again"  
"Oh... should I cut it again?"  
"Nah, it suits you long"  
"Maybe I'll grow a beard then..."  
Both Reiner and Bertholdt howled with laughter and Levi looked to them for an explanation   
"Sorry... just the mental image. Eren in his cheerleading uniform, and then he turns around and there's this huge bushy beard..."  
Levi let out a small laugh and received a jab to the ribs from Eren   
"Sorry princess, but it's pretty funny"  
"I might just attempt one to spite you now"  
"Ok princess, whatever you say"  
In their whole time together, he was yet to ever see Eren shave his face...  
"I feel like you aren't taking me serious"  
"That's because I'm not"  
"So mean"  
Eren still wrapped his arms around him, and the pout he was given was adorable  
"Right then, bears"

Levi preferred the pandas over the bears. The bears were big, and kind of boring as they lazed around near the "den" in their enclosure. Yep. He'd nearly steered Eren over to the next enclosure when a cub came out and his omega squealed  
"It's toooooo cute!"  
Levi failed to see what was cute, but promptly blamed it on his mates sense of taste being addled by his hormones. That was until he realised that he was included in the things Eren liked and didn't particularly want to be discluded once their pup was born. He bit his tongue as Eren took more photos of the cub, and span around to look at him  
"Selfie time!"  
Glaring the best he could at the camera, the look was ruined by the fact he was trying not laugh at the stupid face Eren was pulling  
"This is sooo my new profile picture"  
"What?! No"  
"Yep. You're just lucky I didn't make the one you left as my lock screen my cover shot"  
"Then I might have to post that one from Valentine's Day"  
"You wouldn't! Not of your pregnant mate!"  
"I wouldn't, but that's only because I'd have to kill everyone who looks at it"  
Eren giggled and moved to gently kiss him  
"Giraffes next!"

After back tracking further to look at the giraffes, Levi was then expected to pose while they were standing in the viewing platform. What he didn't expect was to have his hair tugged at by a long sloppy tongue and his whole body shuddered. The thought of all the germs was enough to make him gag. Nope. Nope. Giraffes never again. It didn't help that almost everyone there was laughing over it. When he retreated over to Eren, his omega promptly side stepped away  
"Sorry Levi, but my tongue isn't going going anywhere near you until you've showered. That was equal parts hilarious and gross"  
"No. It was just gross. I feel so violated"  
"Come on Levi, it wasn't that bad"  
Levi shot Reiner with the best glare he could. He could still feel the giraffes spit in his hair  
"How about we feed you to a giraffe and you can see how much fun it is"  
Bertholdt chewed his lip for moment   
"Sorry... I don't think we can get our money back if one of us gets eaten by a giraffe"  
"Damn. I didn't think of that"  
Eren giggled   
"I'll wash your hair for you properly when we get home"  
"Promise?"  
"Promise"  
Eren held his pinky finger out and Levi shook it. A shower with Eren sounded heavenly  
"Now that that's organised, how about we start making our way towards the exit"  
Eren nodded  
"Yeah, its about that time. My feet are getting sore"  
"Do you want me to carry you again?"  
"So I can get giraffe drool over my top? No, it's fine"  
Stupid giraffes.

Making their way back towards the tram, Levi was allowed to hold Eren's hand, but wasn't allowed to put his arm around his waist. By the time they made it onto the tram, Eren was yawning. They ended up just staying on it for the 50 odd minutes it took to get back to the front bit of the zoo. The place was huge, like a whole world had been hidden behind its walls. Eren insisted that they needed to do the petting zoo, even though the gift shop and beautiful green exit sign was in view. It wasn't that he hadn't enjoyed himself, and seeing the boys and Eren so excited had been adorable, but he just couldn't get over the giraffes drool. Yet for some reason he followed his mate over and found himself in the petting zoo patting deers and goats and a calf for some unknown reason. 

Finally! Finally they made it to gift shop! Eren was yawning and stumbling as he was dragged around by Eli, and Levi didn't know to step in and stop his son. He understood the boy was excited, but he was scared Eren was going to end up falling. Eli ended up running into Reiner and Reiner lifted him easily, which mean that Levi could step in. He didn't know what was wrong with him, all he had to do was go to Eren's side, but now he was doubting his abilities as a father. He cursed the giraffe again and forced himself forwards to Eren's side  
"See anything you like?"  
Eren nodded, holding up two shirts  
"Yeah, I want a shirt, but what about this for the pup?"  
The small shirt was white, with a black cartoon tiger face on it. Beneath read "Hear Me Roar!"  
"That's adorable. What about your one?"  
Eren's was pale blue, with Marley Zoo printed across the back and a small elephant printed on the front pocket  
"That's cute too. I suppose we should grab a tiger for Armin and Izzy... should we grab something for Mikasa and Mr Arlert, oh, and Hannes"  
"Yeah... good idea. We can post all this stuff home so we don't have to pack it"  
"Mmm, brilliant idea"  
Levi had no idea why Eren grabbed Mikasa a scarf, but the omega knew the girl better than he did. Hannes was getting a bottle opener, so Levi grabbed one for Farlan. Armin's grandfather was getting two glasses that said Marley Zoo. After an insane amount later, they finally made it out and somehow the boys had acquired two stuffed lions to add to their tigers. He didn't even think to be suspicious about Reiner giving Bertholdt the car keys, he'd stupidly assumed he alpha wanted to buy his fiancé something... yet. No.

He was fiddling with the boys seatbelts when the boot of the SUV opened again, and a giant stuffed giraffe face came at him  
"You forgot your friend"  
The stupid thing filled up all the space not taken up by the twins back seats. It's head sat hung over the back seat between him and Eren and Levi quietly shook with annoyance. Fuck giraffes. Fuck them with their long legs and their stupid tongues. Naturally Eren had found it hilarious and the boys were thrilled by it... so he couldn't exactly voice his opinion. 

Eren had fallen asleep on the drive home, and hadn't woken when they'd pulled up. His mate looked so beautiful as he chest rose and fell softly   
"Levi, do you want me to take him?"  
Afraid he'd wake his mate, Levi nodded   
"Thanks Reiner. I'd probably wake him if I tried"  
"He does look rather peaceful doesn't he"  
"Yeah..."  
A small smile played on his boyfriends beautiful pink lips, it was like he didn't have a care in the world.  
Bertholdt rushed to unlock the door while Reiner went ahead and carried Eren up to their room. Levi took the kids into the living room and got them settled down watching TV, before heading upstairs and being forced to wash his own damn hair.


	66. Chapter 66

Hobbling into the kitchen the next morning, Reiner raised an eyebrow at him  
"Damn, someone had fun last night"  
"Ha ha ha"  
Each step felt like he was walking on glass, and Eren totally wasn't in the mood  
"Nope, you're not happy enough to have got laid. What's wrong?"  
"I fucked up my fucking feet"  
He didn't mean to snap at Reiner, and he shook his head in disgust  
"Sorry. I didn't mean to snap. I made the horrible mistake of taking a shower, and it hurt"  
Reiner scrunched his brow in confusion   
"Eren, English"  
"I have blisters"  
"Oh! Yeah, no. They suck. Have you dressed them"  
Eren looked down at his bare feet  
"I didn't want Levi to worry"  
Letting out a yelp of surprise, Eren found himself being lifted onto the kitchen island  
"The amount of blisters Bertholdt and I get each time we have to break in new cleats... we started keeping the first aid kit down here, it was too much work to get upstairs with bleeding feet"  
Reiner rummaged through the one of the kitchen cupboards before pulling out a ridiculously oversized first aid kit  
"Doctor Reiner in the house!"  
"Oh god, we're all screwed"  
"Bertholdt says I have a wonderful beside manner"  
"I'm sure he does"

Eren was in tears before Reiner had finished his first foot. It stung like hell as he wiped them over and then dressed them. The alpha was still going when Bertholdt walked into the kitchen, the teen humming happily until he saw Reiner messing with his feet  
"Blisters?"  
"Blisters"  
Bertholdt moved to lift Eren's left foot, the one yet to be dressed, and let out a long sigh  
"How did you even manage to walk?"  
"Carefully... they weren't that bad, besides I fell asleep remember so for like 6 hours that my shoes were on, I wasn't actually doing anything"  
"Didn't you take his shoes off?"  
"No, I didn't want to wake him up"  
"Eren, I'm sorry my husband-to-be doesn't use his brain as much as he should, but he does do a really good job with dressing blisters"  
"As long as they heal in time"  
"It's ok, we haven't picked your shoes up yet, which brings me to today's news. Cathy called, your dress is ready"  
Eren's eyes widen, his pain and bad mood forgotten in an instant  
"Really?! So we can pick it up?"  
"Yep, she said to come in at 10. Though the plan was to get your shoes after"  
"We can totally do that! I know my size..."  
Bertholdt laughed and gently lowered his feet  
"I think someone's more excited than I am"  
"Should I be worried you're not excited?"  
Bertholdt leant over and pressed a light kiss to Reiner's lips  
"Trust me, I'm plenty excited"  
"Good. Because in 6 days, I'm marrying you whether you like it or not"  
"I definitely like it"  
Bertholdt pulled back, the look on his face said he was trying to work out if his words made sense or not. He must have given up as he shook his head  
"So, I'm taking Eren shopping, are you going to be alright with Levi and the boys?"  
"Maybe. I think he's still a little filthy with me over the giraffe"  
"You did go a bit over board"  
"But the look on his face was priceless"  
Eren nodded  
"Maybe let's not talk about it. I know he has a bit of a thing about germs and that, and I really wanted him to be able to relax and enjoy this holiday"  
Reiner shrugged  
"Alright. We all have our little quirks. I won't mention it again"  
"Thanks... can we finish my feet now. I can't wait to try my dress on again"  
"We also need to pick your jewellery and hair style"  
"I was just going to wear it down..."  
"You're probably better at this then I am"  
"I don't know, you chose that dress"  
Bertholdt's face reddened ever so slightly  
"I might have tried to think like you would"  
"Well you nailed it"

Reiner finished his feet, and then helped him off the counter. It still hurt to walk, but he was just too excited about the dress. 6 days and his friends would be married! Just thinking about it had him smiling like an idiot, it didn't even matter that this week was fully booked up with wedding preparations. Tomorrow was a rehearsal, then there was a dinner with Reiner and Bertholdt's parents. There was a rehearsal dinner on Thursday where they'd be talked through what was supposed to happen when Reiner and Bertholdt walked into the reception and a basic run through of the night... Friday was a dinner with Reiner's parents and then Saturday was the mad rush to make sure everything was done in preparation for Monday, as Sunday was the twins 5th birthday. He was finishing organising breakfast for Levi and the boys when they finally appeared  
"Hey princess, I was wondering where you were"  
"Sorry, you were asleep so I got ready without you"  
Levi nodded slowly as he crossed over and wrapped his arms around him, nuzzling against his neck as he did  
"Is it me or have you gotten a little bigger"  
"That's nice, but no, it's not just you. The pups been moving a fair bit today"  
"You can feel it?"  
"Yeah... not like kicks or anything really noticeable"  
"That's so cool"  
Eren smiled as Levi pressed a kiss to his face  
"You wanna know what else is cool?"  
"Maybe..."  
"We're going to pick up my dress today"  
"Oooh, when?"  
"10"  
"So not long then"  
"I don't know what the time is"  
"It's just on 9"  
"Good, that means I have time to call Hannes"  
"Well it's a good thing I brought your phone down for you"  
"Best alpha ever"  
Levi nodded and Eren turned his head so he could reward his mate with a kiss.

While everyone ate, Eren curled up on the recliner in the living area and called Hannes. The first time it ran out, but the man answered on the second call  
"What's this I hear about you throwing yourself on the ground?"  
Hannes's loud laugh brought a smile to Eren's face  
"Maybe. But it was the lightbulbs fault"  
"Yeah, yeah. Anything to get out of work"  
"What can I say. The nurses here are hot"  
"And just how high are you?"  
"Ever so slightly..."  
"Thought so. So, how bad is it?"  
"I got a cast! Lucky me. As the boys would say, I look all tough and manly"  
"I thought my heart was going to stop when Grandpa Arlert told me"  
"He wasn't supposed to. You're supposed to be enjoying yourself. How's it going?"  
"Good! I get to try my dress on today"  
"Ooooh, very fancy. How are the boys?"  
"As loud as ever"  
"And Levi?"  
"He's good. He's feeding his face at the moment"  
"And why aren't you?"  
"Because I'm on the phone to the guy who fell off the steps"  
"Touché. How about you? How's the bump?"  
"Bigger. Exhausted. Emotional. Thrown up a couple of times, so the usual"  
"And the pills?"  
"Still working"  
"Excellent. You'll have to send me a photo of the bump though"  
"I don't know... I don't know if I want you seeing my bump"  
"I'm going to be seeing a lot more of you when you're pushing your baby out..."  
"Don't remind me"  
"Now now. Don't pretend you aren't excited"  
"The more time between now and then, the better"  
"Agreed. Oh shit. I have to go. The scary nurse is on duty and she's at the door"  
"Someone you're actually scared of... I'll have to ask them their secrets"  
In the background he heard Hannes being scolded and laughed as he hung up  
"Something funny over there?"  
"Hannes just got told off by a nurse. He's scared of her"  
Levi snorted  
"She has to tell us how she does it"  
"I know right. I suppose I should eat before we go"  
Rising slowly, Eren hissed as he limped over to the table  
"Eren, why are you limping?"  
"Oh, I might have gotten blisters"  
"Why didn't you tell me?"  
"Because they've been cleaned up and dressed and I didn't want you to worry"  
"I'm your alpha, of course I'm going to worry. It's like every time I take my eyes off you, something else happens"  
Levi's tone might have been joking, but Eren's hand moved to his stomach. Soon the scar there would be stretching and he'd be forced to look at it every time he looked down at his baby bump  
"Princess?"  
"It's nothing"  
Still, he teared up without meaning to  
"Hey, what's wrong?"  
Shaking his head, Eren sniffled before wiping his face  
"It's just hormones"  
"Ok... but you should know by now you can tell me anything"  
"I know"  
Looking down at his toast, Eren really didn't particularly feel like eating. He'd ruined his own happy mood and needed to snap out of it. Hannes was fine. He was trying on his dress today and Grisha was in jail. Nothing at all too worry about.

 

*  
Standing still, Eren was all smiles again as Cathy triple checked the dress. It was perfect and he couldn't wait to show Bertholdt. His bump was slightly noticeable now through the folds of the fabric, but not unattractively so and he felt like a princess  
"And it's not too tight?"  
"Nope. It's perfect"  
Unlike in the old dress, Cathy had put some more padding into the breast area, so he actually had a slight bust. His own breast were tiny, but he definitely wasn't flat anymore  
"Now, do you think you can walk on those feet of yours?"  
Eren nodded, and carefully stepped down off the podium. The first thing the old woman had noticed was his feet, which lead to him spending the next 20 minutes insisting he was alright to stand  
"Ok, you can go on through now"  
Trying to appear more graceful than he felt, Eren walked through to showroom and Bertholdt gasped  
"Oh wow. That's perfect. You look amazing"  
"I hope I don't look too amazing. I don't want to steal the limelight"  
Bertholdt laughed lightly  
"Just the right amount of amazing. How does it feel?"  
"Great. I kind of feel like a princess"  
"You look like one"  
Walking closer to Bertholdt, Eren span slowly so his friend could see the dress from all sides  
"You really did do an amazing job Cathy"  
"I know, it helps when the models this attractive too"  
"I feel like a princess in this dress and kind of whale like otherwise... not everyone could make a baby bump look this good"  
Cathy snorted  
"You're not that big"  
"No, I know, but I'd grown so used to seeing my toes so easily"  
"Do you think you can dance in it?"  
"Wait, I have to dance?"  
"Yep, you and Levi"  
"When did this happen?"  
"It happens after Reiner and I have our first dance"  
"And you wait until now to tell me?"  
"Yep"  
"Levi can't dance"  
"I'm sure he can slow dance just fine"  
Eren let out the breath he didn't even know he'd been holding   
"You scared me on purpose didn't you"  
"Maybe"  
"You're awful"  
Bertholdt nodded and held his hand out  
"May I have this dance"  
"I don't think he should be dancing. Not with his feet all bandaged up"  
"Oh... I might have forgotten that"  
"It's fine"  
Taking Bertholdt's hand, they murdered their way through a very simple box waltz. Cathy was right, he really shouldn't have been dancing and Bertholdt called an end to their dance when Eren hissed particularly loudly   
"Right. Eren, time for you to get out of that dress"  
"Yeah..."  
Curtsying clumsily, Eren turned and followed Cathy towards the work room. He carefully slipped out of the dress and let out a sigh  
"That's what you get for dancing"  
"Oh, no. Not that. I was off in my own head"  
"That's never a good place to be on ones own"  
Having had to strip down to try the dress on, he'd caught sight of his scar again under the bright lights of the work room. He truly hated it. Rushing to redress, he was done before Cathy had finished zipping up the dress bag  
"Now I expect you to take good care of my masterpiece"  
"You don't have to worry about that. It's probably worth more than everything I own combined"  
"I wouldn't go that far"  
Taking hold of the dress carefully, Eren limped out ahead of Cathy and Bertholdt moved to take the dress from his hold  
"Oh thank god. I do not want to be responsible if something happens to that dress"  
"That's why nothing is. Thanks again Cathy, you did a truly amazing job"  
"No worries. It was a pleasure to meet you both, and congratulations again Bertholdt"  
Bertholdt let Eren walk through the store ahead of him, so the omega forced himself not to stop and drool over this one particular dress that had caught his eye. He couldn't help it. It was a gorgeous cream lace number and he'd fallen in love with the moment they'd walked in. It hadn't been there last time, and he desperately wanted to try it on. But there was no way he could as he was pregnant... and poor. Forcing himself out side, Eren hobbled over to the car and waited as Bertholdt finally emerged   
"You didn't have to run"  
"Sorry, there are just so many nice things in there"  
"Yeah. I was nearly tempted to wear a dress"  
Eren raised an eyebrow   
"Really?"  
"No"  
He snorted as his friend unlocked the car and he crawled in. 

After the dress shop came the shoe shopping and Eren nearly fainted at the prices. $600 for a pair of heels... he could buy 300 bottles of milk for that. Or two hundred bottles and two hundred loaves of bread...  
"You ok?"  
"Sorry... I was in mum mode"  
"And what's the equivalent in mum mode?"  
"300 bottles of milk"  
Bertholdt let out a low whistle and Eren nodded. They were nice black heels, but damn!  
"What colour shoes do you want?"  
"Silver. Because the jewellery will be silver to match the dress and everything else"  
"Good thinking"  
"Well it was either white or silver and silvers the better choice"  
"If you say so"  
Bertholdt squared his shoulders as the sales assistant came over  
"Can I help you?"  
"Yes, I'm looking for a pair of shoes for our maid of honour here"  
The woman nodded   
"Do you know what size you are? And what colour you were thinking?"  
Following her towards the counter, Eren gave her his size and told her that they absolutely had to be silver. The woman tapped away on her computer for a moment  
"We have a few pairs, take a seat and I'll bring them over to you"  
Sitting down in a ridiculous "artist" chair, Bertholdt moved to sit in the one next to him  
"These chairs are awful"  
"Yep. I'd take functionality over style any day... do you know what I just realised?"  
"What?"  
"She's going to have to touch my feet..."  
Bertholdt snorted, a huge smile gracing his features   
"I wonder if she's ever seen a bandaid before?"  
"You might need to call an ambulance. Sales assistant takes look at feet and faints"  
They were both laughing as the woman returned, the scowl on her face clearly said she didn't think this was the place to be happy  
"These are the ones we have in stock"  
"Eren, ignore the milk bottles. Which ones do you think?"  
There were 16 boxes, and each box had a small picture of the style inside. He narrowed his options to three, without giving the other 13 a second glance  
"Any of these 3"  
They all were styled so they wouldn't touch where the blisters were on the off chance they weren't healed by then. Bertholdt stared blankly before choosing the middle box. The silver shoes in side were simple with what seemed to be real diamond across the straps and they had a good solid heel  
"Yeah, I like those too"  
"Would you like to try them on?"  
Eren giggled, he couldn't help it. Bertholdt was struggling not to laugh   
"Yes... but we should warn you, he's got dressings on his feet"  
"Sorry, but thanks to health regulations, he can't try them on then"  
Rude much! Eren bit his tongue as Bertholdt nodded  
"Fine. Ring them up"  
His friend had rolled over so easily. They were stupidly expensive shoes... like 450 milk bottle shoes... damn. He really needed to stop comparing them to two litre milk bottles  
"Bertholdt, you don't even know they'll fit for sure"  
"They're your size right?"  
"Yes, but you can't just spend that much money on a pair of shoes"  
"Eren. I can and I will. It's my wedding"  
He would have taken Bertholdt seriously if it wasn't for the smile  
"You rich people are crazy"  
"Yep. Now, jewellery?"  
Eren shook his head   
"Food first. My stomachs rumbling"  
"Food and then jewellery. There's a shopping centre near home we can go to"  
Eren nearly replied with "what, not going to blow 2 grand on a silver necklace", but didn't want Bertholdt to think he found him shallow. Though, it kind of stung and he hated the swirling jealousy spreading through his body. These were his friends and they loved him how he was... but fuck he wished he could pay for his own things.

It wasn't that he was sitting in the food court happily picking at his cheap Chinese that the tendrils of jealousy faded. Bertholdt was just as happy as he sat across from him and picked at his own Chinese  
"See, why couldn't we have this at the reception?"  
"I don't know... because your mum would probably faint?"  
"Possibly. You know that more than half the people invite are from our parents companies"  
"That's shit"  
"Pretty much. We have you, and we have a few friends from school and the soccer team, plus their significant others... basically you're the only one I can talk to about this"  
"Why not Reiner?"  
"Because he feels the same and we both end up getting pissed"  
Eren giggled as he nodded  
"I can imagine. But all that matters at the end of the day is that you two will be married and no one can deny that"  
"Yeah. That's what I keep telling myself"  
"I think I would have just eloped"  
"We bonding without telling anyone, we both knew that was the closest we were getting to eloping"  
"Yeah. I really don't blame you. Hannes and Grandpa Arlert are the only parental figures Levi and I are having"  
"Do you have any idea where you want to get married?"  
Eren nodded, he blushed slightly as he did  
"Yeah... I've got this stupid dream in my head. There's this spot in the forest near home where Levi and I met. That's where I want to get married"  
"That sounds nice"  
"It's cheesy as hell, but that place has been my special place for years"  
"Nah... yeah, it's a little cheesy"

A Silver pendant pearl earrings to go with a silver pendant pearl necklace, Eren didn't even like pearls, and the fact it was a pearl necklace wasn't lost on him. Bertholdt had even had a good giggle at his behalf, and then actually brought the set. He didn't know what it was about pearls, but they'd never screamed luxury and money to him... or at least the white ones hadn't. Wanting to leave with at least some of his self respect still intact, he was literally millimetres form escaping the store when Bertholdt decided he needed a bracelet or something for his hands, and he was dragged back into the jewellers while the alpha proceeded to spend a stupid amount of money on a nice filigree silver cuff bracelet, that would have been perfect if not for the three pearls sitting in a kind of "S" in the top detail. Personally Eren had eyed a nice simple set of silver hoops, with a nice teardrop pendant that had a small diamond in it. The pair combined cost less then the ridiculous cuff bracelet  
"Come on Eren, it's just a pearl necklace"  
"Bertholdt, do you really want to admit in front of our alpha's that you gave me a pearl necklace?"  
"Nope"  
Eren was left shaking his head as he followed Bertholdt out the store  
"Oh shit, we forgot to get you something to wear in your hair"  
"We are not going back in there. You made that sales clerk say pearl necklace like 20 times"  
"And did you see the look each time. So worth it"  
"So you fucked with me, just to fuck with him?"  
"Yeah... I'm actually going to give these to mum"  
Eren's stopped dead in his tracks   
"Really!"  
"Yep!"  
"I fucking hate you right now"  
Bertholdt laughed as Eren punched his arm as hard as he could   
"God! Why was I even in there?"  
"Because I was half looking for wedding jewellery too. Now, did you see anything you liked?"  
"Yeah, but there's no way in hell I'm going back in there"  
"But..."  
"Don't make me put the words "mum" and "pearl necklace" together"  
Bertholdt stopped laughing immediately  
"I can't ever unhear that"  
"Good, that's what you get for messing with me. You have no idea what you just put me through"  
"Fine. I guess I might have deserved that... so I guess we need to find another jewellery store now"  
There were 3 in plain sight of where they were   
"Give me your card"  
"What?"  
"Your card, give it to me. You've lost your choosing privileges"  
Bertholdt slid his card from his wallet and passed it over   
"I suppose you want the pin too"  
"Nope, you can come with me, you just can't buy anything I don't choose"  
Bertholdt let out an exaggerated groan  
"I never should have messed with you"  
"Nope"

Eren didn't find the same set, but he did find a set he liked. Silver pendulum earrings with small diamond in the ends of them, complete with a matching necklace. He also chose a simple silver watch and then allowed Bertholdt to pay for the items. His three cost what that stupid ugly cuff bracelet cost. He had no love for it now that he didn't have too, and was pretty happy with his purchases. Striding from the store, he smirked happily as he reached the outside and spun back to look at Bertholdt   
"Because you've been such a good boy, I've decided to let you take me shopping a little more"  
"Eren..."  
"Don't worry, I just need to grab the stuff for the twins birthday on Sunday. Well, like, cake mix... they've been so spoilt on this trip, I have no idea what to buy them as a present"  
"I can see your problem..."  
"Yep, so which way to the nearest supermarket?"  
Bertholdt span a slow circle  
"I think it's down and too the right"  
"Ok. I'm trusting you"  
"Are you sure that's a wise move?"  
"Nope, but I don't have a better plan"

The supermarket was down and to the left, so Bertholdt had nearly been right. His feet were aching badly, but he wanted to get this done while the kids weren't around  
"What flavours your wedding cake?"  
"White chocolate"  
"Ooooh, simple. Very nice"  
"We didn't want something too rich to enjoy"  
"Fair point. So maybe I'll make cheesecake... nooo, wait. Lemon meringue would be sooo much better"  
"Will the boys eat it?"  
Eren couldn't remember if the boys had tried it before or not  
"Damn... fine. Salted caramel should be alright... right?"  
"Yeah. That sounds good"  
Grabbing two packets of cake mix, Eren tossed them in the basket  
"We need eggs and butter now"  
"We have them at home"  
"Bertholdt, will we still have them on Sunday?"  
"Probably not"  
"Exactly"  
Heading down the isles, they grabbed candles with smiley faces on them, a big number 5 candle, balloons, streamers, eggs, butter and sparklers. He knew for a fact the boys had never played with sparklers before  
"Is this enough?"  
"Yeah. We don't want to go all out. It'll be no good if we're exhausted before your wedding"  
"You really like mentioning the wedding, don't you"  
"Yep! You have no idea how happy I am for both of you and I can't wait!"  
Bertholdt snorted and slung an arm over his shoulder   
"I wish everyone in the world was as happy as you are"  
"Could you imagine. A whole world filled with me..."  
"One of you is more than enough"  
Laughing lightly, Eren slipped from his friends hold and started limping towards the checkout.


	67. Chapter 67

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry. I got back from my holiday yesterday and my brother came to visit today...
> 
> Also, you know who you are x

Having survived everything and made it to Saturday night, Eren was enjoying his alone time in the kitchen. It was almost 11pm, which meant everyone else was snoring, while he was setting up for the twins birthday on his own. The other had said they'd do the decorations in the morning, but Eren wanted to do cake tonight and Reiner had leant him his laptop to use so he could listen to music as he did. Opening up his favourites list, he put on the song he'd nicknamed Levi's song. It was actually a song from a manga off a Patreon account, and someone had done a kind of screamo cover. He'd discovered it completely by accident, but for some reason he loved it and knew the lyrics off by heart. He'd even renamed the download from Rivaille's song to Levi's song

"  
You've been right beside me  
Ever since my world began  
You taught me to see in colour  
But now those colours seem so far awaaaay!

Those colours seem so far awaaay!

You say you don't feel what I feel   
I say you're just running scared  
You think those monsters are right right behind you  
But I know there was nothing ever really there.

So throw up your walls and I'll break through them all  
I chase your monsters awaaaay  
I'll always be there when you need me   
I'll always come to to save the day.

They say what we have is crazy  
They say it can't possibly be right   
But I say they don't understand you  
And I say I'll never let them take you away 

So throw up your walls and I'll break through them all  
I chase your monsters awaaaay  
I'll always be there when you need me   
I'll always come to to save the day.

And I'll fight for you when the monsters break down your walls  
I'll slay them all just for the chance to be with you  
I'll do whatever it takes to own you   
Until you find I'm the greatest monster of them all!  
"

Completely lost in humming away, he missed the sound of the incoming Facebook book call, and it wasn't until it rang against between songs that he stopped to pause his music and open up his Facebook page. The chat window down the bottom told him he'd missed a call from Izzy, so he facetimed her back, while moving to lean on the counter so she shouldn't see his stomach. Izzy's face filled the screen immediately and Eren was further confused. The girl was sobbing hard, which given her usual sunshine attitude, was scary  
"Izzy?"  
"E-Eren... I'm sorry... I didn't wake you did I?"  
"No, I was just making the boys birthday cake"  
"Oh... ok"  
Izzy chewed her lip, so Eren took the lead  
"What's wrong Izzy?"  
"I. I didn't know who to call"  
"That's fine Izzy, you're family. What's the matter?"  
"I... I think I might be pregnant..."  
Oh. Ok. Now he could see why she was so upset   
"Does Farlan know?"  
"N-no... Eren, what do I do?"  
"Have you done a test?"  
"N-no..."  
"Izzy, if you think you might be, you should really do a test"  
"But what if I am! I'm not ready to be a mum!"  
"No one ever is, and if you are, you've got all of us here to support you"  
"But I have so many things I want to do"  
"And you still can, it's just like taking a little sidestep on the way"  
"I can't even cook!"  
"Did you make that list for me?"  
"Y-yes..."  
"Then we'll be doing all the cooking when you come to stay and you should know you can call me at any time you need help"  
"But... what if I am! Who do I see? What do I do?"  
"Izzy, do you remember Hannes?"  
"Yes"  
"Well Hannes is a Doctor. He can perform a super simple blood test to confirm if you are or not, and he can help you find a doctor if you are"  
"R-really?"  
"Yep"  
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her, but didn't want to upset her further  
"So I should take a test?"  
"Yeah. And if you're still not sure, we'll get Hannes to do that test while your in Shinganshima. Whatever happens, just know you aren't alone"  
"T-thank you Eren... I was really freaking out"  
"Any time Izzy"  
Izzy ended the call and Eren sighed. It was great that she might be having a baby, but that meant they'd have to give up partying and he just hoped that meant that Farlan would choose Izzy over his drugs.

He'd finally gotten back into his music and was humming away in his own world when Levi came into the kitchen. Turning the beater off, he paused his music and looked to his alpha   
"Hey you, I thought you were sleeping"  
"I was, but the bed feels so empty without you"  
"I'm just about done, I just need to pour this into the pan and bake it"  
"Is there anything I can do to help?"  
"You can keep me company if you like?"  
Levi padded across to him and wrapped his arms around him. Eren couldn't help but smell the arousal leaking off Levi and let out a small moan as the alpha mouthed at his neck   
"Levi..."  
"Don't mind me"  
Trying to work while Levi's hands roamed across his body made things nearly impossible. His whole body was shaking by the time he finally placed the cake batter into the over and set the timer  
"Levi..."  
Given he was no longer busy with the cake, Levi let out a snarl and bit down on his neck while his hands slid up his shirt and began to massage his small breasts   
"Mmm... alpha..."  
They really shouldn't be screwing in the kitchen but he needed Levi so badly. Grinding his hips back, his hand slid down and he rubbed at his throbbing erection   
"God... that's so hot..."  
Letting out a high pitched whine as Levi tweaked his nipples, his knees trembled and slick dribbled down his legs   
"Alpha..."  
"Put your hands on the bench"  
Rushing to comply, he shivered as Levi's hands moved down his body and began to massage his stomach   
"God Princess... I want to get you pregnant all over again"  
Stripped of reason by Levi's pheromones he nodded as lewd moans spilled from mouth. He needed Levi's knot so badly  
"Alpha... need your knot so bad"  
"Mmm, such a good omega"  
Levi's hands moved to pull his sweat pants down and shuddered at the sudden exposure. The smell of his own arousal rushed to meet him and Levi snarled behind. The alpha's hands moved to massage his arse and he groaned in approval as Levi's fingers slid into him  
"More..."  
"Just wait my love"  
The next sensation that hit was the feeling of Levi's tongue running up his leg as his alpha traced the trail left by his slick  
"I could eat you all day and it would never be enough"  
Levi's fingers found his sweet spot and Eren was in heaven as his alpha milked the spot and lapped at the slick  
"Levi... I'm gonna..."  
"Cum for me princess"  
As Levi's tongue finally moved to tease his loosened ring, Eren's toes curled and he saw white as he came. If it hadn't been for Levi's fingers alone, he would have fallen. Levi pulled them free with a wet squelch  
"Mmm... you taste so good on my fingers"  
His finger tips slipped against the marble surface as he tried to remain standing, but behind him came a rustling of fabric and then Levi's hands moved to his hips. His alpha sinking into him in one long thrust and Eren's eyes rolled back as his lips parted with a long moan  
"How do you want it little omega? Hard and fast?"  
Eren nodded quickly, all of him needed to feel Levi's knot, to feel the warmth and connection, and his breasts bounced as the alpha set a hard pace. Both soon throbbed and Eren whined in need  
"My.. breasts..."  
"You want me to touch your breasts?"  
Nodding frantically, Levi moved his hand up and took a firm hold on Eren's left breast, massaging hard and leaving Eren mewing for more  
"Fuck... I'm not going to last"  
Eren wasn't going to last much longer either, and he didn't even bother trying to. Waves of warmth engulfed his body as he came again and Levi came with a loud snarl behind him, his alpha burying his knot as far into him as he could and to Eren at least, it really did feel like the alpha was trying impregnate him again, Levi was still pulsing and twitching inside of him and Eren's whole body had clenched around the alpha's knot as if he'd been starved of it for years instead days. They hadn't been able to have sex since Friday night, and now they'd started, Eren didn't want the delicious feelings to stop. Levi's hand slid from his abused left breast and down to support his stomach as the alpha nuzzled his bonding mark  
"I'm so completely and hopelessly in love you with Eren Yeager"  
Tears filled his eyes and Eren sniffled   
"I love you too Levi Ackerman... thank you for being my mate and the father of our pups"  
"Mmm... our pups... your body is so amazing, giving life to our pups and bringing them into existence"  
"Your pups... only ever yours"  
Levi nipped his ear lightly   
"I would tear the throat out of anyone who ever touched you"  
Eren shivered as his alpha's words. They weren't a threat, but a promise.

Unable to stop themselves from surrendering to pleasure, Levi's knot had faded and he was mercilessly tormenting Eren's sweet spot. The omega now laid on the kitchen island, with Levi slamming into him in a desperate need to claim him all over again, this time his alpha howled as he knotted him and Eren felt the few weak spurts of semen splatter onto his baby bump. He couldn't think. He couldn't move, all he could do was lay their as Levi moved to press kisses to his stomach.

When the kitchen timer rang, both mates jumped and Levi hefted him into his lap. It pleased Eren's omega to know that despite the fact the alpha had thoroughly satisfied him, Levi was still concerned about the kids. Awkwardly Eren was able to slide the cake from the oven, and place it on top, before Levi laid him back down on the kitchen island and began to lick and bite his nipples. Eren's back arched immediately and a long breathy whine came from his throat   
"Alpha... no more"  
Levi pulled back, before diving back in and licking Eren's nipples   
"Yes omega"  
This time when Levi slid out, he immediately grabbed thepaper towel and dampened a length before cleaning Eren down and helping him back into his sweat pants. Levi wiped himself down, and then lifted Eren off the island and carried him to the sofa  
"Rest omega, I'll take care of the mess"  
His alpha pressed a kiss to his forehead and Eren practically purred with contentness. 

Having drifted into a light doze, he was awoken to Levi gently lifting him into his hold  
"The cake?"  
"After I washed my hands, I put it onto the cake rack to cool"  
"Mmm thank you"  
"You're welcome my love. It's time I take you up to bed"  
"I like the sound of that"  
"Good, because I haven't had enough of you yet"

Collapsing into his favourite position, Eren wrapped his arms around Levi and nuzzled his alpha's chest, his alpha was already pulling the blankets up, and Eren sighed happily, until he remembered his call with Izzy  
"Levi. I've got something to tell you"  
"Hmm?"  
"I forgot about until just now, so please don't freak out"  
"What is it?"  
His alpha sounded just as sleepy as he did  
"Izzy called me earlier. I think she's late, she's worried she might be pregnant"  
Levi tensed beneath him  
"Really?"  
"Yeah. I'm telling you because if she is, she's going to need our support. But don't tell her I told you... just in case she isn't"  
"Wow... Izzy as a mum..."  
Eren nodded before yawning   
"Our family is getting bigger"  
"Yeah... uncle Eren and uncle Levi"  
Eren snorted, he was barely awake, but still heard Levi whisper  
"I like the sound of that"

 

*  
When Levi's phone started to beep, Eren nuzzled against Levi's chest in an attempt to hide from the stupid noisy device, however the phone completely ignored his wishes and continued to chime, indicating it was 7 am and time to get up so they could organise all the decorations   
"Hey gorgeous, it's time to wake up"  
"Noo"  
"But the alarm says it would"  
"What would it know?"  
Levi pressed a kiss to he top of his head, before gently beginning to sit up   
"Come on, we both need a shower"  
"Can I shower without moving?"  
Unfortunately now he was awake he needed to pee  
"Not that I know of"  
"Fine. Stupid pregnancy bladder..."  
Sliding off of Levi with a groan, Eren carefully crawled across the bed and then off. His whole body was covered in a fine layer of sweat and now he was upright, he just felt gross. Stumbling into the bathroom, he took care of his morning business, before turning the shower taps and waiting for Levi to join him.

Stepping into the shower, he stuck his head under the running water and closed his eyes, while Levi used the toilet, before joining him under the running water. The alpha immediately grabbed the bodywash and washed his hands down, before pulling him into a deep kiss. Levi had no idea how Eren's heart fluttered each time his lips touched Levi's. Levi had said he was hopelessly in love, but Eren was the one who felt hopeless, he couldn't live without Levi's love and intended to repay his alpha for the previous night. Breaking the kiss, he took the body wash, and squeezed out a generous dollop  
"Turn around"  
Levi nodded, allowing Eren access to his mates back. He loved the feel of Levi's muscles rippling lightly as he carefully ran his fingers across the creamy flesh. Light scars littered Levi's back, but Eren had never been game enough to ask what happened. Levi was with him, here and now, that was all he needed. Coming down from the small of Levi's back, Eren slid his hands along his lovers thin hips and down to toy with Levi's half hard erection. His alpha moaned sweetly in his hold, and Eren took his time to tease him completely, slowly rolling back Levi's foreskin and then thumbing at the alpha's slit  
"Mmmm... Eren"  
Smirking slightly, Eren sank down carefully in the shower  
"Turn around for me, I need to clean you properly alpha"  
Levi turned and the smell of the alpha's natural musk had Eren drooling. Cupping the falling water in his hands, he washed the remnants of the soap away from his alpha's erection, before taking it in his hand and beginning to lap at the slit. Levi's hands came to his hair, and the alpha's moans filled the shower. Having teased him enough, Eren took Levi whole and his alpha groaned, before beginning to lightly roll his hips. The feel of his alpha's silky skin sliding so easily in his mouth, had Eren using his free hand to jerk his own erection and hungrily he sucked and teased Levi further until his alpha came down his throat and Eren came across his mates feet and legs. Pulling back with a smirk, he smiled up at Levi, and found his alpha gazing down at him so lovingly that his heart twinged. The alpha ran his thumb across Eren's bottom lip, catching the cum that had dribbled from the side. Before Levi could wash it away, Eren lapped it off and let out a happy moan  
"You're so fucking good to me princess"  
Levi's voice was ragged from orgasm and Eren omega did a small happy dance at being praised by his mate. The rest of the shower passed in long languid kisses and small secret whispers until it was finally time to get out.

 

*  
Having dried and dressed, Levi took Eren's hand and lead him into the boys room. Both boys were sleeping soundly with Eli wrapped in Ren's arms  
"Have you got your phone?"  
Eren nodded and slid the device from the pocket of his skirt  
"They look so adorable"  
"Yeah, they really do"  
Taking Eren's phone from him, Levi took a couple of pictures and then tapped away on the screen, before passing it back  
"I put them on Facebook"  
"Ok, but now we know they're still asleep soundly, we need to go do the decorations"

Eren followed his mate carefully down the stairs, the pup was moving again, and he couldn't stop smiling. Music was already coming from the kitchen and he stepped inside to find Reiner and Bertholdt both already setting up  
"Look who's up, did you two have fun last night"  
Blushing slight, Eren bit his lip  
"I'll take that as a yes"  
"Reiner, don't tease them so early in the morning"  
Bertholdt wrapped his arms around his fiancé, and nuzzled Reiner's face happily   
"Yes love. Are you guys hungry?"  
Eren shook his head  
"No, not yet, I'm going to start icing the cake"  
"Princess, you should eat"  
"I'm alright, my stomachs a bit queasy, so I'll eat when it settles"  
"Ok baby, I love you"  
"I love you too"  
Levi moved to start making himself some toast, while Eren moved to relocate the cake to the end of the kitchen island that had breakfast stools in front of it. It looked good and despite their nocturnal activities, it hadn't burnt. Walking to the fridge, he grabbed out the things he needed for the cream cheese icing and the caramel sauce he'd brought the other day. Nodding happily with himself, he set himself up. It was all going well until he opened the cream cheese, vomit rushed to fill his mouth and he scrambled to the sink, his whole body heaving as he threw up. 

Levi was by his side instantly, turning the tap on and gently rubbing his back in broad circles as tears rolled down Eren's face. He didn't even know why he was crying. After a few long moments, he was finally done throwing his guts up and nodded to Levi. The alpha wrapped his arms around him and guided him to sit  
"Can one of you grab a glass of water please"  
Bertholdt was already on it, Eren had only just sat when the teen was pressing a glass of water into his hand. Ignoring the disgusting taste in his mouth, he gulped it down and let out a sigh  
"Thanks... sorry about that"  
"It's fine, do you feel better now?"  
Eren nodded, even though that was a big fat no  
"Was it the cream cheese?"  
Eren nodded and Levi looked towards the counter  
"Should I do it?"  
"Do you know how?"  
"No, but you can tell me"  
"That might be better... it should be alright when the caramels swirled through it"  
"Ok princess, I'll finish my toast and you can tell me how"  
Bertholdt let out a small laughed   
"You two are so sappy. I remember thinking Levi was a total arsehole when he showed up with that scary growl and "fuck you" attitude, baring his teeth at everyone, now he's completely and totally whipped"  
"That's because I didn't have much to live for before"  
Eren reached to pull Levi closer   
"Hey, we're supposed to be happy today. Our boys are 5"  
"I am happy. I have you, I have the boys, we have a pup on the way and we might be uncles... besides, these two idiots are getting married tomorrow"  
"Uncles"  
Eren sighed  
"Isabel might be pregnant, but she hasn't taken a test. Big mouth here was supposed to keep quiet about it. She called me last night balling her eyes out"  
"Oh..."  
"Pretty much"  
"I'm sorry, it just kind of slipped out"  
"Well you can't slip it back in... let's pretend I never said that. You have a cake to ice, and there are streamers to be hung"

Unlike the previous year, this year was a sea of colours. Streamers of every colour hung from the roof and balloons were everywhere... Bertholdt and Reiner got into a competition over who could blow the most up. It ended when Bertholdt went cross eyed and nearly fainted. Levi had done a really good job with the cake, and the caramel cancelled out the smell of the cream cheese. With trays of party pies, sausage rolls, mini pizzas and quiches in the oven, it was finally time to wake the boys up.

Leaving Reiner and Bertholdt downstairs, Levi and Eren headed up. The boys were still sleeping and they both carefully climbed into the bed  
"Babies"  
Gently playing with Eli's hair, his sons sleepily reached for him  
"Mummy?"  
"Hey baby, happy birthday"  
Eli scrambled up, throwing his arms around him   
"Whoa baby, careful now"  
"I love you mummy"  
"I love you too, now let's get your brother up. We can do whatever you want to do today"  
"Even watch cartoon in our pyjamas"  
"If you want to"  
"Aw yes!"  
Levi gently woke Ren, lifting the boy into his arms  
"Happy Birthday"  
"Mmm..."  
Ren yawned and wrapped his arms around Levi's neck  
"Ren! Mum said we could watch cartoons in our pyjamas! No stupid bath!"  
Ren yawned again, and Eren slowly slid from the bed, before taking Eli into his arms  
"Do you two need to go to the toilet first?"  
Eli shook his head, but the way he wrinkled his face said yes. Placing his son down, Eren nudged him towards the bathroom  
"You better let Ren go to"  
Levi placed their son down and both boys stumbled towards the bathroom  
"I can't believe it's their birthday again... this years going so fast"  
"They're growing up way too fast. They start pre-primary this year... I can't believe it's been 5 years already"  
"Mhmm, you've done an amazing job with them"  
Levi had only just wrapped his arms around him when the boys came staggering back. Eren took Eli into his arms again  
"You ready baby?"  
"Yep"  
Ignoring the fact his sons hands were wet and water was dripping down his neck, Eren carried Eli downstairs and waited for Levi and Ren to catch up. Walking into the room, Reiner and Bertholdt scared the crap out them with party poppers  
"Happy Birthday!"  
Both boys stared wide eyed at the streamers and balloons   
"Wow! This is so cool"  
Ren's priorities however went straight back to the fact that they'd been promised cartoons  
"Mum, cartoons please"  
"We promised they could watch cartoons in their pyjamas"  
"We can't disappoint. Netflix it is"

Sitting in the middle of the sofa, Eren had Eli and Ren curled up against him as they laughed along to the cartoon playing. Eren had no idea what it was about, but the boys were happy. Reiner and Bertholdt had disappeared, but soon returned  
"I know we weren't going to do presents, but... we found these"  
Bertholdt passed a small folded white paper bag to each of them   
"We get gifts too?"  
"They were at the aquarium, no clue why though"  
Opening the paper bag, Eren shook out the necklace inside. It was small gold wolf pendant   
"Oh wow! I didn't think I'd see anything like this in Marley"  
"We got one each, and we have one set aside for your baby"  
Eli tugged on his arm and Eren took the necklace  
"You want it on right?  
Eli nodded and Eren undid the clip, before placing it around his son's neck and clipping it into place, before straightening the small gold silhouette   
"How does it look mum?"  
"Perfect baby"  
Ren tugged on his arm  
"Mum can you do mine too?"  
"Of course"  
Ren beamed up at him as Eren did his necklace up  
"Now what do we say?  
"Thanks Ner and Ber!"  
"You're welcome"  
Eren held his own wolf in his hand  
"They really are perfect. Thank you so much"  
"Don't worry about it. We saw them and were like Eren will definitely love these"  
"I do"  
Bertholdt moved to sit down in the recliner to Levi's left and Reiner sat in his lap  
"So what else do you guys wanna do today?"  
"Um... watch cartoons..."  
"You wanna watch cartoons all day?"  
"Yep!"  
Eli was pretty proud of his response and Eren wrapped his arms around him  
"Whatever you babies want"

After eating lunch, Eren grabbed Reiner's laptop and FaceTimed grabdpa Arlert   
"Hey Eren! I was wondering when would be a good time to call?"  
"Now's perfect, let me put the boys on"  
Sitting the laptop down in front of the boys, Eren carefully made sure his stomach wasn't exposed. In the background he heard Armin asking who it was and then his friends voice came through  
"Hey guys!"  
"Hey Armin, we have a couple of birthday boys who miss their uncle Armin and Grandpa!"  
"Hey boys!"  
Ren and Eli waved as the laptop, and Eren left them to it. The omegas mind already on dinner, and Levi moved to join him in the kitchen  
"Now what are you doing?"  
"I was wondering what we should do for dinner?"  
"We could get takeaway?"  
"Maybe..."  
Truthfully he didn't really feel like cooking, he was in desperate need of nap, but that was entirely his fault. Levi came moved to wrap his arms around him  
"Are you ok? You look a little pale"  
"I'm fine, it just feels weird not giving the boys actual gifts"  
"You paid for them to meet that tiger"  
"But that's not today"  
"Eren, you're over thinking this. They're happy with watching cartoons, and getting cuddles"  
It still felt weird and kind of wrong, no matter what Levi said. Letting out a sigh, Eren shook his head   
"I don't know"  
"You don't know what?"  
"Anything..."  
His alpha laughed lightly, before nuzzling his shoulder   
"I'm pretty sure you do"  
"Mummy! What was that place we went to with all the fish?"  
"The aquarium"  
"Thanks mum!"  
Ren turned back to the screen and was chatting away happily enough. Both boys seemed happy as the talked a mile a minute  
"Come on, come sit back down"  
"Yeah, I guess"  
The dishes were in the dishwasher, so he didn't need to do them and cake would be after dinner... but, yeah, he just felt like he should be doing more.

Returning to sit on the sofa, Levi pulled him close and pulled the blanket over his lap, before pressing a kiss to his temple softly  
"Why don't you take a nap, you seem a little tired"  
"No, I'm fine... do you have your phone?"  
"Of course I do. Why?"  
"Because I was wondering if there was a park or something we could take the boys to? Maybe we could have an early dinner there?"  
"Then we should just ask Reiner and Bertholdt, they'd know best"  
"Yeah, where'd they get to?"  
"From the way Reiner was looking at Bertholdt, I'd say they're practicing making children of their own"  
"I didn't need to think about that"  
"Hey, you wanted to know where they were"  
"You could have just said upstairs"  
"Mmmm, if it wasn't the boys birthday, I'd definitely take you upstairs"  
Levi's hand moved to rub his belly and Eren groaned involuntarily. He couldn't help it, it just felt so good  
"We can't, so play nice"  
"But you're so sexy"  
"And your just horny"  
"Maybe... can I touch your stomach?"  
"Aren't you already"  
"You know what I mean"  
As Levi walked his fingers down the swell, Eren moved to take his hand   
"Not now"  
It was stupid, but he was struck with the sudden realisation that Levi would see his scar every time he looked at his stomach and any stir of desire he'd felt dropped like a stone, luckily Eli saved him  
"Mum, Grandpa wants to know if you want to talk to him?"  
"Sure, bring me the laptop"  
Levi pulled the blanket over his stomach as Eli carefully carried the laptop over and handed it to him  
"Thanks baby"  
"Eren! How are you? Excited about tomorrow are we?"  
"Yeah, I have no idea what the plan for tonight is, but seeing this house is so huge, Reiner's going to sleep at one end and Bertholdt at the other"  
"I thought they'd get hotel rooms"  
"Nah, its easier to get ready here. Levi and the boys are leaving before Bertholdt and I, that way they can get the boys in and settled before everyone gets there"  
"Sounds like a good plan. What about their birthday? Are you doing anything special?"  
"We're just hanging at home today. The twins want to watch cartoons in their pyjamas all day, so that's the plan"  
"Oooh, what are we watching?"  
"I honestly have no idea. Cartoons these days are so weird"  
"I still prefer Tom and Jerry"  
Levi leant in and waved hello  
"You don't mess with the classics"  
"Exactly"  
"So how about you? What's new in Shinganshima?"  
"Nothing. The cats are alright, that fluffy ones taken to sleeping on my bed"  
"That's Mr Kitty. He was called Captain, but not anymore"  
"Well he's lucky he's good at keeping me warm"  
"I'm surprised the boys didn't want to see them"  
"They were too busy telling me about all the things they've done"  
"It's probably for the best, anyways we better go, but keep an eye on Facebook, photos should be up tonight, or tomorrow night"  
"Sounds good, will do. Take care of yourself Eren"  
"I always do"  
Grandpa Arlert snorted, the man ending the call while shaking his head  
"I don't think he believed me"  
"Probably not"  
Levi took the laptop from his hold and placed it on the coffee table, before patting the sofa. Both their sons slid down the recliner and crawled up and onto them  
"Mum?"  
"Yeah baby?"  
"Can we touch your tummy?"  
Eren rolled his eyes, their boys were too much like their father  
"I don't think you're going to feel much"  
"We don't care. It's just so weird that there's a baby in there... how did it even get in there? Do you eat it and poo it out?"  
Levi shook with laughter as Eren struggled to. It didn't help that Ren had crawled onto his side  
"Totally. That's exactly what happened and if you don't gimme kisses, I'll have to eat you"  
Both boys rolled their eyes  
"Mum, that's lame"  
Taking Eli's hand, he lightly placed his teeth against his son's wrist   
"Ok! Ok!"  
Both boys kissed him, and Eren moved to cross his legs and slide his top up  
"It's so weird! I thought it would be all wriggly"  
Ren placed his hand on his stomach and pushed against it  
"Ren, not so hard. You don't want to upset the baby do you?"  
"No mum... how long is it before it's here?"  
"About 5 months... they shoulder be here in time for daddy's birthday"  
"But that's ages away!"  
"It takes a long time to grow a baby. It took a long time to grow you both of you"  
"But isn't it annoying?"  
"No baby, I mean, I really wanted to meet both of you, so I was really happy"  
"You were?"  
"Yeah baby, the moment I found out I was having you, I wanted you and I've loved both of you every single day since. You guys have no idea how happy you make me"  
Shit... he was getting teary   
"Mum, can the baby hear us?"  
Eren wasn't sure, but it was such a nice moment that he didn't want to ruin it   
"Sure they can. What do you want to tell them?"  
"That Hannes snores and we don't want to share our room"  
Eren couldn't help but laugh  
"You guys won't be sharing a room with the baby"  
"Then where will it sleep"  
"In our room to begin with"  
"It's not going to cry all night is it? We didn't..."  
"Yes you both did. But I had your grandmother to help me. You were really little when she died. But she loved you both so much"  
Eli nodded, and sighed  
"Being an adult doesn't seem much fun"  
"It can be, but being a kid is so much funner"  
Pulling his shirt back down, the four somewhat awkwardly curled up on the sofa, and despite his best efforts Eren fell asleep.

Levi let him sleep until dinner time, he woke to find the boys dressed and staring down at him  
"Babies?"  
"Muuuum, come on!"  
In the background, he heard Reiner sigh   
"Eli, you could at least tell him what's going on"  
Eli nodded, before grabbing his arm and tugging hard  
"Daddy says we're going to the park for dinner!"  
"Does he now?"  
"Yep! So come on!"  
He almost wished they were staying home now, he was exhausted, but it was the boys birthday so he couldn't very well stay home and nap  
"Ok, ok. Let me get up and go to the bathroom, then we can"  
"Fiiiiine!"  
Ren didn't seem to have the patience to wait while he tried to get up. His leg had gone to sleep, pins and needles rushed along it as he tried to stretch. But Ren didn't understand what was taking him to long, and grabbed his arm again, causing him to fall awkwardly from the sofa, narrowly missing hitting his face on the table   
"Eren!"  
Bertholdt was by his side in an instant, helping him up as pain flared along the side of his stomach from smacking it hard against the floor. Whimpering, his hands went to his stomach and Ren backed away  
"I didn't mean to..."  
His son sounded so scared   
"Baby..."  
"I didn't mean to!"  
The small boy screamed the words and Eren's heart was breaking, he wanted to go to his son, and tell him he understood, but his heart was racing and the pain in his stomach had him so scared   
"Eren, look at him"  
Eren shook his head, tears streaming down his face, but Bertholdt took his face in his hands  
"Did you hit your stomach?"  
The omega whimpered again as he nodded  
"Can you stand?"  
He shook his head  
"I'm going to lift you now. Put your arms aro..."  
"What's going on? Why is Ren crying?"  
Eren put his arms around Bertholdt's neck as the alpha lifted him  
"Argh!"  
"Eren! What happened?"  
"Ren was excited and pulled him, Eren fell from sofa on a bad angle and hit his stomach. Reiner, get my keys. Levi, Reiner will take you to the hospital with the boys..."  
He didn't want to leave Levi... he was too scared... letting out a sound that was half between a whine and a sob, he tried to look for Levi   
"Bertholdt, he's looking for Levi"  
"Levi ran upstairs to grab Ren..."  
"L-Levi..."  
"Eren, Levi will be right back, but let's get you looked at first"  
No. He wanted his alpha, their pup was moving like crazy and he needed him... Bertholdt might have been trying to help, but in his panicked state, his friends smell was nauseating. His stomach rolled and his whole body tensed as he threw up on the floor  
"Right, I've got Ren. Reiner take the boys, Bertholdt pass me Eren"  
"I've got him, you'll come in my car"  
Bertholdt began moving and Eren squeezed his eyes closed. How the fuck could this be happening? It was the twins birthday, and it was only a small fall...

Both Eli and Ren were crying in the background, and there was a slight jingled of keys, before Bertholdt's pace increased and it didn't take the alpha long to be awkwardly sitting him in the car  
"Eren, its all going to be ok. Levi's getting in on the other side, he's with you"  
The door closed at the same time Levi pulled him close   
"A-alpha... it... it hurts"  
Levi's hand moved to his stomach  
"You're ok, you're both ok. You need to calm down for my princess, you need to breathe"  
He couldn't remember how to calm down, and buried his face against Levi's shoulder. He couldn't loose their pup... they were finally happy...

 

*  
Eren was still crying softly when Bertholdt pulled up in front of the ER doors, and Levi awkwardly untangled himself from Eren. His mates head lolled limply and Levi felt physically ill from fear  
"Baby, we're at the hospital"  
Eren's lips started moving and Levi leant in close  
"Not Ren's fault..."  
Fuck. Eren was something else. Even falling apart, he was worried about his boys  
"I know"  
Scrambling out the car, Levi rounded the back of it and lifted Eren into his arms. His mate let out a low and sad whine, and Levi felt like he'd been stabbed in the heart. Omegas were such delicate creatures and Eren seemed doubly so.

Carrying Eren into the emergency room, he was grateful it was practically empty. There was a low buzz and a woman came jogging over to him  
"Please... you have to help him"  
He sounded so fucking meek as he looked across at her desperately  
"What happened?"  
"My mates pregnant... he fell on his stomach..."  
"Ok, let's get him inside and onto a bed, can you tell me his name? And how far along he is"  
"Eren Yeager, he's about 4 and a half months..."  
He didn't even think to wait for Bertholdt as he followed the woman through into the ER ward. 

Carefully laying Eren down, his omega let out a long whine  
"Princess..."  
"Hi Eren, do you know where you are?"  
"Hospital..."  
"Good, and can you tell me what happened?"  
"I fell funny"  
"Ok, I'm going to slide your shirt up and take a little look, but I've got to ask your alpha to wait outside for now"  
The woman looked to Levi   
"I know this is scary, but the body naturally protects the baby, it's only very rarely things go badly. I'm going to check him out, but I do need you to wait out in the waiting room. I know he's your mate and all your instincts are screaming at you to stay, but I promise I'll take really good care of him"  
She was right, his alpha was ready to snap, but she had a right to work without an angry alpha glaring at her... and Eren seemed to be in so much pain. He nodded silently and she waved a nurse over to show him out. Bertholdt was waiting in the waiting room, and Levi felt naked without Eren by his side. Wrapping his arms around his waist, he walked over to where Bertholdt was sitting, but the alpha rose as he approached and then drew him into a hug when he was close  
"What did they say?"  
"That the body is designed to protect against falls... and that it's rare for things to be bad..."  
"That's good... I think he gave himself a shock, and he was laying with his arm between the floor and his stomach. He probably panicked and got himself all worked up"  
Levi didn't particularly like Bertholdt's words, he felt as if the teen was saying Eren was stupid and overreacting   
"Maybe..."  
The smell of pain pouring off his mate stuck to him, leaving him feeling sicker by the second. He needed a cigarette... maybe 10. Pulling back from Bertholdt he sank down heavily into the stupid plastic waiting chair.

Reiner arrived with the boys not long after he'd sat and the moment Ren saw him, his son tried to run  
"Ren, come here kiddo"  
Ren shook his head, his face was a red blotchy mess, but Reiner gently lifted him, before carrying him over  
"Levi..."  
"It's ok"  
Reiner sat Ren in his lap and the small boys lip quivered  
"I didn't mean..."  
"Shhh, it's ok baby. Mummy know and I know"  
Ren grabbed for him and Levi held his son against his chest  
"Shhh, mummy will be just fine"  
"I grabbed your passports, I don't know if you'll need them"  
"I don't know either. They took him straight through"  
"You wait here and I'll go find out"  
Reiner took Eli with him, but Levi wished he hadn't. He wanted both his boys close  
"I didn't mean to hurt mummy..."  
"We know, but do you think you can tell me what happened?"  
Ren sniffled and nodded, but kept his face firmly hidden against his chest  
"Me and Eli were helping him up, but he was taking so long and I grabbed his arm to help him, but he sort of fell..."  
"Ok, thanks for telling me"  
"Is mummy really going to be ok?"  
"Yeah, him and the baby will be alright, he just needs to be checked out"  
"Mummy's going to be mad.. he's going to hate me isn't he?"  
"No he isn't. Mummy wanted everyone to know that you didn't do it on purpose, and none of us are mad"  
What a shit way for the boys to spend their birthday.

Reiner had returned by the time the same woman as before finally came out. He'd had to sign all sorts of stupid forms, but his annoyance was forgotten when he laid eyes on the doctor. Passing Ren to Bertholdt, he rose shakily   
"How is he?"  
"Shaken, but physically ok. He's going to have a bit of bruising on his arm and stomach"  
"And..."  
"They're just fine. Strong vitals"  
His knees went weak and he fought to stand   
"We've given him a lightly sedative to help calm him back down, but given there's been no contractions or fluid leaks, we're happy to send him home"  
"Thank you..."  
"It's fine. You can come on through now"  
Leaving the group behind, Levi followed the woman through to Eren. His mate was sitting up, one hand rubbing his stomach slowly  
"I've also given him something for the pain, but panadol is fine. If he does start bleeding, or has a fluid leak, bring him back in"  
"Ok"  
Crossing to Eren, his mate looked up at him  
"Hey princess"  
"Hey..."  
Eren sounded exhausted, but his omega was smiling   
"Ready to get out of here?"  
Eren nodded  
"Yeah... thanks again"  
The woman smiled  
"It's alright. You take care now, Eren"  
Eren went to stand, but Levi lifted him into his arms  
"I can walk"  
"Please... I need to do this"  
Eren seemed to understand and nodded  
"I'm sorry for scaring you... I was terrified"  
"I know baby, I was so scared"  
Tears he'd refused to shed now ran down his face in relief   
"The pup was freaking out from me freaking out... I was panicking so badly"  
"I know baby. But you're both alright. Let's go home"  
Eren shook his head, but Levi had to wait until the door was opened for him, before he could find out why  
"You need to go home and rest"  
"The boys, they wanted to go out"  
"I don't think any of us want to go out now"  
Eren sighed sadly  
"Some birthday this is... I didn't give them anything. I was too lost in having amazing sex and didn't get enough sleep, and fell asleep on them... maybe the universe is telling me..."  
"No. We did what the boys wanted. You made a cake, you baked the food, you made them happy by cuddling them on the sofa. And the nights not over"  
"But..."  
"Everything alright?"  
Their conversation was interrupted by Reiner and Levi bit down a growl, forcing himself to keep a mostly even tone  
"Yeah. He and the pup are alright. No bleeding or contractions, we have to bring him back if either happen"  
"So it's home time?"  
Eren shook his head  
"The boys wanted to go out... I don't want their birthday to end like this"  
Reiner closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, before opening them  
"Eren, you need to rest"  
"But we were going to eat takeaway in park for dinner"  
The alpha nodded  
"And now you need rest"  
Eren was getting upset all over again, but Bertholdt found a way to appease them all  
"Eren, remember how we bought sparklers the other day?"  
"Y-yes?"  
"Why don't we head home? We can set up a picnic rug on the back lawn, and have dinner out there, then play with the sparklers. That way the boys are outside, you're home resting and we have fast food"  
Levi had to give it to him, the plan was pretty good, better than what he could think of. He just wanted to tuck Eren into bed and let him sleep  
"I forgot about the sparklers... Levi, can we?"  
"Only if you promise to take it easy, no bending or heavy lifting"  
"I will"  
Eren was silently pleading at him and he just couldn't say no to those shining eyes  
"Ok baby. But you stay with me all night, my alpha's going crazy and I need you close"

That's how they ended up spending the night of the boys 5th birthday, sitting outside on a picnic rug eating KFC as Bertholdt and Reiner provided the entertainment in the form of who could draw the most artistic picture the fastest with the sparklers. Naturally the boys had to get in on the action. Both upset over the short life of the sparklers, but loving watching them burn away. The night was warm and clear, and the stars seemed to dance as if giving them a private show. Eren fell asleep in his arms, but Levi was more than happy to hold him as he slept. Tonight had driven home that he needed to do something with his life. If they hadn't had travel insurance, it would take more than just their savings to get Eren back to Trost and by the time they finally called it a night, he knew what he wanted to do.


	68. Chapter 68

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep... it's that time...  
> Are you all good and scared?

After last night unwanted trip to the emergency room, the last thing he'd wanted to do was spend the night away from Levi's side, but laying in his alpha's arms had soothed his omega and the pain had finally receded. Levi had carried him upstairs and to the guest bedroom they'd be using in the morning to get ready, before helping him strip off his shirt and shoes, and climb into bed. He wanted Levi to stay so desperately, but given he was sharing the bed with Bertholdt for the night, it might have been a tad awkward.

Bertholdt was careful as he climbed in on the other side, the alpha clearly still worried about him and Eren patted the spot just in front of him   
"It's ok, I'm drugged up and sleepy"  
"Are you sure? I could sleep in another room"  
"Bertholdt it's fine. Besides we both know you totally would try and sneak back to Reiner"  
His friend laughed half heartedly  
"You know me too well. But are you sure you're ok?"  
"Yeah... I was too scared to look at the ultrasound machine, but they said they have good vitals and everything seemed ok"  
Bertholdt nodded and finally slid into the spot he'd patted and Eren snaking an arm across him while moving to curl into his friend  
"You're on pillow duty tonight"  
"Pillow duty?"  
"Yeah, your jobs to lay there and let me sleep like this against you"  
Bertholdt snorted  
"And Levi does this for you?"  
"Yep, though our position is a little different. I usually sleep laying on top of him"  
"He can't be doing it right if you're falling asleep"  
"Hahaha, now let's go to sleep. It's your big day tomorrow"  
"Ugh, don't remind me... I'm getting nervous all over again"  
"You have like no reason to be nervous. Reiner loves you like crazy"  
"I'm just scared I'm going to trip over, or forget what to say, or forget the ring..."  
His friend let out a miserable groan   
"This is my big debut as your best man slash maid of honour, I'm not going to let your nerves stop me from doing my part"  
Bertholdt tensed for a moment, before letting out a loud laugh  
"So basically I can't ruin my own ceremony in case you look bad"  
"Yep. Now shush"  
"Thanks for being here Eren"  
"No where else I'd rather be"

Waking up the next morning, he found Bertholdt wouldn't stop sighing. Grabbing his wayward pillow, he lunged and smacked his friend with it before the alpha knew what happened  
"What was that for!"  
"Stop sighing! I was sleeping!"  
"But I'm nervous"  
"Then go take a shower!"  
"But it's too early, I'll get sweaty all over again"  
"Bertholdt, you either take a shower or you shut up and stay still"  
The alpha sighed yet again  
"Fine... I'm staying still"  
"Thank you"  
It was barely half a moment later when the alpha slid out from under him  
"I'm going to shower"  
"I thought you were staying still..."  
"There's too much to do"  
Groaning to himself, Eren grabbed the pillow he'd smacked Bertholdt with, and covered his face with it. This was going to be a stupidly long day... though if he was honest, he found Bertholdt's nerves adorably sweet.

Bertholdt took so long in the bathroom, that Eren wasn't sure if the teen had remembered he was suppose to turn the taps off. His need to pee verged on dier, and having no other choice, he quietly padded over to the bathroom and knocked on the door  
"Bertholdt! Come on! I need to pee"  
When Bertholdt didn't reply, Eren let himself into the bathroom and sighed. The alpha was standing in the middle of the shower, not moving as he stared blankly at the wall. Grabbing the towel off the counter, he walked across to his friend and cautiously poked Bertholdt's arm. His friend jumped, before turning to look at him  
"What are you doing in here?"  
"You've been in the shower forever and I need to pee, so it's time for you to go dry off"  
Bertholdt frowned as he opened and closed his mouth, before nodding and taking the towel. The alpha was still completely out of it and walked into the door frame on his way out, causing Eren to wince in sympathy.

Having barely gotten into the shower, Eren sighed as he looked down at his hip. There was a nasty bruise, that spread slightly across his stomach and up his side. It was completely unattractive and he felt like an idiot. He still couldn't work out what exactly happened, in between the falling and Ren grabbing his arm  
"Eren!"  
"What!?"  
Bertholdt burst into the bathroom somewhat dramatically, causing Eren's heart to start racing  
"What? What's wrong?"  
"Have you seen my tie? I can't find it..."  
"Isn't that it, in your hand?"  
Bertholdt looked down at his hand, the thin silver tie dangled from it and his friend nodded before backing out the room. God, this was worse than he thought, or maybe he was the one who wasn't panicking like he was supposed to... Bertholdt and Reiner had both said there was going to be a shitload of people there, but Eren couldn't translate the number into the size of the crowd and it wasn't like they all hadn't been in front of even bigger crowds. Letting out a deep breath, he began to wash down, only to be interrupted   
"Eren! Have you seen my cuff links?"  
"You put them in the top draw with my jewellery"  
"There not in there!"  
"Have you checked the other top draw"  
"No"  
"Then don't you think you should?"  
There was a pause, followed by  
"Found them! Thank you!"  
Trying to rush to finish his shower and not fall over, Bertholdt came in again  
"Eren, do you know where my socks are?"  
"In your shoes"  
"Oh... right"  
Yeah, it was definitely the end of shower time. Stepping from the shower, he slowly made his way over and grabbed his towel, before continuing over to the bedroom. Bertholdt was sitting on the bed, looking confused  
"Bertholdt?"  
His friend jumped, and the alpha gaped at him  
"Holy shit, is that what you did yesterday?"  
"The bruise? Yeah"  
"Fuck, show me"  
Wrapping the towel around his waist, he let the side dip so Bertholdt could see  
"You can walk down the isle like this... what are we going to do? Does it hurt... idiot of course it hurts... fuck... what if Levi thinks I did this? What if Reiner thinks I cheated on him? Maybe we should call this off... try again when you're feeling better... we should be..."  
"Bertholdt stop. It's a bruise. Bruises happen. I can walk, it doesn't hurt that much. We all know what happened and we all know Reiner knows I wouldn't sleep with you. Take a few deep breaths for me, because you're starting to make me freak out, and I'm not supposed to"  
Bertholdt looked at him blankly and Eren let out sigh  
"You're getting married. Reiner loves you and you love him. That's all that matters, but we do need to get dressed, which means you need to get my dress out for me while I dry off"  
He sounded like he was talking to the kids, but Bertholdt listened and moved to get his dress, while Eren moved to the opposite side of the room to dry. He would have preferred drying off in the bathroom, but the combination of wet tile and Bertholdt seemed like a recipe for disaster.

He was still drying when there was a light knock on the door and Bertholdt let out some kind of mini yelp like he'd been hit  
"I'll check what's up. You stay there"  
Walking over to the door, he cracked it open part of the way. Levi's eyes widened at his exposed breasts and stomach  
"Eren..."  
"Sorry, the floor was wet and Bertholdt's freaking out. How's Reiner?"  
"Much the same. He couldn't find one sock, so he threw his shoe at the wall and now there's a black mark on the wall"  
"God. I feel like we're the normal ones here. So what's happening?"  
"We're going to head in now, and you've got about an hour before your car picks you up"  
"Fuck! Is it that late already?"  
"Yeah..."  
"Bertholdt and I must have slept late... shit. Ok. Quick, give me a kiss and then I've got to get ready"  
Levi leant in and gently kissed him, before pulling back  
"The rest will have to wait for now. I love you and good luck"  
"Thanks, I think I need it"  
Carefully closing the door, Eren went into full panic mode. There were things to do and not a lot of time to do it  
"Bertholdt, do you have the ring box?"  
The alpha nodded  
"Give it to me"  
Bertholdt removed it from the draw and obediently bringing it over. Eren took the ring from it and dropped into Bertholdt's top pocket  
"There, now unless you're doing handstands, it's not going to be lost or forgotten. We have just under an hour to get ready, and given you're dressed and I'm not, you're going to sit and stare at the wall while I do"

Bertholdt sat on the edge of the bed, looking straight at him. Rolling his eyes, Eren walked around the bed and towelled himself down, before finally starting to get dressed. Wedding were fucking crazy and it hadn't even started.

 

*  
They were fashionably late, but that was because Bertholdt had panicked thinking they didn't have the ring, then he'd dropped it... It wasn't until they were in the back of the limousine with the alpha's parents that Bertholdt seemed to remember it was ok to breathe... but that could have been due to the fact it was too late to go back now. Squeezing Bertholdt's hand, Eren offered him a small smile as the limousine can to a stop  
"It's just like high school, we've performed in front of bigger and tougher crowds"  
Mrs Hoover didn't look terribly impressed, her plum painted lips pursed and she was the first one out the door when the driver opened it. Giving a nod to Mr Hoover, Eren slid out next, the driver helping him as he winced at the slight twinge. Heaven forbid Mrs Hoover helping, after all, she might chip onto her perfectly manicured nails, or damage her white pantsuit. Eren had struggled not laugh when he'd realised the one was wearing the pearl jewellery that had tormented him so much the other day. It took a few minutes before Mr Hoover appeared from the limo and helped Bertholdt out. The tall alpha stumbled slightly, but straightened himself up with a smile   
"You good?"  
"Yeah, let's do this"  
Giving his mother a quick hug, the one gave Eren a look that seemed to say "don't fuck this up", before heading up the stairs to where Reiner's mother Karina was standing. The two women chatted for a moment, before disappearing through the thick wooden door. Unfortunately however, this mean a man wielding camera came out, and they were delayed further for photos.

 

*  
Inside the church was insane and Levi had never seen anything like it. The gothic architecture from the outside had carried through, somewhat oppressively inside. He felt like couldn't breathe and the boys were squirming next to him in the front row. Reiner had been like a giant baby this morning and Levi had been stuck chasing after the alpha, despite having to get himself and the boys up and ready. He'd had a shit nights sleep, the boys had tossed and turned in their sleep, kicking the shit out of him, but he didn't want to sleep alone... 

Seeing Reiner stand a little straighter, he wasn't surprised when a slow instrumental song began in the background and every body rose. The boys looked less than enthused as the slid from the pew and stood beside him. It wasn't like they could see, and judging from all the looks they'd been given, it was clear no one thought they were first row material. When Eren came into view, Levi had his breath taken away. His mate looked incredible, but incredible wasn't anywhere near close enough describe him. The flowing movements of his subtly toned limbs and the smile on his face... nothing else but Eren existed for him at that moment. Moving to stand slightly in front of where they were seated, Eren gave him a wink, and accepted the single flower Bertholdt had carried down the isle with him. Bertholdt looked amazing in his tailored suit, it accentuated his height and building perfectly, but Eren looked better. Behind him where whispers asking who the woman in the dress was and Levi suppressed a snicker. Eren was definitely no woman, and they definitely had no chance with him.

When Bertholdt moved to stand next to Reiner, everyone slowly sat, and Levi had to pull Eli into his lap. His son wanted Eren, and he didn't particularly want to be "that father who couldn't control his kids". It was alright for Eren, all he had to was stand there and be beautiful, which he was doing perfectly. He really hoped they'd get a copy of the photos, he wanted to put one in his wallet for bragging.

There was the usual pompous dribble... ok, it wasn't dribble. It was just traditional and long winded. The stifling stuffiness had cold sweat running down his back and brow, and the boys were both squirming like there was no tomorrow. Eren was standing there still looking perfect, other than the fact he'd paled to nearly the same shade Levi naturally was. By the time it came to exchanging the rings, Eren was swaying slightly. Levi lifted Eli from his lap, but his mate covertly signalled with a finger to stay put, like he knew that Levi was watching only him. Thankfully neither alpha had personalised their vowels, and once they were announced husband and husband, the first thing Reiner did... after kissing his husband, was point at Levi and then point at Eren. No one else got it, but Levi rushed to practically catch his omega  
"Sorry... it's so hot"  
"I know, we've got you"  
Lifting him easily, he waited until Reiner's best man had fallen into step behind the newlyweds, before moving to carry Eren down the isle. Their sons scrambled to catch up to him, much to the curiosity of everyone they passed.

Bertholdt and Reiner were standing out the front of the church by the steps by the time Levi finally carried Eren out  
"Levi, over here"  
Bertholdt didn't seem to give two shits that they were copping looks of disapproval, and the boys didn't help by running down the stairs and launching themselves at the pair  
"Hey Ber, you're married now right?"  
"Yep, wanna see the rings?"  
Both alpha's had the boys complete attention, allowing Levi to take his time carrying Eren down and over to them  
"That was ridiculous, you should have sat"  
Eren shook his head, his colour really wasn't great  
"It's alright. I didn't want to disturb your wedding"  
"It wouldn't have disturbed it. Levi, do you want to help Eren into the limo, there should be water in there"  
"Thanks"

Reiner was right, and even better was the fact that the air conditioning was blasting. His boyfriend practically melted back into the chair with a very happy sigh   
"Can we not get married in a huge stuffy church with hundreds of people"  
"Deal"  
Having placed a bottle of water in Eren's hand, he was about to climb out when the kids climbed in  
"We figured it's easier if you just come with us"  
Bertholdt followed the boys in, grinning like this was the normal thing to do at a wedding. Reiner climbed in next, both alpha's cuddling up to each other in the corner opposite Eren. Marcel, Reiner's best man, was the last to climb in and thankfully the was door closed the moment he was seated  
"Marcel, this is Levi. He's Eren's alpha, and these are their two sons Ren and Eli"  
Marcel didn't seem particularly interested, but gave him a nod. Reiner and Bertholdt soon were lost in their own little world, holding hands and sharing small kisses like none of them existed. Eren on the other hand, had drunk about half the water in the bottle and was now slumped against him dozing lightly. Brushing his boyfriends hair back, Levi pressed a kiss to the top of Eren's head. The kids didn't give two shits about any of this, they were both just stoked to be in a limo.

Following hours of waiting while the wedding party had their photos, and then a half hour drive, they finally arrived at the venue where the reception was being held. The sprawling grounds of the private hotel was immaculate. Birds of paradise reached towards the sky, spilling from the large urns upon the walls of the stairs, and there wasn't a single blade of grass out of place. Inside the limo, it was a bit of a squeeze so Bertholdt and Reiner could slide out first. Marcel followed, and the boys, Eren and finally Levi. Eren took his hand, and rubbed his thumb across Levi's knuckles  
"Should I wait and slip in after?"  
"No, its fine. We talked about it while having the photos done. You get the pleasure of being on my arm"  
"Mmm, what a lovely arm it is"  
"Just my arm?"  
"No, all of you. A complete and lovely... package?"  
Eren snorted loudly, causing people around them to stare  
"Very smooth Levi. Now let's hurry up and get inside, I'm hungry, tired and my feet hurt"  
"Isn't that usually the sign of a good night?"  
"Maybe, it's been a while since I had one of those"  
He'd meant it as a joke, he thought he and Eren were joking, but his mates smile dropped and Eren began moving towards the door, leaving him to call the boys over and tow them along after them.

 

*  
Inside the reception room, everything was gorgeous. All the glasses and decorations were crystal, causing rainbows of light to dance across the room. The tables were all dressed in crisp white tablecloths, and big black bows were wrapped around each of the silver chairs. It was breathtaking, but that might have also been the fact that Eren was completely uncomfortable and couldn't take a deep and proper breath due to the ache in his bruising. His feet were sore, the kids were testing his patience, Levi was well... Levi, but he wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Reiner and Bertholdt were shining with happiness and love, so indescribably happy as they moved through the room  
"Please welcome Mr and Mr Braun"  
There was a a ridiculous amount of polite clapping as the pair paused to kiss, before taking their seat. Thankfully Eren and Marcel got no introduction, and they were able to make it to their seats without having to talk to anyone and the first thing Eren did was toe his shoes off with a small moan of happiness. Sitting to his right, Reiner let out a laugh  
"I know right, I've already got my shoes off"  
"Me too..."  
"Mum... I'm hungry"  
Eli was hanging off his arm, and Eren was glad that both boys were between and Levi. He didn't particularly feel like being loving after his alpha's comment. Last night ended on a high, but shit, the night before was amazing... or not  
"Sorry, we have to wait a little longer"  
"But mum..."  
"I know baby, I'm sorry. I didn't think the photos would be so long"  
Eli let out a miserable sigh and Eren felt horrible that the boys could be so hungry. Casting a glance around the room, he couldn't actually see anything edible  
"What's up?"  
"The boys are hungry"  
"Oh, we didn't think about that"  
Reiner's words were drowned out by a group of people coming over to congratulate him and Bertholdt. They obviously didn't get the fact that there were supposed to be sitting... like everyone else, and the smell of alpha stink and booze hit him like a blow to the face. Sliding his chair back as calmly as he could force himself  
"Eren?"  
"Sorry, I'll be right back"  
Crossing behind the wedding table, his dress hid his bare feet and thanks to their rehearsal dinner, he knew the way to the bathroom. Given it was a stupidly rich place, instead of cubicles, there were 4 small individual rooms much like a toilet at home would be. Locking himself in the first one, Eren sat down heavily on the lid and rubbed his stomach slowly was he tried to calm himself down. It was stupid to be crying over the fact his kids were hungry, especially when they'd be fed shortly. And it was stupid to be crying over Levi's words. It was just a joke... but part of was just the relief Reiner and Bertholdt were finally married. His friends were so happy, and despite the stuffy church, the ceremony had been perfect Bertholdt and Reiner had looked perfect. It was kind of like being in a dream.

"Eren?"  
"H-hang on"  
Pulling off a hunk of toilet paper, Eren wiped his eyes and sniffled, before taking a few deep breaths and opening the door. Reiner's mother Karina stood on the other side  
"Are you alright honey?"  
He nodded quickly  
"Yeah... just hormones. I didn't want to ruin reception by suddenly crying"  
"Oh honey, come here"  
Despite being crazy rich and being in a powerful position at work, Karina was much more down to Earth than Mrs Hoover. The woman wrapped an arm around him and rubbed his arm gently   
"You looked amazing up there, and you did so well not passing out, I know I nearly did"  
"I didn't want to cause a scene"  
Karina sighed gently  
"So what's the real reason your in here?"  
"Hormones... and the group that came up to congratulate Reiner and Bertholdt stank"  
"Oh, that was the soccer team. Yeah, they're making good use of the free drinks, so if any of them mess with you, let me know and they'll have to answer to me"  
"Thank you. I suppose I should congratulate you too, Reiner is a really good guy and Bertholdt makes him so happy..."  
"Everyone mum loves hearing how good their child is, so if you want to praise him some more, feel free too"  
Eren laughed before wincing  
"Come on honey, let's get you sitting back down"

Waiters dressed in black were skilfully delivering plates of food to the hundred plus people at the reception, like it was effortless. Karina remained at his side until they reached her chair at the wedding party table. Reiner's parents were sitting at the end on the right and Bertholdt's at the end of the left. Creeping back to his seat, he was happy to find the boys eating  
"Everything alright?"  
"Yeah, sorry. Hormones, and the fact your wedding was really beautiful"  
"Not as beautiful as Bertholdt though"  
Bertholdt leant forward, and shook his head  
"I think you mean handsome, or maybe charming is better"  
"Yes husband dearest"  
Bertholdt rolled his eyes, but was smiling brightly  
"See what I have to put up with for the rest of my life"  
"Come on, we both know you're going to love every single second of it"  
"Yeah... I think I will"

The entree dish was some kind of pasta dish in what seemed to be a white wine sauce. It melted in his mouth, and he could see why the boys wolfed theirs down. It was heavenly. Entree was a choice between salad with either steak or fish, he opted for steak and wasn't disappointed in the slightest. The slice was well and truly dead, but still tender and he was practically having a foodgasm with each bite.

After mains were speeches. The reception guests were given the first opportunity to speak, and the soccer team managed to practically insult every single person in the room before it started really getting out of hand and Reiner had stride across the room and take the microphone away  
"I'm sorry ladies and gentlemen. The Marley Warriors might have been celebrating a bit too hard. As most of you know, I'm Reiner Braun, husband of the incredible Bertholdt Hoover-now-Braun. We would like to thank you both so much for being here with us today to celebrate today"  
Bertholdt rose and went to Reiner's side, slinging and arm over his shoulder, while Reiner wrapped an arm around Bertholdt's waist  
"As some of you know, Bertholdt and I met while living in Trost and attending the same high school together. But what you didn't know was that I loved him from the moment I saw him. He was the tall and silent type, and it wasn't until I saw him on the soccer field that we actually had the chance to talk. For 3 years we did the same awkward dance, each secretly in love with the other, but convinced that our feelings wouldn't be returned... until our friend Eren... Bertholdt's beautiful best man slash maid of honour slash I don't know what, he's that amazing, finally forced us to get our act together and in the forth year, when I thought I'd never get a chance, we finally got together"  
Bertholdt took the microphone from Reiner  
"Sorry my husband has a tendency to open his mouth without giving a lot of thought of what he's going to say, but this time he actually got things right. I would like to thank you all for coming, and thank Marcel for being Reiner's best man. But I really do want to say a very special thank you to Eren Yeager, go ahead and stand up Eren..."  
Eren blushed beet red as all eyes went to him. Rising slowly, he gave a small wave, he was going to strangle Bertholdt. They'd assured him that he wouldn't have to speak much, and he'd hoped that he'd dodged the bullet. It wasn't like he didn't know what he wanted to say, but was terrified he'd open his mouth and puke  
"Doesn't he look incredible? He flew over with his family just for us, even though he's 4 months pregnant"  
Yeah, they didn't need to know that   
"And to his sons Ren and Eli, as well as his alpha Levi, for putting up with these two stupid lovey dovey fools. We both hope that one day, we can be as happy as the pair of you are... though I'm sure what we feel now is pretty close"  
Reiner took the microphone back   
"And this is why you don't let us have the microphone. Marcel, I think it's your turn..."  
Carrying the microphone over to Marcel, the man looked like he was about to keel over. He fumbled his words so badly that Eren winced, and yet for some stupid reason, moved to take it from him. Marcel melted in relief and Eren took a deep breath... as deep as he could. This was a horrible fucking idea  
"Um... Hi, I'm Eren, as you all well know now... thanks for that guys..."  
Bertholdt and Reiner didn't look sad in the slightest   
"I'm probably going to be really messed up and terrible at this, but u hope you'll tolerate me for now"  
He took another breath  
"So my past is a complete and total trainwreck and thanks to my family, I was somewhat scared of alpha's. Thanks to having my boys I'd been homeschool... but then finally time came to return to school, and it was terrifying. I only had two friends, and no one wanted to talk a male omega... but then I met these two amazing people and they were nothing but nice, then never treated me like I was abnormal or wrong because of my dynamic. I was a nobody, but both of them were kind and they've helped me out so much... I honestly have no idea where I'd be without them... it's such a privilege to be here today, to be with them and celebrating their special day, because honestly, these two deserve all the happiness in the world and you can see in each look and small touch, they've found that happiness in each other"  
Tears were running down his face, and he sniffled as Karina came towards him. She took the microphone from him and pulled him close, kissing the side of his face  
"You did beautifully honey"  
Eren nodded against her, taking a shaky breath. He felt so fucking exhausted. Feeling Levi behind him, the alpha took him from Karina's hold and lead him back to his seat.

After speeches by both alpha's parents and one of the soccer boys power chucking across the table and then being evicted they did the telegrams and dessert was served. Eren could barely eat, he was that exhausted. He just wanted to sleep, but it was time for Bertholdt and Reiner's first dance. Reiner lead Bertholdt onto the floor, dipping him for a deep kiss, before pulling his blushing husband up and close to him. An instrumental version of Unforgettable began to play and Eren was crying all over again as the two alpha's swayed together in their own little world, sharing small kisses and whispers while nuzzling each other's faces. When the song finally came to an end, and the next came on it mean that Eren and Marcel were supposed to move on the dance floor. Taking Levi's hand, Eren ignored the fact he still hadn't put his shoes back on and lead his alpha across to near where Reiner and Bertholdt were still dancing in their own little world. Wrapping his arms around Levi's waist, he rested his forehead against Levi's shoulder  
"How are you feeling?"  
"Tired, happy, emotional, like you're not moving"  
Levi wrapped his arms around him, Eren let the alpha gently start moving. It appeared his alpha was better at slow dancing then he'd expected, and Eren nuzzled against his mates neck with a small sigh  
"Everything alright?"  
"Yeah, just so relieved that they're so happy"  
"And how about you? Are you happy?"  
"Yeah..."  
"Good, because I love you, and I know I upset you earlier and I don't want you to be upset"  
"It's alright. My nerves are just frayed"  
"I could tell. You stuttered a little at the start of your speech"  
Eren's stomach twisted  
"I did?"  
"Yeah, but not too bad. I'm really proud of you baby"  
"Mmm thanks..."  
Levi continued to gently sway with him, Eren nearly drifting off his in arms. The twins soon got bored and came to join them. Eren lifted Ren onto his right hip, and Levi had Eli on his right, they somewhat awkwardly continued to dance, the boys seemed pretty sleepy too. When he started yawning, Levi lead him back to sit down and Karina came over  
"Hey honey, you seem pretty sleepy"  
"Yeah, he and the boys are"  
"Why don't I try and find a driver? They can take you home for the night"  
"I'm o-Kay"  
His ok was broken by a yawn, ruining his point  
"If you're worried about missing them cut the cake, I think the boys have forgotten all about it"  
He nodded sleepily, their pup was moving again, as if deciding him wanting to sleep equated to awake time   
"Eren, you know you're not supposed to force yourself, they said as much at the hospital"  
"Levi, even if we go home, we don't have house keys"  
"Actually I do. Reiner left them in the door this morning"  
"See, come on. It's time honey"  
Karina took both Eli and Ren into her arms and Levi lifted him. Eren wrapped his arms around his neck, his bare feet were on display, but it was too much effort to ask for shoes now that he was nice and comfy and warm. Reiner and Bertholdt came over, both alpha's kissing his cheek before Levi carried him out. 

He'd barely settled into Levi's arms in the back of the limo, before he was out like a light. Ignoring the tiny moment in the bathroom, today had been so perfect.


	69. Chapter 69

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mwah ahahaha

Eren was pissed and it was all Levi's fault. It wasn't like the alpha had meant to hurt him, but when Levi had seen the bruise extending across Eren's hip, he'd panicked out of fear of hurting his mate and that's why they hadn't had sex since that night... and then he'd made things worse. Waking in the middle of the night, a very naked and horny Eren was squirming in his lap, Levi's underwear was soaked from his mates slick and Eren's sweet scent was robbing him of his sanity... but when he reached out without thinking, he took Eren's hips in hands and squeezed possessively, causing the faintest traces of pain to mingle into to Eren's scent and all desire dropped away in a heartbeat. He actually pushed his pregnant mate away. The smell of rejection Eren was feeling hurt so fucking badly, and trying to explain only served to lead to his boyfriend locking himself in the bathroom and when he'd let himself in from the kids side, he'd been pelted with everything Eren could get his hands on as he screamed at him for not loving him.

Even now Eren wasn't talking to him. Their last days in Marley had resulted in him being ignored completely by his mate. Reiner and Bertholdt had pulled him aside, asking what had happened. When he explained how scared he was to hurt Eren, they'd at least understood and acted as a buffer the best they could, but having his omega laughing and joking with other alpha's... he wanted to scream. Casting a glance across the isle, he watched Ren and Eli sleeping. Eren was throwing up again, and the omega had slammed the door in his face when he'd tried to follow. He was so fucking furious with himself, but also at Eren. They were mates and he'd promised never to hurt Eren, but Eren was being way to stubborn over his and they were both hurting. It wasn't like he hadn't tried almost everything to get his omega talking to him, even sneaking into the kids room and climbing into bed with with the boys and Eren. But the moment the omega realised he was there, became so tense that Levi worried he was doing more harm than good and returned to bed.

With all this happening, Levi hadn't even had the chance to tell Eren about the phone call he'd had in the middle of the night with Hannes. After the scare with Eren's fall, and realising that things couldn't continue the way he had been, he'd totally gone into meltdown mode in the early hours. With no one awake in the house, and the need to talk suffocating him, he'd called Hannes and spilled everything about what had happened in a stupidly long voicemail. It wasn't until after the wedding that he got to check his phone and found he had 14 missed calls from the man. With Eren sleeping right next to him, he called Hannes back and by the end of the call he felt like he could breathe again. Hannes was going to help him get into a vocational training school in Trost, where he was going to study carpentry. The man had promised if he could pass the course, he'd give Levi first shot at doing the work around the hospital as kind of a maintenance worker. He wouldn't be able to do everything, but Hannes had mentioned easy things like fixing holes in the walls, or rehanging doors. The idea of a steady income, and being able to provide for Eren had him practically jumping for joy... at least internally. External he had to play it cool. Hannes had emailed him later that day, the man had gone ahead and registered his interest in the course, completed the online enrolment, including full payment of it and then sent the confirmation and receipts to him. It was too fucking. He wasn't used to having people do something so kind and loving, and his pride couldn't accept it. Upon receiving the email, he'd slipped from the room and called Hannes up. This lead to him brow beating Hannes into submission, making the man agree that this was a loan that would be paid back in full. But then the thing with Eren had happened, and now he was faced with telling his mate that his course was Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays... from 9 to 4, which meant he couldn't catch the bus back in the afternoon and would have to arrange to stay at Izzy and Farlan's. Eren already thought he'd been rejected, but now it was going to seem doubly so and Levi totally couldn't wait for Hannes to make his mate see sense.

 

*  
Having finally arrived back in Trost, and having made it through customs, Eren just wanted to go home. Levi's persist hovering had him on edge and his nerves just felt shattered. His alpha had rejected him, and couldn't understand why he was acting like this... did Levi not realise how hormonal he was, or was the alpha completely dense. Leaving the boys in Levi's care, the omega marched towards the front of the airport, before pulling his phone out and calling Hannes  
"Where are you?"  
"Hello to you too"  
"Hannes, I'm not in the mood. I just threw up more times than I can count. I want to shower and I want to sleep. Now where are you?"  
"Near pay station two"  
"Because I can totally see that. Whatever. I'll find it"  
Ending the call, he shoved his phone into his pocket and looked across the carpark. Given there was a large 3 on the shade shelter covering the pay station across from him, he hunted out the number 2. 2 was a stupidly far away, and he let out an angry huff as he started towards it. He'd been standing there long enough that Levi would be able to see him as he hastened his pace. Even the boys were on Levi's side. They'd wanted to sit next to daddy, but there was no way he was sitting next to some pervy looking alpha. Crossing at the crosswalk, he didn't give two shits about who had to stop, and he marched all the way up to station 2. Luckily for Hannes, the man was waiting for him  
"Eren, it's so good to see you!"  
"Keys. Now"  
Hannes sighed, and Eren wondered if he'd been prewarned. The man held out the keys and Eren snatched them up. Given Hannes's leg was still in a cast, the man shouldn't have even been driving. Pressing the unlock button, he caught sight of the flashing lights and walked away from Hannes. He was in a foul mood, and if he said anything else, he was sure he'd regret it.

Popping the boot, he shoved his suitcase in, before moving to throw himself in the driver's seat. His stomach just touched the wheel, and slammed his hands down on the wheel in anger. It seemed he couldn't do anything without being reminded of Levi. Pushing the chair back as far as it went, he turned the car on and and closed his eyes. It took 3 songs before Levi and the kids finally reached the car. He could hear Hannes and Levi talking, and then the door opened and the kids climbed in  
"Mummy?"  
"What?"  
He didn't mean to sound annoyed, but Eli started crying and he wanted to cry too. Being angry took so much energy, but if he wasn't angry, he just felt well... rejected. Reiner and Bertholdt had helped distract him, but that only went so far. He forced himself not to turn back and look at his son, leaving that for when Levi climbed in. Hannes climbed in the front  
"Are you sure you're alright to drive"  
"Perfectly fine"  
Hannes sighed and Eren ground his teeth together. He counted to 10 before putting the car into reverse. He wasn't sorry at all to say goodbye to the airport.

Eli crying lead to Ren crying and his head was throbbing. Levi and Hannes were doing their best to settle the boys, but the boys were over tired as their flight had gotten in at 10pm. Finally it all just got too much and he pulled over, before scrambling to get out of his seatbelt and out the car, beginning to walk down the road. Even in a cast, Hannes caught his arm easily and he yanked it from the man's grip  
"Let me go Hannes"  
"No, not until you tell me what sparked this tantrum"  
"If you want to know, ask Levi"  
"Is this because he was scared of hurting you"  
Eren threw his hands in the air  
"Of course he fucking told you! Why wouldn't he tell you? Go on, fucking laugh that my "alpha" rejected me"  
"He didn't reject you"  
"Really, because that's what my omega says. I can't even look at him without being upset"  
"Eren, you need to calm down"  
"I don't want to calm down! I'm fucking pregnant with his fucking pup! And he rejected me! He probably wishes I'd never fucking bonded with him!"  
He screamed the words at Hannes, before starting to walk down the road again  
"You know that's not true. He just didn't want to hurt you, especially after you ended up in hospital"  
"I was fine Hannes. It didn't hurt, no more than how it hurts when he grabs my hips. He doesn't want me, that's all there is too it"  
"Then what about the kids?"  
"They'll be happier with him"  
He knew he couldn't realistically walk the 40 odd kilometres left until he reached Shinganshima, but he was so tired of no one understanding. Levi had rejected him. His omega felt rejected and he didn't know how to fix things because even thinking about Levi hurt. He didn't know what to do and it felt like his bond with the alpha had been damaged in some way  
"Eren, you've always been head strong and stubborn, but you're pregnant and walking down the road in the middle of the night. If you don't want to talk to Levi, or see him, that's fine. But can we at least get to Shinganshima first?"  
"And then what?"  
"Well, you can come home and use my room..."  
"No. Your legs busted"  
"Then Levi can sleep on the sofa. Look, I'm worried about you. All this stress isn't good for you or the pup"  
"But you don't understand how it feels. Levi rejected me..."  
"I know. You told me, but he only did it because he was so scared. Did you know he called me, he was half out his mind in worry"  
"Hannes, he fucked with the bond I feel. I don't know how to fix this and I can't handle any of this. I don't know what I'm doing anymore and I can't stop being angry, because when I do, I just feel hurt"  
Turning back to Hannes, he found the blurry man was limping towards him again. Half scared, he tensed when Hannes wrapped his arms around him  
"I don't know what to do either, but being bonded to him means you feel things so much more deeply. I promise you that Levi is completely crazy. He wouldn't have let me sign him up for vocational training if he wasn't. He wants to work hard and provide for you"  
Wait. What. Levi was going back to school... but that would be in Trost... his alpha was leaving him.. he crumbled in Hannes's hold, he couldn't stop crying once the flood gates broke  
"I know, I know it hurts. But I promise you that Levi loves you more than you can ever know"  
"S-so why i-is he leaving then?"  
"He's not leaving... shit. Did he not tell you?"  
Eren shook his head, the anger that had kept him moving was draining from his body and he could barely stand. Letting out a low whined, he was completely miserable  
"Ok. Time to get back in the car"  
He couldn't protest. He couldn't English or form a clear thought, because each time he did, he came back to Levi leaving.

 

*  
Levi had no idea what to do when Eren pulled the car over and got out. Both boys had just about cried themselves to sleep, and he didn't want to disturb them, but he desperately wanted to go after Eren. When Hannes went, he snarled in jealousy. Eren would talk for Hannes, Hannes knew what to say and do to make things right... he only knew how to make a mess apparently. Because Eren had left the car door open, he heard the alpha screaming at Hannes and winced at his mates words   
"I don't want to calm down! I'm fucking pregnant with his fucking pup! And he rejected me! He probably wishes I'd never fucking bonded with him!"  
No... he hadn't meant to reject him... not like that or the way Eren seemed to think... and he was proud to be Eren's alpha... tears formed in his own eyes. Things were so messed up. It took a good 5 minutes before Hannes had finally gotten a crying Eren into the car. His mates tail and ears were showing and the smell of his mates pain settled over him like a thick blanket. Even the twins seemed to still, like they knew Eren was in so much pain that he'd melted down.

Hannes drove the rest of the way home, and when they pulled up in the clearing, Eren opened his door before shifting and climbing from the car. This was supposed to be a joyous and triumphant return, but now everyone was upset and on edge. Undoing the boys seatbelts, he had to do two trips to carry them inside and straight to bed. Eren had climbed onto the sofa, and Hannes had covered him with a blanket, before jerking his head towards the door, telling Levi to come outside with him. 

Sitting on the front step, Levi let the cigarette smoke fill his lungs. After all this shit, he'd needed this  
"Eren doesn't know what to do"  
"He could listen to me"  
Hannes sounded as exhausted as he felt  
"He says it feels like the bonds been fucked with and he doesn't know what to do to fix it"  
Their bond...? Tears began to fall again and his whole body shook  
"I never meant..."  
"I told you before you'd need to be careful now you were properly bonded"  
"How do I fix this?"  
"I don't know. He's pregnant and he's scared and emotional. Never a good thing and now he feels like your bonds been damaged"  
"He didn't even tell me"  
"I think you two need to sit down and talk... or maybe it would be better if you listen. I know how stubborn Eren can be, but he feels like you don't want him or the pup. I know it's not fair or not right, because I know he's in the wrong too, but for his mental health, it might be best to take the hit..."  
His alpha didn't like the sound of that, but he couldn't stand Eren thinking he didn't want either of them  
"Hannes, I was so scared... even when they said they were alright, I was terrified and seeing the bruise. He didn't even fall far, it would have only been about a rulers length, but he bruised so badly..."  
"Look, he's home now. I'll examine him tomorrow, but no matter how hard he pushes, keep trying"  
"Even if it hurts him?"  
"As long as its not physical. Given how agitated he is, I'm going to give him a light sedative tonight, and we'll go from there"  
"Hannes, I'm sorry. This is some home coming"  
"Eh, this place was so boring without you. The drama makes a nice change of pace"  
Hannes passed him the pack of cigarettes before stubbing out his finished cigarette and rising a with a sigh.

When Levi finally headed inside, he found Hannes now sitting on the sofa, with Eren's head and paws across his legs  
"It's alright, he's fast asleep"  
Placing the cigarettes down on the dining table, Levi still kept his steps light as he crossed into the living room and sank down in front of the sofa, before burying his face in Eren's soft pelt. He tensed when Eren huffed, but as his mate didn't pull away, he gradually relaxed, before moving to wrap his arm around Eren   
"I'm so sorry princess. I never ever wanted to hurt you like this, and I love you so much. I don't want this fight to be the end of us, because I honestly can't live without you"

 

*  
Waking up, Levi realised he'd fallen asleep while holding onto Eren. He knew he should probably let go, or risk upsetting his omega, but he couldn't. This was the closest Eren had allowed him in days and he couldn't bare the idea of them still fighting. Sliding his arm down awkwardly, he buried his face in Eren's fur again, this time to hide his tears. He didn't want to fight. He wanted things to go back to how they were. Sobbing quietly, he felt Eren shift beneath him  
"Princess... please... please forgive me. I don't know how to make things better, I don't know what to do... but you're my omega. You're my mate, the only one for me... I don't want to live if I can't be with you"  
Eren shifted beneath him, and Levi pulled back. Bringing his knees up, he buried his face against them and continued to cry. No one in the world could make him cry like Eren could  
"L-Levi..."  
Shaking his head, he didn't know what to say. He'd just said it all and he was just so tired   
"A-alpha p-please..."  
Eren's hand came to rest on his shoulder and Levi looked up to find Eren staring sadly down at him  
"I never meant to hurt you. I was just so scared. You smelt hurt and I didn't want to hurt you or the pup... I swear I didn't mean to make you feel rejected"  
Hannes must have had a similar talk with Eren, because his omega nodded   
"We need to talk, but I need to be honest and I don't want you to get mad"  
"I won't... I'll try my hardest not to"

Eren slowly rose from the sofa, before holding a hand out. Maybe being home and knowing this house was safe had helped to calm something in Eren that Marley hadn't? Or maybe his mate was still sedated? He didn't know what Eren wanted to say, but he'd listen. He owned him that much.

Seated on their bed, Eren was sitting with his back against the bed head, while Levi's back was towards the wardrobe and the alpha's heart was pounding as he waited for Eren to compose himself  
"Levi... I know logically you didn't want to hurt me... but I can't stop feeling what my omega feels and my omega feels rejected by you. I don't know how to fix it... and when I tried to tell you, it came out all wrong and we'd just end up fighting... but as long as I was angry, it didn't feel like my heart been torn out. I don't know how to explain it, but it feel like something in our bond isn't quiet aligned... I don't know what to do and it's so hard..."  
Eren buried his face in his hands and Levi sighed  
"Princess, you're my everything. I am so proud to be your alpha. I'm proud to say that you are my omega and mine alone. I don't know how to fix the bond, but I swear I never ever meant to make you feel like this"  
"Then what do we do? Our pup is growing inside of me and I don't want to raise it in a house where all we do is fight. But with you leaving, I can't help but feel even more rejected and it's not fair on either of us, or the pup"  
Leaving?  
"I'm not leaving"  
"But what about school?"  
Levi frowned   
"Did Hannes tell you?"  
"He put his foot in it last night"  
"Look princess, yes I'm going to need to stay in Trost, but not all the time. I can come home for the weekends and I have Tuesdays and Wednesdays off"  
"But it would be easier if you stayed in Trost. I know these courses have hours that make it impossible to catch the bus"  
"But I want to be with you. I want to be here for you and the boys and the pup..."  
"Levi, you can't be superman"  
"I know... and I know it will probably take time to find that balance, but I want to be able to make you proud and take care of my family because your guys are mine"  
"But what do we do. As I get further along, I'm going to need you more and more, but you'll have school"  
"Well I wanted to get my license"  
"Cars cost money and as it is, we spent the last of ours in Trost"  
"Then I'll get a job. I'll talk to Farlan"  
"I don't want you doing anything illegal... or slightly south of the law"  
"Look, let me talk to him. He might be able to do something"  
"Fine..."  
Letting out a sad sigh, Levi rubbed at his face  
"I could try remarking you? See if that helps"  
"That would involve sex and you didn't want to touch me"  
"I didn't want to hurt you. Eren, I want you all the time and it hurt to push you off, but I was scared"  
"I feel like you don't want me because I'm getting so big"  
"If anything, I want you more. That's our pup growing. Every time I see your stomach, I want fuck you"  
"But it's ugly"  
Levi snarled, causing Eren to jump  
"It's not ugly or do you not want our pup"  
Sliding from the bed, Eren tore his shirt off   
"Look! How can you not think this is ugly"  
His mates fingers were splayed over his scar and Levi finally got what Eren meant by ugly. It was the same insecurity as when his mate was first stabbed  
"Eren, that scar shows you survived. I hate how you got it. I can't think about how it happened without my blood turning cold, but I don't hate that scar. If you didn't have that scar, it would be because you died and I never got to tell you how I honestly felt. To me, you're incredible"  
His omega stared at him blankly and Levi climbed from the bed, before moving to stand behind Eren  
"You are my whole world. So please don't make me remember that day"  
He wasn't playing fair, but he still sank his teeth into Eren's neck before his mate could move away. Holding Eren's stomach, he supported his mate as the omegas knees folded. A rush of pheromones filled his senses, and he got a very clear dose of Eren's emotions though the bond. His mate was in a bad place. Slowly pulling back, he lapped at the bite until the bleeding had slowed  
"Please forgive me. Please let me show you how much I love your body"

Given he'd just made his mate cum in his pants, Levi pulled Eren off the floor and stripped him down. His omega was still just as hard, and leaking as if he hadn't just blown his load. Stripping off his own clothes, he growled as he moved behind Eren again. His alpha instincts told him he needed to bring his mate back under control and show him his behaviour wasn't acceptable. He had to make Eren submit to him, and prove the omega was subservient only to him  
"Present yourself for me omega"  
Eren stayed still for a moment, before moving to climb onto the bed and position himself. His alpha smirked and Levi was conflicted between and his alpha. He wanted Eren to be his equal, but his dynamic didn't. But if Eren's dynamic felt the alpha didn't want him... god. Fuck dynamics. He was Levi. The gorgeous sight in front of him was Eren. Eren was his boyfriend, and having sex was another way of showing he loved him. Moving to crawl up behind him, the smell of Eren's cum and slick had him drooling. He didn't even prepare Eren before lining up and pushing in, until he was completely buried, in a single thrust. His mate howled so sweetly and Levi gripped Eren's hips as hard as he could. His goal purely to fuck his love into oblivion and then knot him as deeply as he could and hope like fuck that when they came to their senses the bond was alright again.

It was like Valentine's Day all over again and Levi couldn't get enough. Eren seemed to really love it when Levi pulled him into his lap as he kneeled and held him by the stomach while working his breast with his free hand. Moans and pants mingled with the sound of wet flesh slapping against wet flesh and he didn't stop until Eren finally passed out in his arms. Licking and nuzzling Eren's neck, Levi tried so clean his mate the best he could. He was exhausted, but in a good way... and hopefully that meant Eren would be too. He'd never imaging their bond could be so easily damaged by such a small incident. Hannes had warned him Eren would feel things more acutely and Eren may have a streak like wildfire, but he also had a heart of glass. Levi had thought their time together had strengthened it, but obviously it hadn't and he had to worry that maybe this was a long time coming... and maybe he'd been too blind to see? He'd seen so many idiot couples so in love they were blind to reality... they were both so young and still had their whole lives in front of them... and this was baby number 3 coming... 

Waiting until his knot slid free, he gently laid Eren down, his omega letting out a small yawn as he did. Brushing the teens sweaty fringe back, he kissed Eren's forehead  
"It's ok princess, you just sleep"  
Eren didn't reply, so Levi finished cleaning him up and then did his best to clean up around him. They really were just animals deep down. A serious fight solved by sex... once again he'd fucked some sense into Eren as well as fucked him senseless. With Hannes to look after the kids and not expecting anyone to come around, Levi curled around Eren and held him as close as he could.

He managed a few hours sleep, before waking when Eren went to slide from his hold  
"Princess?"  
"Go back to sleep, I'm just going to the toilet"  
"How about I get up and making you something to eat? You must be pretty tired"  
"It's fine, you sleep"  
Ooook, he'd expected a little more love from Eren, but maybe his mate was just exhausted? Surely he still couldn't be in trouble for rejecting Eren... When Eren didn't return immediately, Levi slid from the bed and pulled his clothes on, before heading into the living room. The boys were watching cartoons with Hannes and Eren was humming as he cooked in the kitchen   
"Good evening sleepy head! Nice to see you're finally awake"  
"What's the time?"  
"6pm"  
"Shit, I'm going to take a shower"  
It seemed Eren had already showered, his mates hair was still wet and Levi didn't know what to do. He'd thought by using this dynamics to fix the bond, it would work. He couldn't stop playing morning conversation over and over.

Having showered and changed, Levi headed back into the living room. Eren had cooked pancakes for dinner by the seems and moving into the kitchen, Levi awkwardly hovered  
"Princess, can I help?"  
"No, its fine. Go sit down"  
There wasn't anything mean in the way Eren said it, so why did it hurt? Standing there with his fists clenched and staring at his feet, he felt like a child having been scolded  
"Levi, I said you could go sit down"  
"Eren. Do you love me?"  
Eren sighed, but the omega finally paid proper attention to him, crossing to stand in front of him and take his hand  
"Yeah, Levi. I love you"  
"I thought things might be better now... but I don't know what to do or say"  
"Levi, I'm still hurting, and I'm still an emotional mess. I panicked about the boys when I realised we'd spent the morning fucking and the afternoon sleeping. That's why I had to get up and do something"  
"So I didn't help?"  
"I didn't say that. I do feel better, and I'm talking to you right but I do need some time to think. I was thinking of shifting after dinner, I don't want to answer questions or fight or continue to feel shitty. I do love you and our sons, but things don't get fixed with a snap of the fingers"  
Levi nodded, he felt like he'd failed his mate... pulling away from Eren, he headed to the dining table and took a seat. 

 

*  
After dinner Eren shifted before flopping down on the sofa, it was only second before the boys were up here with him, their small hands stroking his fur carefully. He and Levi had totally gone overboard fucking all morning and his whole body was still throbbing from it. His alpha was trying so desperately to fix their bond, but his stupid omega had to go get shitty because Levi was acting too much like an alpha, and not treating him like an equal. He couldn't fucking win and Levi had looked at him so desperately in the kitchen. It wasn't fair.

Letting out an annoyed whine, he was smacked lightly on the top of the head by the magazine in Hannes's hand  
"Lift up, I want my spot"  
Just because Hannes's spot was to the far left, didn't mean he couldn't get a new spot. Still, he sat up so the man could sit, before dropping back down and letting out another whine  
"I told Levi I was going to give you a check up today. So he prepared for it tomorrow"  
Eren nodded slowly, maybe Hannes could help him understand everything better, but they hadn't really talked all that much.

He was just dozing off when there was a knock at the front door, jumping at the sound, he was completely confused to who it could be  
"I'll get it"  
Levi disappeared from the room and few seconds later there was the joyous screaming of "Big Brother!". He'd forgotten about telling Izzy and Farlan to come stay once they got, and Eren wasn't sure he could handle Izzy just at the moment, so didn't bother to shift back. When Levi came back into the living room, Izzy was firmly plastered to his side, a massive smile on her face and she practically glowed with happiness  
"Ren! Eli! Oh my god! You guys have so totally grown since I last saw you! Argh! You're so adorable! I need cuddles"  
The twins hopped off the sofa and ran over to Izzy throwing themselves around her  
"Oi! Be careful!"  
Both boys looked up at Izzy in confusion, but Izzy kept smiling  
"Guess what? You guys are going to have a cousin soon! I'm pregnant!"  
So Izzy had done the test after all, and she seemed so happy. Eren didn't want to ruin her moment  
"You're having a baby?"  
"Yep!"  
Levi wrapped his arms around Izzy  
"That's great Izzy, congratulations. Do you know how far along you are?"  
"Noooo, I've only done the tests. Eren said that Hannes might be able to help me out..."  
"Sure, I've got to take Eren into the hospital with me tomorrow, so you can come along with us. We'll do an ultrasound and see how far along you are. Congratulations to both of you"  
"Thanks! Wait, is everything alright with Eren? Does this have anything to do with why's taking up the whole sofa?"  
"No, that would be because I stuffed up in Marley, and we're still trying to deal with the fallout a week later"  
Izzy gasped and Farlan snorted  
"You fucked up? Never..."  
"Oi! No swearing in front of the kids, especially when there's 3 of them in the room"  
"I doubt our baby can hear us yet"  
"That's besides the point. Now, what did you do?"  
"Eren hurt himself in Marley and I was worried about hurting him further, so I pushed him off of me and the rejection messed with our bond"  
"How could you do that! We all know how much you love Eren's arse"  
"He had bruising and I didn't want to make it worse. This is the most civil we've been since and we are both so over our second dynamics that it isn't funny"  
Izzy let out a sigh  
"I'm so glad I'm a beta, this bonding thing seems like sooo much drama"  
"It's worth it though. Making Eren so he'll be mine forever..."  
Farlan rolled his eyes, but Izzy squealed   
"I'm sure you guys will make up! You're gonna have a cute little niece or nephew soon! And then you guys will have more babies! Oh! Our kids could get married!"  
"Izzy, you have to have the baby first"  
Yeah, he couldn't deal with this. Izzy was so happy and it just made him feel worse. Rising from his spot on the sofa, he jumped down and crossed to nuzzle her hand in "hello", before walking towards the front door  
"He really does seem kind of sad"  
"It's ok, you guys catch up. I'll go check on him"

Given Levi had closed the door, Eren waited until Hannes opened it, before walking outside and shifting back  
"You ok?"  
"I don't want to ruin her moment"  
"Fair enough. But she's going to find out tomorrow"  
"I know their Levi's family, but I want Grandpa and Armin to know first... and Mikasa. I'm surprised the boys didn't spill the moment Izzy said she was having a baby"  
"We can go for a drive? Go see Armin and grandpa?  
"But Levi was supposed to be there..."  
"Fine, you can stay in wolf form, and we'll go pick them up. That way you can tell them all together"  
"That seems like a lot of effort"  
"No, its fine. Gimme a minute"  
Hannes disappeared back into the house, before reappearing with the keys  
"I said we were going to pick up beer"  
"Ok..."  
Walking over to the car, Hannes opened the door to the back for him and he climbed in  
"Feel free to shift if you want. But I think they'll probably know you're pregnant by the time you get back"  
"Then can we got to the Arlerts?"  
"Ok. Don't forget your seatbelt"

Most of the drive was silent, other then Eren's occasional sigh. The pup was spinning backflips by the feel of it, and he rubbed his stomach slowly  
"Eren, did this morning really not help with the bond thing?"  
There it was. The stupid question he'd been waiting for   
"A bit... but my omega is like out of control, Levi got all alpha male on me and now my omega all shitty because Levi wasn't treating me like his equal"  
Hannes groaned  
"Yeah, pretty much. I don't want to fight with him, but I can't change how I feel and I just don't know what to do"  
"That makes two of us. We'll check your bloods, make sure everything's alright there, you might be low on a vitamin or whatever and that could be causing it"  
"I love how vague you are"  
"Well omegas are notoriously complicated, and no offence, but you are in a delicate state"  
"I feel like I'm going insane"  
"Too late, you already are. Now, are you ready?"  
Pulling into the Arlert driveway, Hannes came to a smooth stop  
"Do you want me to go get them?"  
"No... yes. Now I'm here, I want to hide"  
"It won't be that bad"  
"I'm nearly 5 months Hannes and I've known since I was barely a month. They're going to be hurt"  
"Don't worry, leave that to me"  
Hannes climbed from the car and opened his door, not giving him much choice. Before he had a chance to get his bearings, Armin was out the front door and running over  
"Eren! You're back! Don't ever leave me alone for that... holy fuck! You're pregnant! Why didn't you tell me!"  
Shying behind Hannes, the man cleared his throat  
"Eren wanted to tell you in person, and you know the first 12 weeks are when things are most likely to go wrong. But here he is, now don't go scaring him"  
Armin rolled his eyes  
"I'm just excited! I'm going to have another adorable baby!"  
"You're not mad?"  
His voice sounded timid and weak  
"Of course not! Hannes is completely right. I wish you'd told me sooner, but I probably would have like nagged you to death over it and not about Marley! Oh my God! Should you have been flying?"  
"Armin, he's fine. We came to see if you and your grandfather wanted to come around for a bit?"  
"Yes!"  
Armin went running off back inside, yelling for his grandpa and Eren let out a sigh of relief  
"See, he loves you too much to be mad"  
"I know... I just wasn't ready to tell them... it was kind of nice having just me, you and Levi know"  
"All's well that ends well. Now, you should probably get back in the car before Armin ends up hugging you and not letting go"  
Climbing into the car, he opted to sit in the middle of the back seat, given his age Grandpa should have the front and Hannes was totally right about Armin and his hugs. The moment his friend was in, he was pulled close  
"Can I touch your stomach? Do you know what you're having? Is it twins again?"  
"There's only one pup, I'm just a bit big"  
"Really?"  
"Yeah..."  
"That's still so cool. So is it a boy or a girl?"  
"We don't want to find out"  
"Whatever it is, I'm excited for another grandchild"  
Eren smiled at Grandpa Arlert's words   
"Thanks... I'm sorry I waited to tell you"  
"That's ok, I had a feeling you were from your photos"  
"Hey! Why didn't you tell me?"  
"Because it's Eren's news and he was going to tell us when he was ready"  
"You did?"  
He'd been so careful with his photos... he'd double checked the ones online... so how was it that Grandpa Arlert knew?  
"There's one where you at the aquarium, its only very slight, but your baby bumps showing"  
So how many other people knew? Would Mikasa be mad at him? They hadn't really talked that much...  
"I can't believe this! I need to recheck all your photos"  
"It's alright Armin, it wasn't supposed to be obvious"  
Armin rubbed his cheek against Eren's   
"So happy. Now, I want to know all about Marley!"  
God he'd missed Armin  
"It's so pretty, and the aquarium really was amazing. I wish you'd been there"  
"I wish so tooooooo! And Reiner and Bertholdt?"  
"Really good, the wedding was like a dream. We'll have to show you the photos, they have us a copy before we left"  
"Yes! I need all the photos!"  
"He's been living on Facebook since you left"  
"Doesn't he always live on Facebook. Anyway, how was school? And how was the dance?"  
"Oh! Izzy is pregnant! Have you heard? We were gonna have drinks after the summer dance, but she dropped that on us instead"  
"She's actually at the house at the moment. I wanted to tell you guys I was pregnant before her and Farlan"  
"Awwww, I feel so special!"  
"You are"  
When they pulled into Mikasa's driveway, Armin raced from the car and it was less than a minute later that he'd dragged Mikasa into the car  
"Armin, what the hells got you so excited?"  
"This! Are you blind!?"  
Mikasa finally looked at Eren and Eren pointed down  
"No! No way! Why didn't you tell us?!"  
"Um..."  
"Because he didn't want to in case anything went wrong... but it hasn't and he's having another baby!!!!"  
"I can see that, how far along are you?"  
"Nearly 5 months"  
"Wow, you're pretty big..."  
"Guys, please don't make him cry. He's not having a great time at the moment and I don't want him ending up sick"  
Mikasa's eyes narrowed  
"Eren, what happened?"  
"Me and Levi had a fight..."  
Mikasa let out a low growl  
"I knew he was no good"  
Tears rushed to fill his eyes. Levi was a good alpha and a good person... Mikasa might have been mad on his behalf, but she didn't have to go that far so quick  
"Mikasa made him cry!"  
"Did I not just tell you not to make him cry"  
"It's alright Hannes, it's just because I'm a hormonal idiot"  
"Nooo, you're not an idiot... maybe a little bit, but that's only because you went on holiday and I'm still jealous"

 

*  
"Eren! Congratulations! Levi told us the news while you were out"  
"The boys did, but I explained"  
"Same difference, you're the one who said "Eren's pregnant""  
"That's because the boys said "mums having a baby" and you looked confused"  
"Because I didn't know! Why didn't you tell me when I called you!!?"  
"Because we were supposed to tell everyone together"  
The look Eren gave him told him he was in the doghouse all over again, but hadn't the teen just told his best friends on the way over?  
"How far along are you? Is it a boy or a girl? I want a girl, so you totally have to have a boy and then they can get married and make lots of really cute babies"  
"Izzy, calm down. Stop trying to marry our kid off to yours"  
"But Levi, it would be sooooo cool"  
"Yeah Levi why not? It seems you're happy making all the decisions around here without thinking about me. Izzy, congratulations, when you leave you're taking Levi with you"  
The room went silent and Izzy's face fell  
"Eren, what are you talking about?"  
"He's going back to school. Take him with you, I can't..."  
His mate turned and walked back the way he came from, Armin and Mikasa rushed after him, while grandpa Arlert sat on the sofa and the boys immediately climbed up in his lap for cuddles   
"I think you owe us all an explanation"  
Once again he was stuck explaining how he'd unintentionally rejected his mate and how Eren was had been a hormonal wreck. He was tired of being the bad guy, he just wanted things to go back to normal, but now Eren wanted him gone. He'd thought Eren was alright with him going to school, sure his boyfriend wasn't jumping for joy, but... and now Eren wanted him gone... staggering over to the dining table, he sank down heavily and buried his face in his hands   
"Well, I don't know what to do about your bond, but even I can tell you're not to blame. You tried to do the right thing, and I think it's great you're going to learn a trade. Eren's just... a wreck right now"  
Grandpa Arlert seemed to understand  
"So you wanna stay at our place?"  
"Yeah... I mean it's school on Monday, Thursday and Friday, which means I want to be home Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. I don't want to leave him out here alone"  
"Oooh, that's fine! I've missed having you around"  
Izzy moved to wrap her arms around him  
"So... what do we do now? Do we wait for Eren to come back?"  
"We probably should"


	70. Chapter 70

Thanks to Mikasa and Armin, Eren was feeling calmer when he finally returned inside. Sitting on the sofa, he curled up against Hannes, the man had slung an arm around his shoulder and though he could feel everyone staring at him, no one said anything  
"So, do we want to watch the wedding video? Or just look at the photos?"  
"Video please!"  
Armin and Mikasa were settling down on the floor, and Izzy and Farlan soon joined them, leaving Levi to figure out how to make the disc they'd been given work.

"Eren! You look so pretty! That dress is incredible"  
"Thanks Izzy"  
"You wouldn't believe how stuffy it was in the church"  
"Shhh... I want to watch this"  
Izzy hushing Levi annoyed the omega, but he kept his mouth shut. He had no right calling Izzy out, he'd lashed out without even meaning too...  
"Reiner and Bertholdt look amazing, and they looks so happy. I swear Bertholdt is like a foot taller now"  
"Armin, shhh"  
This time it was Mikasa was telling Armin, but Armin got excited over every little things and had to do a running commentary. Eren felt his face redden when he watched Reiner indicate that Levi needed to catch him  
"Look at Levi sweeping you off your feet. So romantic, I wish I had someone to sweep off their feet"  
"Armin, you're so short they'll be sweeping you off your feet"  
"Mikasa, you're just as short as I am"  
"But I'm a girl, I'm allowed to be short"  
Izzy cracked up laughing   
"What about big brother then?"  
"He's small and angry, that makes him dangerous enough. He'd be an unstoppable force if he was taller"  
"Leave daddy alone!"  
Eren jumped slightly at the sound of Ren angrily yelling  
"Ren, baby, it's ok. They were just joking. No one is making fun of daddy for real"  
"Then why does dad look so upset? And why aren't you standing up for daddy instead of fighting with him?"  
Ren kicked his leg, before scrambling off of Grandpa Arlert and throwing himself onto Levi  
"Hey kiddo, its fine. We're all joking around, but don't go kicking mum ever again"  
"But..."  
"Ren, it's not ok. Mums having a baby, and his emotions are all over the place. I know you're too young to understand, but we still love each other very much"  
Eren didn't know what to say. He'd totally deserved being kicked, with his mood plummeting further  
"I think I'll go to bed"  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yeah. I'll sleep in Hannes's room tonight, that's if you don't mind having a wolf. The boys can sleep with Levi and Izzy and Farlan can have their room"  
"Eren you could just sleep next to us, you know, where you belong"  
"No... you'll be happier without me"  
Shut up Yeager! God... why couldn't he just shut up! Shifting before anyone could say anything else, he padded down the hallway and into Hannes's room. Pulling the chair away from the desk Hannes had put in, he climbed under and curled up, feeling like the shittiest mate in the world.

 

*  
Out in living room, they were all sitting in an awkward silence. Hannes was first to break the silence   
"So that just happened"  
Levi rolled his eyes thanks for stating the fucking obvious  
"Is he really alright on his own?"  
"He's been like this for a week now"  
"Sooooo? How do we make him feel better?"  
"I'm going to run some tests tomorrow, see if we can do something about this from a medical stand point, but this is up Levi and Eren to fix"  
"I already tried too"  
"And Eren knows, but you went and set his omega side off all over again"  
"How?"  
"By pulling the "I'm the alpha, you'll listen to me and do as I say card", Eren said it's like you think he's not your equal"  
"Are you serious?"  
"He can't help it. Now hurry up and put the reception on, I have to work all of tomorrow and I don't want miss out"  
But Eren... knowing his mate, he was probably curled up and thinking Levi hated him  
"Ren, go sit up with Grandpa Arlert, I've got to talk to mum"  
"But mum went to bed"  
"I know, that's why I want to go talk to him"  
Ren groaned as he let go of him and trudged over to throw himself down in the sofa. Hitting play on the remote, he waited until the reception video started, before leaving everyone in the living room and heading down to Hannes's room. He didn't both knocking before walking in. It took him a few seconds to find Eren hiding under the desk and Levi moved to curl up against his boyfriend. Eren smelt so sad and he was so very tired of it  
"Princess, I'm sorry I upset you again. That's all I keep doing isn't it. I just don't know how to make you happy anymore. I tell you I love you, and how beautiful and perfect you are, because it's true. I never thought I'd be as happy as you make me, but this has to stop. If I'm only going to hurt you, that makes me no better than your father and if I'm that bad, I shouldn't be here"  
Eren shifted back in his hold, and Levi automatically pulled back  
"Levi..."  
His omega half launched himself on him, sobbing whole heartedly as Levi repositioned him better  
"Shhhh...."  
"Don't leave me..."  
"I don't want to hurt you"  
"I don't want to be alone"  
"You have the boys, you have Hannes"  
"But they aren't you"  
"But all I'm doing is hurting you"  
"I'd rather be dead... then not have you"  
The alpha felt like coldwater had been poured over his head and goosebumps erupted across his skin. Taking Eren's face into his hands, he found none of the usual fire in Eren's eyes  
"Tell me how to help you"  
"I don't know... but you not being here... I can't..."  
His mate let out a choked sob and one hand went to his stomach  
"Eren!"  
The omega grabbed his hand and placed it on his stomach. It took him a moment to realise he was feeling their baby kicking. Their pup was going crazy, and Levi moved to nuzzle Eren's neck  
"Princess... I don't want to leave, but it's so hard. I don't know how to make it all better"  
"Stay... I want you to stay"  
"And if I stay, what do we do?"  
"Take it one step at a time"  
"Ok..."  
Holding Eren close to him, he rocked his mate gently while rubbing slow circles across Eren's swell. Eren was still shaking in his hold, and his mate still smelt distressed   
"Princess, can I carry you to bed?"  
Eren shook his head slightly   
"I don't feel good"  
Levi's hand moved to his mates forehead  
"You feel warm"  
Awkwardly lifting Eren up and onto the bed, his mate whined pitifully  
"I think Hannes needs to take a look at you"  
He went to pull away to get Hannes, but Eren shook harder as he tried to   
"Ok princess, you're ok. I'm here"  
Lifting Eren into his arms, his mate continued to shiver as Levi carried him out into the living room  
"Hannes, we need help"  
Hannes was already out of his chair  
"What happened, we were trying to talk, but he said he felt sick and the pups going crazy"  
Hannes grabbed the keys off the table  
"We'll take him to the hospital. You guys can stay here"  
"But..."  
"Look, I'll let you know when we know something"

 

*  
Eren was still shivering as Levi laid him down on the hospital bed  
"I'm going to need to take a blood sample, and then I'll need a urine sample"  
"I don't think he's up for that"  
"That's why you're in here and not in the waiting room. I need you to help keep him calm"  
Keeping calm meant holding Eren's arm still while Hannes got the cannula in and took a vials of his mates blood  
"Tell me more about what happened in Marley. Did he get any cuts or open wounds?"  
"Yeah, he fucked up his feet really badly"  
"Both?"  
"Yeah... but they healed"  
Hannes moved down the bed and Levi was grateful Eren didn't have shoes on. The man carefully checked Eren's feet over   
"He has an infection in his left heel, but not enough for these kind of symptoms"  
"But he seemed fine, maybe a little more tired than usual and he was eating more this last week"  
"I still want to take a urine test"  
Levi wrinkled his nose, Eren was shaking to badly to listen   
"Do you think you can take him into the bathroom?"  
Never had he ever expected to be carrying his mate into the bathroom purely to help him pee. Eren seemed to rouse a little when Levi's hands went to undo his pants   
"Eren, it's ok. Hannes needs a urine sample"  
His mate still looked vague, but nodded. Levi made a mental promise to never mention this again.

Armed with said sample, and a blushing Eren, Levi carried him back to Hannes and handed the man the sample. Hannes immediately moved to start pulling things it the draw and Levi stroked Eren's hair back from his face, before kissing his forehead gently   
"I'm here, it's ok. Hannes, am I allowed to climb up on the bed with him? He's still really cold"  
"Yeah, I need to wait for the indicator strips"  
Whatever that meant. Climbing gently up next to Eren, Levi spooned around him, rubbing his mates arm  
"Shhhh, I'm here omega. I've got you"

"So he's got an infection and his oestrogen levels are sky high"  
"That means?"  
"That there's little wonder he's an emotional wreck. He was sick and his hormones are way out of balance, that's probably why he couldn't control his omega. His oestrogen levels were always on the higher side of what's accepted for an omega, but now that we know, we can take steps to bring it back to what it needs to be"  
"So he'll be alright?"  
"Yeah. I still want to give him an ultrasound and check your pup, and the blood test results will give us a clearer idea on everything else"  
"So how do I help?"  
"Help him onto his back and get his shirt up"

Levi was never going to be a medic. He knew Hannes wasn't hurting his mate, but looking at the wand in the man's hand had his alpha on edge. Eren had whined when Hannes had given him the sedative, but was now laying beside him silently with his face buried against Levi's thigh  
"Let's take a little look"  
Holding his breath, Levi was too scared to the screen as the image of their pup came up  
"Oh..."  
"Oh? What's oh? Hannes, oh isn't good"  
"Well, take a look for yourself"  
Peaking towards the screen, his heart dropped  
"Are you..."  
"Yeah. I don't know how it was missed at the 12 week scan, but I guess congrats again?"  
"Hannes... we can't afford two pups... we have no savings... and I have no idea what I'm doing... Eren was so relieved it was one pup and why didn't they say both pups were alright in Marley?"  
"I don't know, maybe they did but it was misinterpreted, like I'd they said "they" instead of meaning the sex, it could have meant them"  
"Well..."  
He didn't know what to say  
"I'm going to go ahead and admit Eren, it'll give me a chance to monitor him better and if I need to do anymore tests, he'll already be here"  
"Ok... but shit. We literally just got home"  
"That's probably why Eren wouldn't have told you if he was feeling queasy, or worse than normal. You'd been fighting and he probably put it down to that"  
"He said he'd rather die than not have me around"  
Hannes sighed  
"I'll get in contact with his therapist, see if I can get him an appointment, is there anything else I should know?"  
"He's become super sensitive about his scar all over again. Because his stomachs stretching, its growing and he hated it..."  
"I can't do much about that"  
"That's what I thought..."  
Hannes pulled the woman back and set about cleaning everything up   
"Levi, now that we know what's going on, we can do something about it. I know you're worried, but I promise to get him back on his feet"  
"I know Hannes... even with your damn leg in a cast, you're an unstoppable force"  
"You know they told me I can't drive... what am I supposed to do? Wheel myself everywhere?"  
"Well, Eren can drive... and you could teach me"  
"If I'm going to teach you, you're learning in the ute like Eren did"  
"That's fine. I need to get my license as soon as possible"  
"I can't teach you until I'm sure Eren's recovered"  
"That's ok. But I'm supposed to start class on the 9th of July"  
"Sorry to burst your bubble, you're not going to have your license by then"  
Eren groaned sleepily beside him, and both males fell silent, as if waiting for Eren to fall back into silence  
"I need to sort something out. I can't stand the idea of being away from him so long"  
"And he's going to need you more and more, especially since its twins"  
"I don't know how he's going to take it"  
"We'll wait until he's feeling better before we tell him"  
Levi nodded and gently carded his fingers through Eren's hair.

Levi wanted to spend the night with Eren, but thanks to the fact they had kids and visitors, he had to leave his mate sleeping in a private room. Hannes was going to come home and get organised before returning to the hospital for the the night. 

Pulling into the drive at home, Farlan was out the front having a cigarette. Hannes looked at him before fishing a pack out the glove box and shaking two out. The both climbed out the car and headed over to Farlan, the teen seemed pretty tired, but still asked  
"How is he?"  
"Sick. He's going to spend a few days in hospital"  
"And the baby?"  
"Ok"  
Babies... pups... fuck... how was he going to handle two newborns when he was terrified of one  
"Levi! How's Eren?"  
Armin must have heard the crunching of the tyres or perhaps them taking outside  
"He's got an infection, and his hormone levels are way out of whack, so he'll be in the hospital for a few days"  
"But he'll be alright?"  
"Yeah. Did you guys watch the reception video?"  
"Yes. You should see you guys dancing, it's so adorable"  
"That's because Eren's adorable"  
"And he's really going to be alright?"  
"Yeah..."  
When he finally got inside, he had to have the same conversation with Mikasa, Izzy and Grandpa Arlert. It seemed to be the general consensus that Eren couldn't be really held responsible for his mood swings, so it wouldn't be mentioned, which Levi was grateful for. He just wanted to go to sleep, but he still had to get the bed changed and the kids into bed and he couldn't stop thinking about how he'd missed the signs that Eren was sick, and instead had blamed everything on his mates hormones... he was such a shitty alpha.


	71. Chapter 71

Eren was sleeping quietly when Levi let himself into his omegas room. The day had barely started, but Levi was exhausted due to the fact he hadn't been able to sleep. Having woken up long before everyone else, his frustration and agitation at not being able to fall back to sleep had caused him to rise and scrub every inch of the kitchen clean. Hannes had tried, that much was obvious, but he'd neglected to dust, or empty the toaster crumb tray, or clean right into the corners when wiping down the bench. By the time he was done, the sun was up and it was time to get moving.

The boys had insisted on testing his patience. Ren wanted the bubblegum bubble bath, while Eli had wanted the strawberry. Mixing the two had left neither boy satisfied, and then it went down hill from there. He'd left them in his room in order to get a set of clothes from their room, which meant creeping around, and when he came back he was coldly informed he'd chosen the wrong clothes. By breakfast the end of breakfast he was sure this was karma for missing all the signs Eren was sick. Apparently he poured the boys juice wrong and then despite asking for strawberry jam, the boys didn't want strawberry jam. It was a completely shit morning, but he couldn't help but think it was a great teaching guide for Izzy. He was still adjusting to the fact she really was pregnant. He'd always seen her running around being crazy and free spirited, not chasing after brats, but she'd be a good mum... once she got the whole cooking thing down pact.

Farlan drove them over to the hospital, and Levi asked for Hannes at reception. Hannes was annoyingly perky when he finally appeared and Levi couldn't help but glare at him, which only caused the man to laugh  
"Eren's alright, I'll get the boys organised and then do Izzy's scan, so you can go ahead and see him"  
"Please don't let them destroy anything, they've been in foul moods all morning"  
"Levi, they haven't been that bad"  
The alpha could only stare at Izzy in annoyance. She had literally been there for breakfast, and yet she said they hadn't been that bad. Was she blind?  
"Fine. Whatever. I'll be with Eren, hopefully he won't be in a shit mood"  
Pushing his way past the group, Levi headed straight for Eren's room at the end of the hall and let himself in with a sigh of relief. Crossing to the bed, he pressed a kiss to his sleeping loves lips, before brushing Eren's hair back from his face. Eren let out an adorable grumble and Levi couldn't help but smile  
"Hey princess, I'm here"  
Eren's long eyelashes fluttered as his mate opened his brilliant green eyes, but the moment they were fully open, they filled with tears and Levi found himself with an armful of crying omega   
"I'm so sorry..."  
What the hell did Eren have to be sorry about?  
"Princess, has Hannes told you what's going on?"  
Eren nodded against him  
"Then you know you aren't to blame for your crazy hormones"  
"But I was so mean to you"  
Given the awkward angle, Levi struggled up onto Eren's bed and his omega buried his face against his chest when he had  
"Are you feeling any better?"  
There was an IV in Eren's left arm, and Levi was curious just what the hell Hannes was pumping into his mates blood stream  
"No... not really... there's no magic cure to bring my hormones in line"  
Oh... ok... so was Eren just telling him what he thought he was supposed to say?  
"It'll be ok"  
"But..."  
"Princess, can we please just have cuddles? You have no reason to apologise and I love you"  
Eren sniffled against him, before taking his hand and lacing their fingers together   
"Where are the boys?"  
"With Hannes. Be warned, they're in feral moods this morning"  
"What happened?"  
"They had a fight over bubblebath, and the I chose the wrong clothes. I also poured their juices wrong and they had a tantrum because I gave them strawberry jam on their toast... like they asked for"  
"I'm sorry. I should be there to deal with all of this"  
"No baby, you just need to focus on doing as Hannes says and getting everything all back to normal with you"  
"But you sound exhausted"  
"I couldn't sleep. I keep trying to figure out how I missed the fact you were sick"  
"Don't... I didn't even know I had an infection either"  
"Well I'm not happy I missed it"  
"Didn't I just tell you not to go there?"  
Shit. He'd pushed Eren too far...  
"Sorry. I won't. Now can we cuddle"  
Eren huffed, but didn't pull away. It was weird, he'd assumed too much oestrogen would make Eren more docile, but instead he was acting like an alpha with high testosterone levels. Trying not to think about it, Levi shimmied down the bed and pulled Eren closer before closing his eyes. It felt so natural to sleep with Eren by his side, and he couldn't help falling asleep despite his mate still sniffling against him.

Waking to something being stuck up his nose wasn't pleasant at, the natural assumption would be the twins, but he opened his eyes to find Izzy grinning down at him  
"What did you do?"  
Izzy giggled mischievously  
"Nothing..."  
Raising his hand to his face, he found a tongue depressor hanging out each nostril  
"Really?"  
"Maybe? Consider it your gift to me"  
"Nope. You don't deserve a gift"  
"But I have a tiny human growing in my stomach"  
"Don't you think the moustache was enough of a gift?"  
Eren's voice was thick with sleep, but his boyfriends eyes were wide as they stared up at him  
"Moustache?"  
"Eren, you weren't supposed to tell him"  
"Oh... but I like him better without it"  
"But sooooo much effort went into it! Now he's just going to go to the bathroom and wash it off"  
"Hey, at least I didn't tell him about the monobrow"  
Izzy threw her hands up in the air  
"Dobber! You're all so mean"  
"Fine, how did your scan go?"  
Izzy beamed  
"1 happy and healthy bubby and I'm about 8 weeks!"  
"Oh really?"  
"Yep, she's due the end of February, start of march... aw, Eren's bubba's gonna be the older protective partner..."  
Now was probably wasn't the time to correct Izzy and say "actually about that, its twins", Eren would probably melt down and Izzy was having her moment  
"So you're still saying it's a girl?"  
"Yep! I'm defending my decision, but Hannes said he "bets it's a boy""  
"He would have said that just to mess with you. Speaking of boys, where are ours?"  
"Hannes borrowed them for a bit. There's this old woman who's here, but her family lives too far away to come visit, so he's borrowed them to cheer her up"  
Levi groaned  
"Great. Now I'm going to have to find her an apologise to her for their shit moods"  
Izzy frowned down at him  
"Levi, they weren't even that bad"  
"Fine, you baby sit them and I'll stay here with Eren. I bet you'll be freaking out by the end of it"  
"Oooooh how much are you betting?"  
"Your cooking lessons with Eren. If you manage not to freak out, he can teach you. But if you do, you have to put up with me"  
"Levi, we don't have money to waste on food like that"  
Eren's tone was more annoyed than joking  
"Here that Izzy, zero faith in us"  
"You're on! Bet ends this time tomorrow, and you have to stay here the whole time"  
Eren pushed himself up a little  
"Izzy, I don't think that's a good idea..."  
"Eren, worst comes to worst, Farlan can drive us all back here"  
"Come on, what's the worse that could happen and it's going to be great hands on experience"  
Eren groaned  
"No smoking around them, no swearing, bath time is straight after waking up. Bed at 7 and you'll have to read them a story. Wake ups at 7. Don't let them stay up too late or they'll be in foul mood. Cereal isn't dinner and don't let them steal each other's clothes or you'll never hear the end of it"  
Izzy nodded  
"Right, well I think we can handle this... right Farlan?"  
"Don't drag me into this"  
"But it practice for both of us!"  
"On 5 year olds... that can already talk and don't need nappies"  
"Don't be such a buzzkill"  
Eren groaned again, and Levi rubbed his arm  
"Are you ok?"  
"Yeah, just need to go to the bathroom"  
"Oh, do you want me to find someone to take your drip out?"  
Eren looked up at the mostly empty bag, before shaking his head  
"Nah, its on wheels, I'm all set"  
With his mile wide stubborn streak, Eren crawled off the bed and away from him, Levi immediately missed his mates warmth and curled somewhat sadly around Eren's pillow  
"Relax, he's just going to the bathroom"  
"I can't help it"  
"You really are whipped bro"

 

*  
Sitting in his hospital bed, Eren was kind of bored shitless. The kids had come for cuddles and to say goodbye when Hannes had come and changed his IV bag, the man had put something in the line that was supposed to help his body process the excess oestrogen as well as giving him tablets to help. It wasn't a magical over night cure like he'd hoped for, but at least now he knew why his mood swings had been so severe and long lasting. Not that he felt any better about it all, he was a total jerk to Levi and it was kind of surprising his alpha even wanted to be here with him now. Sliding down the bed, he rested his head in Levi's lap, while placing his hands on his stomach  
"Everything alright?"  
"Yeah... just bored"  
"I can imagine. Do you wanna use my phone for a bit? We can Facebook stalk?"  
"Who are we going to stalk?"  
"We could stalk my boyfriend? He's really cute"  
"I don't want to think about your boyfriend while you're in bed with me"  
"But I think you'll like him..."  
And there were the tears. He was so fucking sick of tears  
"Oh princess, I'm sorry"  
"No... its ok... I'm just... yeah"  
"Do you want me to get Dave?"  
Eren snorted as he shook his head. He actually just wanted the kids and to sleep for like a week, as if reading his mind, their pup started kicking hard and he let out a hiss  
"What's wrong?"  
"The pups kicking"  
Levi moved to place his hand on Eren's stomach, the alpha smiling down at him as Eren looked up at Levi's blurred face  
"Yeah..."  
"I'm so relieved it's one pup... I don't know if I could handle two, I don't know if I'm even going to be handle his one"  
Levi tensed for a moment, before letting out a deep breath and beginning to rub circles on his stomach  
"Whatever happens, it'll be just fine"

Thanks to Hannes pulling strings and rushing his blood tests, Eren got the results back that night. He was a kind of low in a few things, like magnesium and which left him confused and annoyed. He'd been eating well, he'd been kind of eating more and it hurt to think that their pup hadn't been getting everything they needed. As much as he loathed taking pills, he swallowed down the ones Hannes had given him, while the man chatted away with Levi. Thanks to his stupid moodiness, he found himself feeling upset and left out, which lead to him burrowing down in the bed and curling against Levi's leg. In this case it was definitely better to keep his mouth shut and go to sleep.

The cries of two upset boys woke him up, and Levi slid from the bed to see what was going on. It didn't take long before the door to his room was thrown open and both crying twins came running in. Levi caught them easily and carried them over to sit them on the bed  
"Hey babies, what a happened?"  
Ren shook his head, clinging to him desperately as Eli clung to his brother   
"It's ok babies, mummy's here"  
Looking over their heads at Levi, he shot the alpha with his best "go find out what the fuck happened to my kids before I castrate you" look. The alpha shifted uncomfortably before leaving the room  
"Eli, baby, what happened?"  
"Ren had a bad dream, and Aunty Izzy wouldn't let us come see you"  
"Oh baby, it's ok. I'm ok"  
"But you didn't love us anymore! You left us behind and left with daddy!"  
"No baby, I couldn't leave you like that"  
"Did we do something bad, is that why you're in here and we had to go home with Aunty Izzy and Uncle Farlan"  
"No, you guys didn't do anything bad. You know how mummy hasn't been much fun lately and really cranky..."  
He winced as both boys hummed and nodded their agreement  
"... well mummy has been sick and he didn't know. But Hannes has me here so I can get all better"  
"But why can't we stay with you?"  
"What's wrong with Aunty Izzy?"  
"She's not you and she's not daddy... and she got mad when we said we wanted you"  
"She got mad?"  
"She smacked Ren for crying"  
His omega wasn't pleased in the slightest to hear that, and if Izzy wasn't pregnant herself, he totally would have yelled at her. You don't smack a kid for having a nightmare and you don't have to get so mad over it  
"Ok babies, come on. Eli, do you think you can crawl over to my other side so I can give you both hugs?"  
Eli tried to be carefully, but Eren still ended up kneed in the stomach. They were still sniffling quietly when Levi returned, but at least they weren't sobbing anymore   
"Where's Izzy and Farlan?"  
"They were in the hall. Apparently Ren had a bad dream?"  
"Yeah and Izzy smacked him for it"  
Levi groaned before grabbing the visitors chair and moving it closer to the bed  
"Levi, that isn't ok. She can't be hitting the boys because they think we're leaving them behind and don't want them"  
"She said she smacked him because he wouldn't calm down"  
"Is it any wonder he wouldn't calm down?"  
"No"  
Levi reached out and gently ran his fingers through Ren's hair  
"Hey kiddo, I love you"  
"Daddy..."  
"It ok baby, just close your eyes, were both here"

 

*  
Finally realised from hospital, Eren was forced to hit the ground running. He had to enrol the boys in school, get their uniforms, get their share supplies which were pencils and tissues, as well do a million and one other things, while Levi was pretty much left to get himself organised for his own class which started the following week. Thanks to the ultrasound Hannes gave him, Levi had cancelled the one in Trost. He was a little upset he didn't get to see his pup, but the important thing was that they were alright... though every time he brought up the pup, Levi would freeze for a moment and he had no idea why. He was already 21 weeks, it was way too late to bail out now.

Given that Levi had been sent his book list and required PPE, they were currently driving into Trost. Hannes had loaned Levi the money to buy what he needed and Eren hated relying on the man's charity. He barely had 300 dollars to his name and that was it. Hannes had started pitching in with food, which was appreciated given how much seemed to end up going to waste when Izzy cooked. Her carefree nature spilt over into measurements of ingredients and it wasn't always with welcome results. But it fucking sucked. After doing the maths, it turned out he'd paid approximately $45,000 in day care fees, which was just insane, as well as rent, food, bills, clothes, school fees and of course, Marley. There'd been a little spent on the house, but he didn't even know what was going on with that and was trying not to think about it  
"Eren? You ok?"  
Nodding slightly, he slowed as some dickhead turned out in front of them without checking. He resisted the urge to tail gate them, though he did let out a frustrated growl  
"Hey, we're nearly there, it's ok"  
"Idiot people need to stay the hell off the roads"  
Seriously, how hard was it to wait like 3 more seconds?  
Levi placed his hand on his thigh and rubbed gently  
"I know baby"  
Resisting the urge to swat Levi's hands away, Eren kept his mind on the road, the only good thing about this trip was they wouldn't have to see Izzy and Farlan, he was still slightly miffed over Izzy smacking Ren and his hormones still hadn't turned to normal so it was better to stay away.

Finally reaching Trost, Eren pulled over into the rest area on the edge of the city and held out his hand  
"Give me your school list"  
"Oh, I was just going to get everything from..."  
"Levi, pass me the damn list"  
Letting out a sigh of clear annoyance Levi fished the list out his pocket and passed it over. Eren skimmed the list and nodded  
"Ok, books first. That means going to the school. Do you know where it is?"  
"Not really"  
Closing his eyes and counting to 10, Eren let out a measured breath. Levi had had weeks to find out the address. Sliding his phone from his dress, Eren looked to the letter head for the address and entered into maps. It took a few moments for the route to calculate   
"Ok, so it's about 30 minutes, near the city centre"  
"Do you want me to hold your phone?"  
"No, its fine"  
Laying his phone on his chest, Eren pulled back onto the road and followed the gps through to campus.

Trost Institute of Technology was set on nice green grounds. The buildings were a mix of old and new, kind of painfully so. Pulling into the visitors carpark, Eren looked to the sign that pointed to reception   
"Now, you're not going to get lost are you?"  
"Not if I follow the signs"  
"And do you want us to come?"  
"Nah, but maybe the boys would like to stretch their legs or something. There's enough lawn around here"  
That was true, and there was a table not that far away  
"Yeah, alright"  
Levi helped him get the boys out the car and both were in awe of the place  
"Mum, is this our new school?"  
"No baby, its daddy's"  
"Daddy's going to go to school here?"  
"Yeah. It's pretty nice isn't it"  
Pausing to give him a kiss, Levi disappeared towards the reception as Eren crossed to the table and sat down heavily. 

Ren and Eli were sitting on the grass playing together, while Eren was looking up the best place to buy PPE gear, there were a few places online, but he really wasn't sure just what his alpha needed and Levi had the booklist. Finding a place that seemed to stock everything, he entered the address into maps. The place was on the other side of Trost, but if they went there after here, they could stop by the shopping centre he used to go to on the way back to Shinganshima  
"Muuuum, I'm hungry"  
"Hang on baby"  
Locking his phone, he looked down to Eli   
"Mum was just trying to find where to buy the stuff dad needs"  
"Well dad needs food and so do we!"  
Rolling his eyes, he reached for Eli and pulled him into his lap  
"What do you guys want for lunch?"  
"Fooood"  
That didn't help in the slightest and Hannes had him on a high folate diet, so he was limited to what he was supposed to be eating  
"Do you want a burger or fries?"  
"Burgers!"  
That worked... if he got the kids happy meals, they could eat while he drove  
"Ok, but we still have to wait for daddy"  
Eli let out a sigh, and Eren buried his face awkwardly in his son's hair  
"Mum?"  
"It's ok baby, I just love you"  
"I love you too mum"  
"Thanks baby, now go play with your brother"

Both boys were grumbling by the time Levi finally back, and had to admit he was sick of sitting in the sun  
"Sorry! I got a little directionally misplaced getting to bookstore, they run it out of a cafe here"  
The coffee cup in Levi's hand told Eren his alpha had been there a while and he felt a surge of jealousy. He knew Levi wouldn't have been chatting anyone up, but the little voices in his head decided to be douches by bringing it up  
"Well the boys are starving"  
"Lets go get them something to eat"  
Levi's perky attitude did nothing to make him feel better, but the alpha didn't seem to notice. Tucking the three thick textbooks under his arm, Levi took Ren's hand and helped him down  
"What's for lunch?"  
"Burgers!"  
"Mums not supposed to have burgers"  
"I'm not getting one, the boys are"  
Fuck. He'd snapped. Shaking his head, he waited for Eli to climb down, before pushing himself up. His phone fell to the ground and he cursed himself  
"Eli, can you grab my phone for me?"  
Eli groaned, and tears came to Eren's eyes  
"Eli, please"  
His son picked his phone up finally and passed it up to him  
"Thanks baby, lets go get you food"

Levi was quiet as Eren drove and the silence was suffocating. Pulling into McDonalds drive through, he barely got the words out his mouth and when he looked to Levi for his order the alpha wasn't even paying attention. Ordering Levi a double quarter pounder with bacon, he ordered himself a bottle of water. His alpha jumped as Eren stuffed the bag with his order in, into his lap  
"Oh, I had something small at the cafe"  
"Of course you did"  
Passing the boys back their happy meal boxes, he handed the two small pop tops to Levi  
"You need to open these for the kids"  
"Fine"  
Oh for fucks sake. Not this shit. He wasn't in the mood to be taking care of three children, especially when the pup was bashing both his ribs and his kidneys  
"Do you want me to open your water for you?"  
"No, just leave it. I need to concentrate, or we're going to get lost"  
"At least we'll be lost together"  
Rolling his eyes, Eren turned back on to the main road.

The place they pulled up in front of was a massive warehouse, like insanely huge, with an insane car park to match, yet hardly any cars were out the front. Pulling into a bay near the front of the store, Eren let out a happy sigh  
"We made it!"  
"We did, you're wonderful"  
"I don't know if I'm wonderful for following the GPS"  
"You are and you're wonderful all the time. You're going to come in right?"  
"Yeah... lets go get you kitted up"  
Climbing from the car, Eren opened the door for Eli to climb out  
"Mum, what's this place?"  
"You know how you have to wear a uniform, daddy has to too and this is the place you buy them"  
"Wow!"  
Lifting Eli onto his hip proved harder by the day, and Eren struggled with ignoring the pressure against his stomach  
"Mum, I can walk"  
"But maybe I want to carry you"  
"But it's easier if I walk. You're so fat now"  
"It's alright, I can take them both"  
It wasn't alright. He wanted to hold his damn son, he thought he'd be smaller given it was one pup, but fuck... this was ridiculous  
"Mum?"  
"It's fine. Let's just go"  
Walking into the store, Levi grabbed a trolley and placed Ren inside, Eli automatically wanted to be included and struggled in his hold  
"Alright already. Just hold on"  
Lifting Eli over the side, Ren let out a yelp  
"Get off of me!"  
"I can't help it! Mums too fat!"  
"He's not fat, he's pregnant"  
"His stomachs still big"  
"Stop being mean to mum, he's beautiful and perfect how he is"  
Eren shook his head  
"I'm fat. I'm like massive... and I can't even lift the boys properly"  
Sniffling sadly, he left Levi wrap an arm around his waist  
"You're pregnant and you're stunning. I love you princess"  
"I don't feel that way... sorry I'm in such a bad mood..."  
"It's ok baby, it took forever to get served at the cafe, and then forever to find the books"  
"You could have text me, I didn't want to leave and get the boys something to eat without knowing what you were doing"  
"Sorry baby, I got to chatting with the girl behind the counter..."  
Eren pulled back from Levi, he was being stupid. There was nothing to worry about and then Levi went a   
"...about getting a job there. Are you really jealous right now?"  
"I don't want to talk about it"  
Moving ahead, Eren tried to remember what they needed   
"God, you're so adorable"  
"I'm glad that my being upset brings you pain. Now what do you need?"  
Levi groaned, pulling the same piece of paper as before out. Eren couldn't help but notice the name and number scrawled in pink on the back of it  
"I'm going to wait in the car"  
"Eren?"  
Storming from the store, Eren unlocked the car and climbed in. Needing to vent, he called Armin.

Armin answered on the 3rd ring, not that Eren was counting at all  
"Eren! What's up?!"  
Having worked himself up, he wailed into the phone  
"Levi doesn't love me anymore"  
Armin let out a sigh  
"Eren, Levi's crazy about you. Why wouldn't he be?"  
"Because I'm so faaaaaat"  
"Calm down for me and explain what the hell you're on about"  
"Levi doesn't love me, we went to get his books and he was gone for ages... he was chatting up a girl and she gave him her name and number"  
"I'm sure there's more to it"  
"No there's not... he doesn't love me anymore Armin... I'm so useless, I can't even pick the boys up"  
"You aren't useless. What time are you getting back from Trost?"  
"I don't know... Levi and the boys are getting his stuff"  
"Well, why aren't you with him?"  
"Because he'd be happier with the cafe girl"  
"You're being silly. He's happy with you and your hormones are out of control again. Come around when you get home and we'll hang out"  
"I might not be very good company"  
"That's fine, we can put something super cheesy on on Netflix"  
"Are you asking me over for "Netflix and Chill?"  
"Totally... that would be if I don't know for a fact Levi would kill me"  
"I don't know..."  
"We both know he totally would, now do you feel better"  
"A bit"  
"Good, now do you want popcorn or chocolate tonight?"  
"Both. Definitely both... I'm sorry for venting"  
"It's fine, just let me know when you're heading home"  
"Yeah, will do"

 

*  
Levi groaned as Eren stormed away, how did he fuck this up now? He'd literally been talking to his boyfriend about a potential new job, and then Eren was getting jealous and storming off...  
"Dad, what's that?"  
Flipping the booklist over, Levi groaned. The girl he'd been talking to had written down her name and number, it was supposed to be for the job, just given she'd signed it with a love heart he'd never be going back to that cafe again  
"That would be the reason your mothers mad at me. Let's go get this stuff, and you need to help me cheer up your mother"  
"Why us? We didn't do it"  
"Thanks guys"  
Thrown under the bus by his own sons.

After choosing safety glasses, gloves, ear muffs and his boots, it was time to face the world of safety work clothes. He had no idea why he needed a great big reflective strip around the middle of his shirt, but there he was, chucking one in. He grabbed two without, and then moved onto work pants. Again with the shitty reflective strips. He choose the simplest, plainest and darkest pairs he could. 3 should hopefully he enough, he couldn't imagine things would be that bad and it wasn't like he was going to go crazy. The only good thing about the trip was Eli and Ren seemed to enjoy dressing up like daddy. It cost a small mint and Levi said a mental thanks to Hannes, before swiping his card and watching as it was approved. 

Lifting the boys from the trolley, he handed them a bag each, before grabbing his boots out. He'd opted for thick black steel caps that seemed to weigh about as much as the boys  
"Ok, so you guys haven't told me how I'm going to make mum smile again?"  
"Meat... meat always make me smile"  
Ren nodded in agreement and Levi smile down at them  
"So I should make dinner?"  
"Yep! And make sure it's meat"  
"What kind of meat?"  
"Lamb!"  
Wolves eating lamb... sounded about right  
"Ok, but I'm blaming you if he doesn't like it"  
"He will!"  
Levi was about 99% sure that they wanted meat and Eren wasn't even in their thoughts. Following the boys out to the car, he found Eren sitting in the driver's seat and playing with his phone. His omega at least looked a little happier, maybe he'd finally calmed down and realised there was nothing to be jealous over... though it was kind of adorable that his mate was. Opening the door on his side, the boys climbed into the back  
"Mum, dad's making dinner!"  
"Is he now, well you guys will have to tell me all about it, I'm staying at Uncle Armin's tonight"  
Well fuck. There goes that plan. Helping the boys with their belts, he closed the door and climbed into the front  
"So you're going to Armin's?"  
"Yeah"  
"Ok. Eren, you know I love you and only you right? That number was because she said there was a job going, I didn't know she signed it with a heart and I have no interest in her"  
She was kind of cute and if he didn't have Eren... no. It didn't matter. He had Eren and that's all that mattered  
"It's fine. You're hot, I don't blame her"  
This was definitely a trap  
"Nah, you're hotter. I love you princess"  
Eren sighed and Levi was sure he'd come within millimetres of stepping on another landmine  
"Mum, can we come see Grandpa and Uncle Armin?"  
"Not tonight babies, but maybe tomorrow?"  
"Oooook... but who's dad going to sleep with tonight if you're not home?"  
"You guys"  
"But dad snores"  
"I don't snore"  
"Yes you do. Mum does too"  
"Well mum does, but he's completely adorable so that's alright"  
"Levi. You can stop trying to climb out of the hole you dug. I'm tired and cranky and sore and uncomfortable. So I'm sorry but being nice isn't going to work"  
Levi nodded  
"I know baby, but I just want you to know I'm still here for you and it's alright"  
"It's not alright. I want you close to me and the mere thought of someone else being near you is driving me crazy with jealousy. It's stupid and I don't want to talk about it, and I've already cried my eyes out to Armin. So can we drop it now"  
And there Eren went, making him stupidly happy with just a few words  
"Eren, look at me for a minute"  
His omega looked to him, not looking too happy as he did, leaning in, Levi stole a kiss and captured Eren's face so his mate couldn't pull away as he deepened it  
"Eewww!"  
"Gross!"  
Snorting lightly, he pulled back  
"Sorry not sorry"  
There was a red tinge in Eren's face and his mate bit his lip as he shook his head. Levi on the other hand was grinning happily  
"Ok, we can go now"  
"You're so lucky I love you"  
"I know"


	72. Chapter 72

"Good morning princess"  
Getting a grumble in reply, Levi wrapped his arms around Eren and nuzzled his mates neck   
"Sleeping..."  
"I know baby, but I wanted cuddles from you before I go"  
"Oh... today's the day isn't it?"  
"Yeah, so can I have cuddles?"  
Eren groaned as he rolled on to his back, and Levi gently pressed a kiss to his boyfriends lips  
"Mmm, much better. How's our babies?"  
"Babies?"  
Oh fuck... with Eren's moods being up and down, he might of, kind of, slightly, forgotten to tell Eren   
"Shit"  
"Levi?"  
Moving to slide between Eren's legs, he slid his hands up his mates sides  
"You know how you've kind of been out of it for the last few weeks?"  
"Because my hormones have been too high?"  
"Yeah... I didn't know how to tell you... but you're having twins"  
It was deathly silent before Eren burst out laughing   
"That's a good one"  
"Eren, I'm serious. I didn't know how to tell you and then I kind of forgot cause of everything happening and I am so sorry baby"  
Eren slowly pulled himself up, his green eyes desperately searching Levi's   
"Levi... please tell me this is a really bad joke"  
"I can't princess. Do you remember that night you ended up on in hospital?"  
"Vaguely"  
"Well Hannes did an ultrasound and its twins... I am so sorry I didn't tell you right away, but I was scared it would push you over the edge"  
"What do you mean push me over the edge"  
"You said you wanted to die... I was scared you'd hurt yourself..."  
Tearing up, Levi pulled Eren as close to him as he could. Hannes had told them on Saturday that Eren's hormone levels were finally heading down and now he was doing this to his mate   
"I love you, I love you so much... and I love them and I'm so sorry, please don't hate me..."  
Eren shook against him  
"I thought I was too big... I-I don't hate you... but what are we doing to do...? I don't know if I can do this Levi"  
"That's why I'm trying to get a job, I'm going to get a job. I promise and I promise I'll be there for everything, but please baby, please try and stay strong for me"  
Eren's hands gripped his arms as he cried and Levi nuzzled his mates neck, trying to comfort his omega   
"Levi... I'm scared"  
"I know, I'm terrified too baby, but we'll get through this together and Hannes has promised me work at the hospital and I'll try and get something in town..."  
"But... babies take a lot of effort..."  
"I know... I'm so sorry... I didn't think. I wanted to wait until you were feeling better, but you're just so adorable and the way you were smiling even though you wanted to sleep was just so cute"  
Eren continued to cry against him, and Levi felt like a fucking fool. He couldn't even stay home with Eren today, he was supposed to getting ready to shower before catching the bus to Trost   
"L-Levi..."  
Eren sounded so confused and he kicked himself all over again   
"Princess, can we shower together? I wanted to cuddle but now I've upset and I want to make you feel better"  
Eren nodded against him, sniffling loudly as he did  
"Who knows?"  
"You, me and Hannes. I swear. I haven't told anyone because it's no one else's business than ours"  
"O-ok... god... I can't believe this"  
"I know, let's get you showered and I'll massage your shoulders for you"  
"That sounds really good... I feel so uncomfortable"

After helping Eren into the shower, Levi forced himself not to think of the time as he started by first washing Eren's hair and then beginning to wash his boyfriend down. After 3 weeks of Eren running hot and cold, and an almost nonexistent sex life, it was no wonder his omega grew slick under his touch. Sinking to his knees, Levi nuzzled and mouthed at Eren's stomach, showering the swell with attention and love until his mate was shaking  
"Are you ok?"  
"Y-yeah..."  
"My omega and our pups..."  
Moving to mouth and nip at Eren's hip bone, his mate moaned sinfully and Levi's last bit of self control snapped  
"It's ok isn't..."  
"Yes... please..."  
Eren turned to place his hands against the wall and Levi slid his hands up Eren's inner thighs as he rose  
"I won't last long"  
"I won't either"  
Eren was so gorgeous, his boyfriend was finally coming back to him, clearly evidenced by the fact his mate hadn't bitten his head off for keeping such a large secret. Rolling his hips forward, he rubbed his erection teasingly along Eren's arse, before rubbing the tip of his aching erection against Eren's slick opening  
"Relax for me"  
Both teens moaned as Levi sank slowly in, it had been way too long and Eren was so hot and tight, his lovers insides twitching and rippling around him so perfectly  
"God Eren, so perfect"  
Supporting his mates stomach with one hand, his other kept a firm hold on Eren's hip as he slowly slid out until just his tip was still inside. He didn't want to wait to knot Eren, but he also didn't want to just rush. This was more than just sex, or at least to him it was. Taking his time, he gently fucked Eren until his lower was a moaning mess and begging for it hard and fast. Pounding into Eren, his knot formed after 3 or 4 hard trusts and Eren came with a choked cry, spurring him to drive his knot deeper  
"My omega, my mate. My perfect mate. So good to me"  
He nuzzled the back of Eren's neck as he showered Eren with praise  
"I love you, and only you"  
Eren started to cry again, and Levi pulled him impossibly closer  
"No baby, please don't cry, I'm here"  
"I'm just so sorry... I don't know how you put up with me... I was so jealous and horrible to you and these things would come out my mouth, but I didn't meant it and I didn't know how to fix things. I was trying to be normal, but I couldn't remember what normal felt like and I hurt you and it's not fair. I know you wouldn't cheat on me, and I trust you and I hurt you"  
"Baby, you couldn't help it. I wasn't exactly the best alpha I could be, and I hurt you too. But I love you, and I knew you were trying"  
"I'm so grateful I have you. You're my everything, and I'm so proud you're doing something with your life... unlike me"  
"No baby, don't think like that. You're growing our pups, you're raising our boys, you cook and you clean and you're amazing"  
Levi's hands rubbed Eren's stomach, before he splayed his fingers across the mound  
"I am so proud you are mine"  
Eren let out a small sigh, his mate moving to wipe his face   
"God, I've missed sex"  
Levi couldn't help but laugh   
"So have I, and I'll be happy to thoroughly sex you silly, but I can't today. I've got class"  
"I know... um... is it ok if I drive you?"  
Levi's heart fluttered and his head shot up of Eren's shoulder  
"You want to drive me?"  
"Only if you don't mind"  
"Baby, I would love that, but what are you going to do?"  
"Maybe look at online courses? Something short..."  
"That's a wonderful idea. See, not only are you drop dead delicious, you're so smart"  
"Did you just call me delicious?"  
"Maybe, what are you going to do about it?"  
"I don't know..."

Returning to their room, Levi took his time to dry Eren down, his mate really did look uncomfortable and red stretch marks streaked across his mates stomach. Drying them down, Levi pressed a kiss to each of them, causing Eren to let out a small giggle. It had been way too long since Eren had been this relaxed and he hoped this mean that things would only get better between them   
"You really are a dork"  
"I'm a complete and total dork. What do you want to wear today?"  
"A dress... I want to nap when I get home"  
"So dress, bra and underwear?"  
"And tights please?"  
"Sure baby... Eren, are you really ok with me going today? I just dropped a huge bombshell on you"  
"I'm not happy you didn't tell me, but I understand. I don't really want to die, but being like that was just so hard and I didn't know which way was up"  
"I can get you up any time I want"  
"Then get my clothes for me please, and hurry up and dress. I want to see you in your work clothes"  
"I don't think it's going to be that appealing"  
"I do... or do I have to call Dave?"  
"Nope, we don't need Dave"  
"I don't know, I heard he knows quality wood"  
Levi grabbed Eren's face and smashed his lips against Eren's, throughly enjoying their kiss until Eren pushed him back  
"I'm sorry, it's just been so long and... shit. Why does class have to be today?"  
"Because it is, now please get dressed"

Eren went to check that Hannes could watch the kids as Levi went to make breakfast. Things weren't perfect and just because Eren's hormones were going back to normal, it didn't mean that everything was going to be ok, but this morning was going pretty perfectly... other than his earlier word vomit. Grabbing Eren's pills out for him, he placed them down on the kitchen counter besides a glass of juice, before making his usual black tea and toast for them both  
"Hannes says it's fine"  
"Of course he does"  
"Yeah... I really don't want him to move out"  
"I know baby... but one step at a time, and the first start is getting you and our pups fed"  
Eren downed his pills and took the plate of toast Levi offered him before sitting down at the dining table   
"I should probably tell you that I hate your work clothes"  
Levi wrinkled his face as his stomach knotted. He thought he looked alright... maybe a little shorter and younger than he'd liked, but still good   
"Yeah?"  
He waited a few moments anxiously for Eren's reply  
"Yeah, I want you out of them and back in bed"  
"Don't do that. I thought I was in serious trouble"  
"Sorry..."  
Eren placed the piece of toast down, and Levi rushed to sit next to him  
"Hey, I know you were joking, it's ok"  
"Sorry... I guess I'm not as ok as I thought"  
"Nah, its fine. These things take time. Let's finish breakfast and you can drive your dork to school"  
"Ok... Levi, I love you"  
"And I love you"

 

*  
Standing in front of the building marked Building and Construction, Levi triple checked he was in the right place. He felt like he was a complete and total moron and was sure he was in the wrong place, despite the email telling him that this was where he needed to be. He wished he'd taken Eren up on his offer of walking him to class, but on the campus map, the building had seemed so far away and he'd already had to go down three flights of stairs. Readjusting his hold on his stupidly heavily bag, he took a deep breath and walked over to the building and promptly pushed the door despite the fact it said pull. Real fucking smooth. Cursing himself, he pulled the door open and stepped into what looked like an office reception  
"Hey there, can I help you?"  
Nodding quickly, Levi crossed to the desk  
"Hi, I'm supposed to be starting classes today and have no idea if I'm in the right place"  
"What class are you looking for?"  
"Entry level Carpentry"  
"Oh! You're with me. I'm Dave"  
The man held his hand out and Levi shook it firmly... while trying not to laugh. Eren was going to fucking love this   
"Levi Ackerman"  
The man gave a nod and the handshake came to an end  
"Well, we're due to start at any minute now, you're cutting it pretty close"  
"Sorry, my mate drove me in today, and school traffic was awful. I guess it was a lesson in what not to do"  
Dave gave a nod, wearing a tight lipped almost smile  
"You're from Shinganshima right?"  
"Yeah, my partners family is from there"  
"It is still the same dead town?"  
"Pretty much, but it nice out there"  
Dave just nodded and Levi wondered if the man was feeling just as awkward as he was.

 

*  
Eren kissed Levi goodbye at the entrance to the campuses reception, really not wanting to part ways just yet, but school traffic had been a bitch, at least they didn't start until next week in Shinganshima. Walking into the reception, he noticed they had all sorts of course guides against the wall and walked over to them. He waited for something to jump out, but nothing really did. Giving up on thinking, he walked out of the reception and through the campus. It really was kind of nice in its own way and he was kind of jealous that Levi got to have this experience but Levi was his own person and he'd made this choice on his own.

Sitting behind the drivers wheel, Eren pulled his phone out and took a deep breath, before scrolling through his contacts and then hitting dial. It took a few moments before his call was answered  
"This is Doctor Zoe"  
Swallowing hard, Eren tried to remember English  
"H-hi Doctor Zoe... its Eren... Yeager here"  
"Oh Eren! How are you?"  
"U-um... alright... I-I was wondering if I could make an a-appointment?"  
"Sure thing, when's good for you?"  
"U-um... Monday or Thursday mornings..."  
"Eren, I hope you don't mind me saying, you sound a little upset"  
"A lots been happening"  
"I have a little time today if you want... wait you're in Shinganshima now"  
"I'm in town... Levi started school today"  
"Really, come round and you can tell me all about it"  
"Thanks"  
Ending the call, Eren shook his head. He was pretty sure that counselling wasn't supposed to work like that, but what's done was done.

Driving to Doctor Zoe's he steeled himself as walked towards the front door. He didn't know why he was so damn nervous. He'd spent hours spilling his guts to this woman before. Before he was ready, he was standing in front of the wooden door, but it opened before he could even knock  
"I'll be back after work!"  
"Be careful!"  
"Love you too"  
Unable to get out the way, a tall lanky girl walked straight into him  
"Shiiiit! Are you... wait, Eren! Oh my god! What are you doing here? Where's Levi! How are you? How was Marley? You're pregnant?!"  
Hanji was talking a million miles an hour, and his heart was racing like there was no tomorrow. At least now he knew who Doctor Zoe reminded him of  
"Hanji, you're going to be late"  
Doctor Zoe appeared behind Hanji  
"But mum, Eren's here!"  
"Oh, you know Eren?"  
"He's Levi's boyfriend, remember the guy I used to work with! The one who was in Marley?"  
Eren shied back, completely mortified to have been caught by Hanji... though she did live here...  
"Hanji, just go to work. You're upsetting Eren"  
"Oh, he's here to see you! Right, I better be off, but tell Levi I said hi!"  
"Hanji!"  
With a jangle of her keys, Hanji jogged down the front steps and out of sight  
"Eren, come in before you fall down"  
"I'm sorry..."  
Eren clenched his fists as tears rolled down his face  
Doctor Zoe moved to wrap an arm around his shoulder  
"Come on in, you look pale as a ghost"  
Doctor Zoe guided him through to the sofa and helped him sit  
"It seems like quite a bit has happened in the last month"  
"Y-yeah... sorry... my hormones are messed up"  
"It's fine, would you like a tea or coffee?"  
"N-no..."  
"Are you sure?"  
"I'm ok... it's just been a really weird day"  
"You said Levi was going to school?"  
"Oh... yeah, he's doing carpentry"  
"You know, I can't believe I didn't put two and two together. Hanji was telling me about Levi before and his boyfriend with the amazing green eyes, she was quite taken by you"  
"It's ok... I knew you reminded me of someone, but I didn't know who"  
"Are you ok with me being your counsellor now that you know Hanji's my daughter?"  
"Y-yeah... she won't tell anyone, will she?"  
"No, she's good like that. But anyway, tell me everything"

It was completely unprofessional, but Doctor Zoe kept an arm around him as he talked. Eren sniffled sadly as he explained everything that had happened since their fight in Marley, right up to finding out he was actually having twins. Doctor Zoe rubbed his arm as Eren struggled to catch his breath  
"Shhh, you guys have a whole until you're due right?"  
"I was trying to do the maths... I'm due at the start of November... Levi thinks it's December, but I looked it up"  
"Well that's still a little while away"  
"I don't know if I can do this... I feel like dad was right"  
"About what  
"When he said I was a slut"  
"No Eren, it's your body"  
"But... he's my father"  
"And he was also sick. It's like I told you, if you want to know what he thinks, you need to talk to him"  
"Levi would flip out... he has to put up with my nightmares"  
"Maybe he could go with you?"  
"N-no. He's been through so much. He just needs to concentrate on himself"  
"What about Hannes?"  
"No... if I told them, they'd be mad... I nearly died... and I want... I think I want to go on my own..."  
"Eren, I can't come with you, but if you like we can arrange an appointment for straight after? And if you need to cancel, or reschedule after, that's fine too"  
Eren nodded as he pulled away from the woman   
"I'm sorry. Thank you so much for making time for me"  
"It's fine. Do you want to make another appointment?"  
"Thursday... I'll go see dad on Thursday"  
"Eren, you don't need to rush these things"  
"I kind of do... the house is in dad's name... and he's already been gone for a year... if Levi and I have to leave..."  
He really didn't want to leave. Yes the house was going to be too small thanks to their growing family, but he really loved the house and he loved the forest and Shinganshima...  
"And you want to know before you have your babies?"  
"Y-yeah... I need to find the number now..."  
"I think I might have it..."  
"Really?"  
"Yeah. Sometimes I have people from there referred to me once released"  
"Don't you get scared?"  
"Sometimes, but most of the people who come see me are only acting out because their scared too"  
Eren nodded, and his hands moved to his stomach. He was having twins... that meant two of everything and how was he going to tell the boys? He'd been alright when Levi had told him this morning... not alright, but alright... but not falling apart like he was now.

Doctor Zoe got up and rummaged through the draw of the table beside her usual chair, pulling out a notebook, before scribbling something down and tearing a strip of paper off  
"Here we go, this is the number for the prison. You need to be on your father's approved visitors list, but if you call through you can ask them all about it. From memory though, you'll need your ID and to make sure you're covered up"  
Eren nodded and took the piece of paper when offered  
"Thanks... is it ok if I get back to you?"  
"That's fine. Are you going to be ok?"  
"Yeah... I think I'll just head back home... I don't have to be back in Trost until 4..."  
"Ok, but that's a pretty long drive"  
"Hannes can drive if I'm too tired... Levi hasn't got his license yet, its on the to do list, after him getting a job"  
"You know, I think Hanji said there was work going at Ravioli... but Levi would have to talk to Rico about it"  
"I don't know... he was kind of fired"  
"But that was months ago. It can't hurt to ask right?"  
"Yeah... I better go... but thank you"  
"No problem, let me know how you get on"

The moment he'd escaped into the safety of Hannes's car, Eren was fumbling to dial the prison. He didn't want to lose his nerve, but he had to think of what was best for their 4 kids. 4 kids and not even 19... letting out a sigh, he rested his forehead against the steering wheel as he waited to be connected. When an angry sounding woman's voice came through, his stutter came through in full force and he had to fight to make himself understood. The woman wasn't particularly nice, and he was promised a call from the prison counsellor or something. Basically it had to be cleared with the man before anything could progress. It was annoying and emotionally draining. 

Driving back to Shinganshima has him yawning, he just wanted to climb into bed, but he wanted his boys. Finally arriving home, he climbed from the car with a groan. It was way too low to negotiate with such a fat belly, but Levi would totally flip if he asked Hannes for the ute. Stumbling inside, he was immediately attacked by both the twins  
"Mum! You were gone for ages!"  
"Yeah mum, where were you?"  
"I had to drive daddy to school"  
"Why didn't we get to come?"  
"Because you guys were asleep. Have you had lunch?"  
"Hannes gave us noodles"  
"And where's Hannes now?"  
"He's in his room"  
"Ok babies, mummy is really sleepy and wants cuddles. Can we have cuddles?"  
"But we wanna watch a movie!"  
He was so totally going to fall asleep the moment he sat down  
"Ok, you guys pick a movie and I'll be right back"  
He'd actually needed to pee since leaving Trost and it was a welcome relief when he finally got to. Washing his hands, he looked at himself in the mirror. His hair had gotten even longer now, his dad was going to hate it... that's if the man would even see him. Shaking his head, he pulled his phone out and walked into the living room while writing Levi a text   
Eren: Hey. Back in Shinganshima now and setting an alarm for 3. I saw Hanji today, she said to say hi and apparently there's work at Ravioli... also, her mothers my counsellor. Go figure. I hope you're ok and I love you. Don't worry if I don't reply, the boys wanna watch a movie, but I want to nap. Love you x  
Yeah, that sounded alright. Ren ran over to him, waving The Lion King at him  
"Muuuuum can we pleeeeeeease watch this?"  
"Eli, is this what you want to watch?"  
Eli nodded and Eren took the DVD from his son and put it on, before moving to sink down on the sofa with a sigh  
"Babies, wanna take a photo together and we can send it daddy?"  
"Yes!"  
His boys stood next to him as they blew raspberries on his cheek and Eren was kind of grossed out by the amount of spit his boys managed to get onto his face. Taking a few selfies he blew a raspberry of his own  
"Ok, that's enough"  
The boys dropped down onto the sofa and Eren rolled his eyes while wiping his face  
"Are you good? Do you guys want anything before we start?"  
"I want Mr Kitty!"  
Ren went off running and Eli took off after him. Choosing the most disturbing of their selfies he sent it through to Levi. It was just after 12, so his alpha should be at lunch and he hoped his boyfriend had been able to make friends.

When Eli and Ren came back carrying their cats, they climbed up happily and curled up against him with their heads against his stomach and their cats firmly in their laps  
"Are we ready?"  
Eli nodded  
"Mum, why is the baby moving? It feels funny"  
"You can feel it?"  
"Yeah... you smell more and more like daddy too"  
"Yeah mummy, you don't smell like you any more"  
"I'm sorry baby, and the baby is just trying to say hello to you guys"  
"Well I wish it'd stop, he's kicking my face"  
Snorting lightly, Eren hit play. He was fast asleep before they even got to Timon and Pumba.

 

*  
Sitting out the front of the campus Levi was waiting for Eren. His class had been annoying amount of paperwork, but on the plus side, he'd gotten a locker so he didn't have to cart all his extra shit around. Looking down at the photo his mate had sent him, he smiled. He really couldn't wait to see them again, even if it'd only been 7ish hours, it had felt forever. The course didn't seem too hard, and the first term worked was they picked what they wanted to make, and then had to demonstrate everything they'd learnt at least once in its construction. Levi had a fair idea of what he wanted to make, but it was going to take a lot of research. Watching Hannes's sedan pull into the parking lot, he hopped down off the wall and made his way over to it. He'd actually been invited out for drinks by a few guys in his class, but had to politely decline. He just wanted to get home.

Eren smiled as he climbed into the car, and Levi leant across to give him a kiss  
"Hey gorgeous, how was your day?"  
"Long... I'm so sleepy, but it doesn't matter. Tell me about yours"  
Eren really did look tired and Levi wished he had his stupid license, but he didn't want to upset Eren so he didn't mention it  
"You're not going to believe this"  
"Believe what?"  
Levi waited until Eren had reversed before continuing   
"Believe what Levi?"  
"My teachers name is Dave"  
His omega gaped at him  
"Oh god..."  
"Pretty much. I had to fight not to laugh"  
"I guess the fantasy's been ruined"  
"Yeah, I don't want his wood"  
Levi let out a low growl, causing Eren to laugh   
"Only yours, I promise"  
"Good, I don't want to have to build my lecturer a pine box"  
"I don't think that would go over too well"  
"Probably not"  
"So what did you do?"  
"Student agreements. You know, the whole "I want cut my fingers off and sue because it's my fault""  
"I like your fingers"  
"I know"  
Eren groaned  
"I can't believe his name is Dave"  
"I could be a Bob? Or a Steve?"  
"Nah, Bob sounds like a fat plumber and Steve sounds like his less successful mate"  
"But Bob can clear a blockage... wait no. That sounds wrong"  
"It really does"  
"What did you do? Where did you see Hanji?"  
"I called my therapist to make an appointment. She's Hanji's mum"  
"Ohh. Was it weird?"  
"Very. I had a mini meltdown, but her mum was really good. She's the one who told me about Ravioli"  
"I didn't exactly leave Ravioli on the best terms"  
"I know, but works work... and I thought you might feel more comfortable if you knew the place"  
"Yeah. I suppose it can't hurt to ask, but the hours will be really shitty to begin with"  
"So the sooner you start the better?"  
Anyone would think Eren was trying to get him out the house, but Eren's scent told him his mate was actually worried about it all  
"Ok princess, there's no harm in asking"  
"Good... I might kind of be driving there..."  
Levi rolled his eyes  
"Of course you are"  
"Sorry..."  
"No, it's alright. So what did you and Hanji's mum talk about?"  
"Everything from our fight in Marley through to this morning. I ended up crying on her shoulder"  
Dammit. He knew he shouldn't have left Eren... his mate had taken things too well and this was what had happened   
"I'm sorry I wasn't there"  
"It's ok. I was just everything hit me at once, like needing twice as much... but I do feel a lot better"  
Humming lightly, Levi placed his hand on Eren's leg  
"That's good. I've missed seeing you happy"  
"And I've missed being happy. I love you so much"  
"Me too princess"

The rest of the drive to Ravioli was spent chatting on and off about Levi's day, his omega seemed pleased that he'd enjoyed himself, and he wondered if he'd feel the same when the boys started next week. He already knew Eren was going to cry, and he was pretty sure he would too. The boys uniforms were a simple white polo shirt and blue pants, but they just looked so adorable and their compulsory school hats were so damn cute. They'd splashed out with the boys bags finding a wolf and a lion in a small specialty store, complete with matching lunch boxes and water bottles. The boys were over the mood about it all, and Eren tried to be happy, which was a small win at the time. Before he knew it they were parked at Ravioli. The place hadn't changed, at least on the outside it hadn't. Taking his hand, Eren squeezed hard  
"Worst she can say is no. And you can use the my boyfriend was stabbed card if you need"  
Eren was smiling, but he looked like he was about to cry. Leaning in, Levi nuzzled his face against Eren's gently before kissing his perfect and sweet lips  
"I don't know how I got so lucky"  
"Neither do I. Now get out of my car and bring back something for dinner"  
"Wait. You just wanted Italian for dinner"  
"Maybe..."  
Grabbing his wallet out his bag, Levi sighed as he climbed from the car. Eren was right, the worst thing she could say was no.

 

*  
Waiting in the car was boring, but then Eren's phone began to ring and his whole body erupted in goosebumps. He didn't know the number, but had a feeling he knew who it was. With shaking hands and a sick feeling in the depth of his stomach, he swiped across to answer   
"H-hello?"  
"Hello, is this Eren Yeager?"  
"Yes... um... is this about Grisha Yeager?"  
"Yes. That makes things easier. After consultation with his therapist, your visit has been approved"  
Nausea rolled through every inch of his body, and he struggled not to vomit across his lap. At least the woman on the phone wasn't the same bitch as before  
"So I can see him?"  
"Yes. Now you will need to notify us of the day on which you wish to see him, you'll also need to bring identification. Items such as lighters, cigarettes, alcohol and drugs are banned substances and will result on you being banned from prison grounds"  
"That... can I see him this Thursday?"  
"Thursday the 12th?"  
"Yes"  
"Visiting hours are between 9 and 12. You will need to arrive half an hour earlier than your set time"  
"Can I book to see him at 10"  
"That's fine. We'll see you at 9:30am on Thursday the 12th"  
Eren rushed to hang up and threw his door open, before throwing up across the bitumen. Tears raced to form and pour down his face. What the fuck was he thinking. The man had tried to kill him... 

He was still shaking when Levi came back, the alpha carried two bags with him, but Eren couldn't manage a smile as his boyfriend climbed into the car  
"Eren, what's wrong?"  
Eren shook his head   
"H-hormones... sorry"  
"Oh baby, you don't need to be sorry"  
He felt like shit for lying, but now wasn't the time  
"H-how did it go?"  
Levi sighed heavily, and Eren's heart dropped further  
"She rehired me and I have to start Thursday afternoon"  
It took him a moment to realise what Levi had said  
"Really!?"  
His alpha smiled brilliantly  
"Yeah. Izzy wanted to drop some hours now she's pregnant"  
"Wow... congratulations"  
"Thanks, but the hours are shit and I can't do anything to change that for at least a month"  
Closing his door, Eren tried to pull himself together as he wiped his face  
"That's ok... you didn't warn me"  
"She wants me to do Thursday afternoon, Friday afternoon, all of Saturday and all of Sunday"  
Fuck. Yeah. No. He wasn't ok with that. Levi would be home only from Monday afternoon to Thursday morning  
"I'm sorry baby"  
"No... its ok. We'll work something out"  
"Yeah, once I get my license it'll be a whole lot easier"  
Eren nodded, but he remembered Levi didn't used to end until 1 or two in the morning and he didn't want his alpha driving home that early. Levi leant in for a kiss, and Eren had to push him back  
"Sorry, I threw up"  
"You don't have to be sorry, but can I kiss your forehead instead"  
Feeling like an idiot, Eren lowered his arm and Levi leant in to kiss him on his forehead  
"So I've got a job, I'm going to school, I have the most incredible sons and my beyond amazing omega. Everything's finally coming together"  
"Yeah, it's makes a nice change"  
Levi snorted, and Eren forced himself to try and focus on the drive home.


	73. Chapter 73

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since when is this 73????
> 
> Oh guys, in other news, have I told you lately that I love you?

Levi wasn't imagining things, Eren was definitely in a daze. He'd noticed the change in his mate the moment he climbed into the car out the front of Ravioli, but had trusted his mate when he'd said it was hormones, but even if Eren was there physically, it didn't seem to equated to his boyfriend being there mentally. More than one on the drive home, Eren had shivered, and a fine layer of goosebumps had set in across his omegas sun kissed skin, despite the heating being turned to point of uncomfortable.

When they'd arrived home, Eren had climbed from the car without saying anything, before walking across to the house, seemingly oblivious to what was going on around him. Levi rushed to gather everything, before chasing after his mate. After placing their dinner on the dining table, Levi had moved to greet the twins, both boys giving him hugs and kisses, before asking about what his school was like. He tried to remain calm, but the whole time he was squatting in the living room, Eren had been standing at the kitchen sink. Promising to be right back, Levi walked over to Eren and placed his hand on his mates. Eren jumped so violently away from him that even Levi was startled by the action  
"Are you ok?"  
Eren blinked at him before nodding  
"I'm just sore... I'm going to take a bath"  
"Ok princess"  
Eren brushed past him and Levi was so damn confused. He'd been fine, so whatever it was had happened while he was in Ravioli... maybe Eren thought he was taking so long because he was flirting with someone? He'd only taken so long as he'd actually had to play the stabbed boyfriend and pregnant mate card... Rico was definitely a woman who didn't forget and that's why he had shit hours.

Returning to the boys, he flopped down on the sofa, and pulled them close  
"What did you guys do today?"  
"We watched a movie with mum... but he fell asleep"  
"I saw you took some photos with him"  
"Yep. I missed mum being fun"  
"So mum was being fun?"  
"That's what I just said"  
So Eren had been fine when at home. His mate was definitely not alright now.

When it turned 6 and Eren hadn't reappeared, Levi hefted himself up and headed into the bathroom. Eren was sitting in the bath just staring forward  
"Princess?"  
Once again his mate jumped, though not so obviously this time  
"Sorry, I'm alright, could you help me out?"  
The bathwater was cold, and Levi mentally sighed as he kept a firm hold on Eren. The last thing they needed was him slipping. Snagging his boyfriends towel, he wrapped it around Eren's dripping form  
"Let's get you into something warm, you're freezing"  
Eren nodded and let him guide him into their bedroom  
"Eren, is something wrong?"  
His boyfriend jumped yet again  
"No... I'm just sore and tired"  
"Ok baby, but you know you can tell me anything, right?"  
Eren gave a single nod and Levi moved to dry his mate, before dressing him in a long shirt and a pair of sweats.

Sitting down at the dining table, Hannes kept shooting him questioning looks, but Levi didn't know what to do. Since coming out the bedroom, Eren had plastered himself to his side. Even now the omega was sitting as close as he humanly could without being in his lap. Hannes seemed to be unable to stand the silence  
"How was class today?"  
Eren jumped when Hannes started to speak, and the fork fell from the omegas hand with a clatter before falling to the floor. Eren immediately went to grab it, but there a loud "thud" and when his omega sat up, his face was bleeding  
"Levi, help him to bed, I'll clean him up"  
Both boys were in tears and Eren seemed confused   
"I'm fine"  
"Baby, you're bleeding"  
Eren rose a shaking hand to his brow, before pulling back his hand and his eyes widened at the blood on his fingertips  
"L-Levi...?"  
"It's ok, come on, Hannes will fix you right up"  
Helping Eren to stand, Levi kept a firm hold around his waist as he guided Eren to their bed and settled him down on the edge. Fine tremors ran through Eren's entire length and Levi was feeling sicker and sicker by the second  
"Levi, go calm the boys down. I'll handle this"  
Nodding silently, he walked from the room, only to hear a mournful whine as he did  
"It's ok, the boys need you right now"

Ren and Eli were still sitting in their seats and the moment he knelt down, both boys came running  
"Shhh, it's ok. Mums ok. It's just a tiny scratch"  
"But mum was bleeding"  
"Head wounds always bleed a lot, even when they're tiny"  
"Really?"  
"Yeah, now let's get rid of those tears, and finish dinner"  
"I'm not hungry anymore"  
"Neither am I"  
"Do you guys want to watch some more TV?"  
Both boys shook their heads  
"Can we have cuddles"  
"Yeah, of course you can"  
"And a story?"  
Obviously they didn't know how to process what they'd just seen, and lifting them both as he rose, Levi carried them through to their room and helped them get ready for bed, before the three of them climbed into Ren's bed  
"Dad... is mummy really ok?"  
"Yeah, of course he is. Hannes is with him, and Hannes can fix anything"  
"But he didn't eat much either"  
"He was just feeling a little sick, you know how the baby makes him throw up, he threw up before"  
"I don't know if I like the baby... they makes mum sick and mum can't play anymore"  
Levi bit down a sigh  
"I know, but you know he wants to go fun things still. He loves it when you guys are laughing and smiling"  
"It's still not fair"  
"I know, now who's ready for a story?"  
With Eli curled around Ren, both boys fell asleep as he was just finishing the book. It was a little early for them to be falling asleep, but he was kind of glad they did. It was stupid, his sons needed them to comfort them, and reassure them that everything was ok, but Eren needed him too and he needed to check on his mate. Leaving the pair curled up together, he pulled the blankets up to their shoulders and gently pressed a kiss to their cheeks  
"I love you kiddos, so does mum"  
Turning the night light on, he then turned the main light off and closed the door, before rushing to Eren's side.

Eren was sitting in the same position as when he'd left, but the omega immediately looked to him the moment he came in  
"Sorry, I was just putting the boys to bed. How's our patient?"  
"He's going to have a bit of a bump. He split his eyebrow, but it's not too bad"  
"Thanks Hannes, did he say why he's so out of it?"  
"He's just tired and I think he might need cuddles"  
"I can definitely supply the cuddles, also, class was good. I'll fill you in tomorrow"  
"Ok. I want all the juicy details"  
"They aren't even that juicy"  
Packing up the first aid kit, Hannes closed the door on the way out, so Levi turned on the lamp and off the rooms main light, before stripping down to his underwear. He wanted a shower, but Eren needed him more  
"Princess, why don't we cuddle up in bed?"  
Eren nodded at him, but didn't speak. He wondered if he could steal his mates phone and check it, but that would be invading Eren's personal space. Maybe he really was just sleepy and he was completely overreacting because they'd been apart for so long.

The moment he'd climbed onto bed, Eren rose and kicking off his clothes, before moving to join him. His omega immediately moving to sit in his lap and Levi was completely confused, but that confusion was soon being driven to the back of his mind as Eren cupped his face and began to kiss him desperately   
"Princess?"  
Eren shook his head, before claiming his mouth again and a wave of need struck him dumb. Sliding his hands up Eren's stomach, his mate whined into his mouth as he ground down against him  
"Levi..."  
Nodding against Eren's lips, his hands slid to begin massaging Eren's breasts and his omega moaned as he arched back. Beautiful. Eren was so beautiful. Guiding Eren onto his back, Levi fumbled out of his underwear, and moved between his mates perfect legs, and kissed the inside of each thigh as he placed Eren's legs onto his shoulders. Rutting up against his mate, he moved to mouth and kiss Eren's belly, causing his mate to mew beneath him  
"Levi..."  
Eren sounded so lost and so desperate to feel connected, that his heart ached. Not wanting to hurt his mate, his left hand slid down to gently tease and open Eren until his hand was dripping with slick and Eren was flushed bright red. The sight of his mates heaving chest was incredible. His breasts bounced lightly with each rasping gasp and the whole picture beneath him was a masterpiece. Reaching up for him, Eren's eyes were pleading and Levi moved to finally bury himself inside the omega. Wrapping his arms around Eren he held him as close as he could, the angle was awkward, but his boyfriend whined every time he tried to change that. When Eren came, he was granted a brief reprieve, and slid Eren's legs off his shoulders so he could finally abuse Eren's sweet spot and drive his mate crazy. Eren came again before Levi could knot him, his boyfriends semen splattering across his own stomach, but when he slowed his pace, Eren rocked against him harder. Burying his knot deeply, Levi used his strength to pull Eren into his lap as he fell to his back. His mates mouth fell open as if silently screaming. But Eren was clenching even harder around him, completely draining him of ever last drop. And then, Eren just collapsed forward, leaving Levi to catch him and hold him tight  
"Baby, are you sure you ok?"  
Eren sniffled against him as he nodded  
"Please never leave me"  
"Hey, that's not going to happen"

That night passed with Eren not wanting to leave his lap, even after his omega fell asleep against him, the slightest movement would have Eren shaking and clutching onto him. He didn't know if that was because his omega wouldn't even let him slide out, or if Eren was having nightmares again. In the end Levi didn't sleep at all that night.

 

*  
The follow morning saw Eren once again in a daze, though this time he seemed to be slightly aware. The omega made breakfast as Levi bathed the twins, and by the time they finally got out the bathroom, Eren was laying on the sofa with Mr Kitty up against him  
"You have a friend"  
Eren hummed, so Levi knew he'd at least heard him.

Given the I boys wanted to go for a run, Levi tried to get Eren to come, but his mate was off in lala land again, and also seemed to be on the edge of drifting off to sleep. Covering Eren with a blanket, he kissed his omega and Eren seemed to perk up a little as he kissed him back  
"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?"  
"No, you guys go have fun"  
"Ok baby, we shouldn't be too long"  
Eren closed his eyes and Levi left with the twins. Running helped to distract him. But twins wolf forms seemed bigger, and they had a much easier time keeping up with him than Eren did. Despite nothing in particular going through his mind, his paws still carried him through the forest and to his and Eren's spot. They hadn't even had much of a chance to come back. The tent and still sat the way they'd left it, and the fairly lights still hung around it. Carefully picking his way down to the tent, he shifted back and sat down with a heavy sigh  
"Dad, where are we?"  
"This is where I met your mum"  
"Out here?"  
"Yeah"  
And the spot where he was sitting was the first place they'd kissed and had sex... and possibly where the boys had been conceived  
"Why's there a tent here?"  
"Because this spots special to me and your mum"  
"But it's just sitting here"  
"Yep, its waiting for when things quieten down"  
"Can we go swimming?"  
Remembering what had happened in Marley, Levi's first instinct had been to say no, but even the deeper part of the river was substantially shallower than the pool had been  
"As long as you stay in the river and not the pool at the end"  
"Why?"  
"Because when your mother was young, he nearly died here and I don't want anything like that to happen to you"  
"Mum nearly died?"  
"Yep. You see that ledge up there..."  
He pointed up to the rocky outcrop  
"I was teasing your mum and I took it too far. He nearly fell off the edge, so I grabbed him and leapt off the edge. He was so scared that he swallowed a lot of water and got kept home because of it"  
"So you saved mum?"  
"Yeah, but he's the one who saved me in the end"  
"I don't think I get it, and I don't think I want to"  
Trust Eli to ruin his semi romantic story. Shifting into his wolf form, he padded over to where the boys had started throwing rocks into the river. The water lapped at his paws, and Levi let out a huff. He felt like running again, but he'd told the boys they could swim. In the end they just threw rocks into the water until they got bored and shifted back, before running off towards home and leaving him to chase them.

 

*  
Eren's daze had continued after his nap. Levi watched as Eren struggled up and headed into the bathroom, given how quickly Eren returned he assumed his mate must be feeling better and settled down to watch movies and draw with the boys. With Eren busy in the kitchen, Levi let himself get caught up in drawing the boys names. They seemed so keen to want to learn all their letters properly, and Levi wondered if maybe they could start teaching the boys to read  
"Dad, will the baby have letters in its name like our have yours?"  
"I don't know, maybe, we haven't really talked about it"  
"I hope it's a boy. Girls are scary"  
Levi snorted as he nodded  
"Just wait until you're older"  
Ren wrinkled his nose and looked disgusted  
"Nooo"  
"Tell me that..."  
There was a yelp, following by a whimper and then the sound of the fridge rocking. Looking to the kitchen he saw Eren sliding down with his back against the fridge   
"You guys keep drawing for me"  
Trying to appear calmer than he felt, Levi's heart was pounding as he made it into the kitchen. It took one look and half a second to figure out what happened. Eren hadn't been paying attention, his boyfriend had gone to top and tail an onion, but hadn't realised he had the knife up the wrong day and when he'd pushed down on the top, he'd sliced through his palm and both the knife and chopping board were covered with blood  
"Princess!"  
Stripping his shirt off, he practically shoved if into Eren's bleeding hand. His mate was completely melting down and couldn't focus on him at all  
"Princess, calm down, I've got you"  
"S-stay away..."  
When Levi went to touch his face, Eren let out a strangled scream and the smell off piss filled the small space   
"Baby, its Levi. It's ok. I'm here, I'm going to help you up now"  
Eren shook his head  
"I'll be good dad... just don't hurt me"  
Well fuck... as if Eren's gasping breath and ghostly white complexion weren't scary enough, his boyfriend hadn't even realised that he was the one in front of him and not Grisha. Backing away from Eren, he pulled his phone out and called Hannes. The man took an infuriatingly long time to answer, 2 rings, and Levi practically yelled into the phone  
"Hannes, you need to come home right"  
"Hold on, what's this?"  
"Eren cut his hand, now he's in the middle of a panic attack and if I go near him, I only make it worse"  
"How bad is his hand"  
"I don't know. He's struggling to breathe and I think it's because he saw the bloody knife, but he thinks I'm Grisha"  
"Fuck, I'm on my way"  
Ending the call, Levi wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around Eren and kiss away the pain, but he didn't want to push his mate even further. He felt physically ill from holding himself back and tears prickled in his eyes.

When the sound of tyres hitting the gravel reached his ears, he moved to Ren and Eli   
"Mum cut himself while making dinner and Hannes is going to help him, but you guys need to go wait in your room"  
Eli and Ren hadn't even seemed to notice, the were busy in their own world trying to copy their names down  
"Is mummy alright?"  
"He will be, he's just a little scared"  
"Can we hug him?"  
"Not right now, but soon"  
Ren and Eli dragged their feet as they slowly rose and trudged down the hall  
"Eren!"  
In the short time it took to sort the boys out, Hannes was already by Eren's side  
"Levi, help me get him into the bath. I doubt being left to sit in his own piss is fun"  
"I couldn't go near him without him almost passing out"  
"Just help me"  
So he was the bad guy because he had to force himself to ignore his instincts, when it hurt like hell, because he wanted Eren to keep breathing and not pass out...? Did Hannes have no clue how fucking hard it had been to watch Eren like that. Grinding his molars together, Levi moved to Eren's right side, his boyfriend immediately panicking  
"Eren, its Hannes. You're safe. Grisha isn't here"  
Eren shook his head, and Levi slung Eren's arm over his shoulder. His mate whimper as they lifted him and stumbled ungracefully into the bathroom. Practically man handing him, they finally got Eren into the bathtub. Everything seemed to have finally over whelmed Eren, and the omega slumped against the edge of the bath  
"This is why I didn't touch him"  
"Just get him settled while I take a look at his hand"  
Getting him settled meant stripping Eren down and getting the bath running. He let it fill to Eren's thighs before draining it and starting again. With the tub filling, he squeezed a little strawberry bubble bath in and then stripped himself down and climbed in behind Eren. Hannes turned the taps off for him, but that didn't mean he wasn't still mad at the man  
"It's ok princess, I'm here"  
"I'm going to give him a painkiller and a sedative. I don't suppose he told you why he's been so out it?"  
"No, I'm wondering if something happened at counselling or maybe he's trying to figure something out and just wants to wait until he's ready before telling me"  
"Well this isn't good for him or the pups"  
"Don't you think I know that. I didn't want to risk making anything worse"  
Hannes let out a deep sigh  
"I know. It's just Eren and knives bring back too man bad memories. I always get nervous when he's using them"  
"I know how you feel. You saved his life, but I cleaned up the blood..."  
Closing his eyes against the impending torrent of tears, Levi held Eren firmer and buried his face against his shoulder, pressing kisses to the spot where his lips rested against Eren's skin.

"He did a good job, but it'll heal. Make sure he keeps his hand dry and I'll change the dressings tomorrow"  
"Thanks Hannes... I'm sorry to have freaked you out"  
"I think we all freaked out. Where are the boys?"  
"In their room"  
"I'll take them over to the Arlert's tonight, see if you can't get Eren talking"  
"Hannes, I have no idea what we would do without you"  
Hannes scratched the back of his head  
"I don't know either"

Left alone with Eren, Levi let out a sigh. He didn't know how to get his mate talking, and Eren just seemed so exhausted... even before the sedative kicked in. The alpha's heart was still racing and the sick tendrils of dread still had a firm grip around it, leaving him with a tight and uncomfortable feeling each time he took a breath. Maybe going back to school had been a bad idea? Or maybe him going back to working had set it off, but Eren had seemed happy for him... he had so many unanswered questions, and no way to get any answers when Eren was like this.

Having managed to get Eren out of the bathtub and into their room. Levi dried them both down, before climbing into bed. The intimacy of laying there naked in each other's arms was something he'd missed, yes they had amazing sex which usually lead to naked cuddles, but this was nice in a different way. Positioning Eren across him, the omegas head laid on his chest, his swollen stomach across Levi's hips and his leg between the alpha's, even though Eren's was now breathing sleepy warm breaths across him, Levi couldn't help but nuzzled against the top of Eren's head as he pressed kisses to his mates smooth hair  
"Princess, I don't know what's going on in that head of yours, but I love you. The first thing I want to do with my pay is buy you another ring. This time it's going to be an engagement ring. I know you know I love you, but I want you to have something when I'm not by your side. Something other than the promise ring that tells you in completely crazy about you"  
The exhaustion of not sleeping the previous night and what had transpired over the last few hours finally caught up, and despite his best efforts to watch over his mate, he soon fell asleep.

 

*  
Eren woke him in the middle of the night. His mate was whining softly in his sleep and Levi shook him awake  
"Eren?"  
"Levi?"  
It took his boyfriend a few moments to realise where they were, but then Eren clung to him desperately, nuzzling furiously against his chest  
"Hey, what's going on with you? You've been in a daze ever since I came back from Ravioli"  
"S-sorry"  
"You don't need to be sorry"  
"I..."  
Eren paused   
"It's ok baby, you can tell me anything. Are you feeling ok? You had a little panic attack and scared the hell out of me"  
Eren let out a breathy sigh  
"S-sorry... I've had a lot on my mind"  
"Why don't you tell me?"  
"We talked about dad on Monday... and I can't stop thinking about it"  
Oh... yeah. That would do it  
"Eren, you're dad can't hurt you anymore. He's locked away, and he can't get to you"  
"I know... it's just..."  
Eren shook his head sadly, his finger tips digging further into Levi's side  
"I'm here and I'm going to keep you safe"  
Sliding his leg up, Eren rubbed against Levi's groin, before moving to onto his hands and knees, the omegas lips sought his out and Levi obligingly parted his own, allowing the needy kiss. His mate needed comfort, and if this was how, then Levi was more than happy to give Eren everything he could. Tears began to drip on Levi's face and Eren pulled back to stare down at him  
"It's ok baby, whatever you need"

Levi let Eren moved to position himself. His omega straddling his hips, before rising and sinking down easily onto Levi's erection. His mate didn't even wait before beginning to build his rhythm, and Levi wished he was recording. Eren was just so precious and perfect. Sitting up, slightly, he pulled Eren down so he could mouth and suck at his omegas breasts. The loud mews and groans were was making told him he doing something right, so he captured Eren's right nipple in his mouth and bit down lightly. Eren's hands flew to Levi's headed, holding the alpha's against his breast and his rhythm grew more frantic. Capturing his mates other nipple between his thumb and forefinger, he pinch down hard and Eren came between them with a small cry. Pulling back, Levi pushed Eren back, before flipping his mate over onto his hands and knees and burying himself back inside. Pants and growls fell from his lips as slammed into Eren as hard as he could. His mates whimpers and whines were those of need and Levi pulled out just as his knot formed, cumming across Eren's back with a low groan. Eren let out a sob of dissatisfaction, but Levi slid back inside before beginning to fuck his mate all over again. This time when he came, he let his knot swell and when Eren bottomed out beneath him, he caught his mate in his arms and rolled them onto their sides. It didn't take Eren long to doze off in his hold.

The whole night passed with bouts of napping followed by sex, when he'd tried to get Eren a glass of water given how rough his mates voice had become, his omega had clung to him so hard that his nails he left bleeding sores. If Eren hadn't been so perfectly swollen with their pups, Levi could have just carried him, but he was just too scared to risk it, besides, there was worse places than to be trapped under the most perfect creature in existence.

Hannes called him late afternoon to say he was home, and Levi explained he couldn't actually leave the bedroom. Eren was dozing in his hold, and Hannes was tactful enough not to mention the heavy smell of sex in the air  
"Has he talked?"  
"Yeah. They talked about Grisha on Monday, and he's been trying to process since"  
Hannes let out a small sigh  
"I thought he was getting better"  
"He is, he's just confused and clingy. I haven't been able to get him to drink or eat anything, he's just so desperate for comfort"  
"I'll make you both something to eat, he needs his tablets too"  
"Yeah..."  
Eren shifted in his hold, letting out an adorable sleepy sigh as he did  
"I'm going to stay at the hospital again tonight, but let me know if you need anything and I'll be back in time to take over from you before school"  
"I don't know if I should go"  
"You should. He'd want you too"  
"But"  
"We'll talk about this later, let me just get you something to eat for now"

Hannes idea of food was plain cheese sandwiches with juice. Eren roused at the smell of food and Levi was so fucking grateful. The alpha really needed to pee and Eren laying across his stomach wasn't helping. Sitting Eren up, he placed the plate of sandwiches in Eren's lap  
"Baby, I'm going to the toilet, I'll be right back"  
Eren looked at him and raised an eyebrow  
"Ok? Have fun?"  
Well that was something... by the time he'd returned Eren had eaten two sandwiches, taken his pills and finished his juice  
"Tag"  
Passing the plate to him, his mate slid from the bed and Levi wondered if he was hallucinating. The moment Eren came back, he climbed back into bed and curled up against Levi's leg  
"Feeling better?"  
"Maybe... I was really hungry"  
"Do you want some more?"  
"No, I'm just sleepy now. Can we sleep? We've got to be up early tomorrow"  
"I've got to be up early, you need to rest"  
"No, I want to drive you to school and I've booked another appointment with Hanji's mum"  
When did all this happen?  
"Princess, I'm not sure I want you driving"  
"It'll be ok. And I'll text you when I get home... have you packed?"  
"No, I've been too busy fooling around with you"  
"Well my arse is off limits until you pack"  
Rolling away from him, Eren pulled the blankets around him. Once again his mates mood had changed like a switch had been flipped and Levi just couldn't keep up.


	74. Chapter 74

Waking on Thursday, Eren's heart was in his throat and his mind... well that was a mess. According to Levi he'd been pretty out of it and he supposed he was as he couldn't even remember cutting his hand. Nuzzling into Levi, he slid into his boyfriends lap, not because he was particularly horny, but he needed the comfort that being knotted would provide. Sliding his hands up Levi's chest, his right hand came to rest over the small scar left from where Levi had been stabbed. It's ridges had long since healed and the pink had faded to a dull shine  
"Mmm, hello baby"  
Leaning down was getting harder by the day, but it was worth it for a good morning kiss. Levi's lips were always so warm and his alpha so loving  
"Something you want?"  
Reaching up, Levi brushed his fringe back from his face, before cupping his cheeks   
"You're so beautiful"  
Tears filled Eren's eyes. He didn't deserve to be loved so fully and openly by Levi, yet Levi was the only one in the world who made him feel safe  
"Princess?"  
"I love you"  
"Hey now, I love you too"  
Eren sniffled as he nodded and rocked against Levi's morning erection   
"Haven't had enough?"  
"I... I can never have enough of you"  
Eren felt his cheeks burn slightly and his words were low and mumbled   
"Good, because you have no idea how hard it would have been for me to let you go, especially when you look so completely wreckable"  
"Then wreck me"  
Levi frowned slightly, before moving to nuzzle his face against Eren's  
"I love you"  
The alpha's lips brushed against his and Eren pushed forward, enjoying the deep kisses, he bit Levi's lip lightly as he pulled back  
"I need you"  
"I noticed..."  
The alpha's hands left his face and moved to grope at his arse, lifting Eren so he could slide down onto his mate in a fluid motion  
"You're so wet and warm, and still so full of me. My greedy omega wanting more"  
"I want everything you'll give me. I don't care what you do to me Levi, I just want to be yours"  
"You are mine baby"  
Rolling his hips forward, Eren mewed as Levi immediately hit his sweet spot  
"I love the sounds you make for me"  
"Only for you"  
Levi nodded, his alpha guiding him back and onto him his back, before finally giving him what he needed. He couldn't help but crave Levi like a drug. He was hopeless addicted to the connection he felt when their bodies were joined like this, and he surrendered completely to the feeling of pleasure consuming him. Lacing their fingers together, Levi knotted him with a long growl, and Eren looked away from his mate. He only had to keep his secret a little longer, but he felt like he was betraying him. With his chest heaving and while whole body shaking, Eren couldn't help as the panic began to set back in. The only warmth he felt was from Levi's seed, and the touch of his mates free hand against his stomach   
"What's wrong?"  
"Nothing... I promise I'll tell you about it after I've seen Doctor Zoe"  
"Ok, but if you ever need me and I'm in class, I want you to call. I might not be able to answer straight away, but I will reply"  
"I know... I've just gotta work this out in my own head first"  
Levi laid his head against Eren's swollen stomach. He was going to see Grisha for the future of their family, including the pups growing inside of him... if he kept telling himself that, then maybe be he could be stronger than he felt.

After showering and dressing, Eren choked down breakfast. Levi was packing and Eren was trying to appear normal. He'd dressed nicely. Black denim skirt with black sneakers, a clean blue blouse and his hair was pulled back into a pony tail. Like this no one would even guess he was male, which would probably drive his father crazy, but this is who he was. Levi carried his bag into the room  
"I think I have everything"  
"And you've called Farlan?"  
"Fuck! I knew I forgot something. Hold on"  
Rising from his chair, Eren headed over to make Levi his cup of tea. He couldn't understand how his mate could like it so strong without sugar or milk, but it was a quirk about the alpha that he'd never change  
"Farlan is going to pick me up after class"  
"Good, but make sure you let me know you haven't cut your hand off"  
His joke fell flat. He was trying too hard...  
"I think it'll probably be more paperwork today. But we're going to do like a demo thing and show what we know"  
"I don't think I'll ever be much at woodwork"  
"That's ok, you're so good at so many other things"  
Like spreading his legs and being bred? Scolding himself, Eren carried the tea over to Levi   
"So when I can get this thing off?"  
He waved his bandaged hand and Levi shrugged  
"That's up to Hannes"  
"Ok..."

By the time he dropped Levi off, he felt physically ill with worry. He kissed his alpha and almost begged him to stay, but if he did, Levi would never let him go do what he needed. He watched his boyfriend disappear from view, before pulling out his phone and googled the prison as it was the easiest way to get the map up. He could do this...

He hadn't expected the car to be searched, and his name had been marked off the expected visitors list, before he was allowed to pass the gatehouse and park in the neat carpark at the front of the building. The huge cold stone walls had him shivering, and when he saw other people, he sort of followed behind them hoping they'd know where the hell they were going. Inside the administration building was dated to the point of tacky. There was nothing cheerful or welcoming, only cold posters stating the does and don'ts of the facility. He joined the small line at the front desk and by the time he finally got to the front, he desperately needed too pee, but that was due to nerves  
"Can I help you?"  
"I'm Eren Yeager, I have a booking to see my dad at 10"  
"Prisoner name"  
"Grisha Yeager"  
"Do you have your ID?"  
Fumbling his wallet out, he pulled his licence out and passed it over  
"And you're carrying no illicit or prohibited materials?"  
Eren shook his head   
"No"  
"Fill in both sides of this form and return it to me"  
Eren nodded, moving to the end of the desk to fill them in. It was basic questions like his name, age, address, relationship to prisoner... once done he rejoined the line and wait his turn again  
"You didn't need to queue again"  
Now she told him... fuck...  
"Here is your visitors pass. Will you be requiring a locker?"  
"A locker?"  
"Yes, for you keys and phone"  
"Oh, yes"  
The woman groaned as she leant down and pulled out a key  
"Visitor lockers are down the hall and the left. Wait in the room and someone will call you through when it's time"  
"Thanks"  
He gave her a small smile and moved down the hall. His heart was racing, his throat felt tight and he needed to vomit. They really weren't taking any chances. He was waved over and patted down, then sprayed with some sort of scent canceller, before being allowed to place everything into the locker. The clock read 9:50, and he was grateful to see toilets across the room. He rushed as quickly as socially acceptable to the toilet, ducking inside the first cubicle before throwing his guts up. This was a horrible fucking idea! By the time he got out the bathroom, he was a sweaty mess and sank down into the nearest chair with a small moan of exhaustion. It seemed to take forever before he was finally called through to see Grisha. It'd definitely been long enough to chew his lip into a bloody mess. He'd expected a line of cubicles like in the movies where they talked through the phone, not an open area with tables  
"Wait here"  
Sinking into the table, he hisses as his pups started kicking hard as if telling him to him to run. A dull throbbing ache settled into his arm and wrapped around his stomach. People were staring at him and he was so scared... and then the world seemed to stop. He couldn't move as his father was lead over to the table and the man's hands uncuffed when Grisha was seated  
"Look what we have here. Never thought you'd come see good old dad"  
"I-I never t-though I'd be here either"  
"You look good, I see you're knocked up again. Never could keep your legs shut could you? Who's the unlucky alpha this time?"  
"It's the same alpha who fathered the twins"  
So it wasn't the alcohol, his father just hated him...  
"Well that's better than a random stranger. Still, your mother would have been disappointed"  
"You have no right to talk about mum"  
"No, its you who have no right. First you say I tried to kill, then you get me locked away in here. I bet you're enjoying living it up and wasting what should have been my money"  
"You did try to kill me. You fucking stabbed me"  
"If I'd stabbed you, you wouldn't be here"  
This was a huge mistake. His father was smiling, though looking thoroughly disinterested in him. He never should have came... but...  
"Look. You hate me, I get it. I never did anything but disappoint you. But I was trying to help you. You hurt me, You hurt mum and the boys. I wanted to talk this out. I'm taking the house. I don't care what you do once you get out of here, but I want that house. It was mums house, my pups were born there and that's where I live now"  
"Too bad my names on the title"  
"Then I'll take you to court over it"  
"I'd like to see you try, you've got nothing Eren. You think you have it because you're pregnant again, and you have your shitty kids, but what happens when that alpha leaves you"  
"He's not going to. He's my mate. He has my bonding mark and he actually loves me for me"  
"You're too young to know what love it"  
"Yes, let's just bring up the fact I'm too young for everything and that I've had to raise myself since mum died because you wished I was dead. You didn't even try to get to know the boys, and yet I was always kind of hoping we'd be able to work something out. It's stupid, I always wanted some kind of connection..."  
"Maybe I'll try for custody once I get out of here, you're obviously not stable if you think I care"  
His father knew he was pushing his buttons, but Eren bit hard. Pushing his chair back, he tugged up the hem of his blouse to expose his pregnant belly and more important the scar  
"This is the scar you gave me when you stabbed a knife in my gut and left me for dead! I haven't asked you for anything, and you'll never have to speak to me again, but I want that house!"  
The guards were already moving towards them  
"Why should I give you anything! I wish I'd gutted you properly. You shamed this family and I wish you were dead!"  
Eren was pulled back by strong hands, and the omega could barely walk as he was escorted out the room. Even sober his father wanted him dead... it was kind of a blur as he was escorted to his car and his property returned. That couldn't have gone any worse. Grisha wouldn't give him the house and the man had made it clear he wanted revenge. Sliding into the car, his stomach rolled and he threw up in the passenger foot well  
"Sir, we do require you leave the premises immediately"  
"Don't worry, I'm going"

Tears had soaked his blouse by the time he made it to Hanji's house. He couldn't even remember the drive, and he just felt empty. It was funny how a parents approval could mean so much, even after all this time... climbing from the car, he didn't even close the door. He couldn't think. He couldn't breathe, he just couldn't... letting out a groan, he stumbled towards the front door, the pups were kicking so hard it hurt, and spasms of pain rippled through his stomach. He shouldn't have come here. He was stupid for coming here. He was just a stupid attention whore seeking a pat on his head for something stupid. Tripping up the steps, he fell hard onto his knee and hands, narrowly missing hitting his stomach as he did  
"Eren! Mum! Help!"  
That was Hanji   
"Fuck! Hanji, help me get him inside"  
Eren shook his head   
"S-s-sorry. I shouldn't be here"  
"I am not going to be able to survive working with Levi if I let you go like this. Mum, he can rest in my room"  
"Hanji, he's a patient that's completely unprofessional"  
"He's Levi's mate and a friend. That trumps patient. Fuck, I should call Levi"  
"No! Don't... please don't..."  
"Let's just help him into the living room and get him settled"  
"But mum"  
"Hanji, don't argue with me"

Having been lowered down onto the sofa chair, Eren's whole body was shaking as he laid with his head in Hanji's lap. The girl was gently playing with his hair  
"Do you want to talk about it?"  
"Hanji, you know you can't sit in on the sessions"  
"I meant as his friend. He looks like he needs a friend right now"  
Sniffling sadly, Eren tried to find the words   
"Y-you know... how I got stabbed?"  
"Of course I do"  
"It was my dad..."  
Hanji hand still for a moment and Eren couldn't help tensing  
"What a wanker"  
That was one word  
"Is that why you're such a mess?"  
"I... I'm going to be sick"  
Clamping a hand over his mouth, Doctor Zoe rushed to place a small trash bin in front of him. He had practically nothing left to throw up, and his throat burned from the bile. Hanji rubbed his back  
"This is why I'm not having babies"  
"S-sorry..."  
"It's fine. Trust me, the amount of people who have puked because Erwin took his shoes off... well it doesn't really matter, it's just a lot"  
Eren liked that about Hanji, she had no filter and was crazy  
"I went to see my dad today. He wants me out his house and dead"  
Hanji let out a gasp and wrapped her arms around him  
"Nooooo, you're tooo pretty to die!"  
Doctor Zoe however was in professional mode   
"Does Levi know?"  
"No"  
"Why didn't you tell him?"  
"Mum! Lay off my friend. Eren, I apologise for my mum. She's a work-a-holic"  
"You're lucky... your mum is really nice"  
"I know..."  
Pushing himself up, he was immediately hit with a wave of dizziness and Hanji grabbed his arm  
"Just rest a bit"  
"No... I've inconvenienced you guys..."  
He never should have come here... he was dumping his problems on both of them  
"Eren, you're in no condition to be going anywhere right now. Hanji, I know you want to stay, but can you give us some time. Eren has an appointment, and he obviously needs to talk"  
Hanji looked to him and Eren nodded slowly  
"Please don't tell Levi... he'd worry"  
"I won't, but don't let mum bully you"  
"Hanji, out"  
Hanji slid from the sofa, and Eren let out a small sigh as they were left alone   
"So it didn't go well?"  
"No..."  
The pains in his stomach was there, and he just felt gross. His head was throbbing and a weird numbness had set in  
"You did well facing your fear"  
"He... he said he didn't stab me... and if he had I'd be dead"  
"So he didn't remember?"  
"N-no"  
His chest was beginning to feel tight and it hurt to breathe   
"He said he wished he'd gutted me properly"  
The room fell silent and Eren was feeling worse and worse by the second   
"I'm sorry things didn't work out the way you wanted"  
"It's stupid. I'm stupid. Even though I knew he hated me, I always wanted him to love me..."  
"People are strange creatures, maybe things will change by the time he gets out"  
"I doubt it. He seemed mad that he had stabbed me and not killed me... I'm sorry..."  
"You don't need to be sorry"  
Eren shook his head slightly  
"I need to go"  
"Eren I don't think it's a good idea"  
"It'll be fine... its not like I matter that much"  
Pushing himself up, he forced his body towards the door.

He made it to the car, ignoring Doctor Zoe as he did. Why was he so easy to hate? And leave behind? Mikasa and Armin would forget him, his dad didn't think he belonged in this world and his mum was gone... so why did Hannes and Levi care?

His phone rang as he drove back to Shinganshima, but Eren was having enough trouble. His vision was blurred from tears and everything was all in blobs of colour. Hearing the blare of a horn, he yanked the wheel hard, the sedans tires skidded on the gravel as he braked. Turning the car off, he gasped in breaths. The twins were going crazy and he was so scared something was wrong. He needed help... but did he even deserve it? In the background his phone began to ring again, and he whimpered in pain as he tried to find it. The device had slid from the passenger seat to the gap beside the seatbelt and he whimpered again as he pulled it out and tried to answer   
"H-hello?"  
"Is this Eren Yeager?"  
"Y-yes..."  
"Hi Eren, I'm calling from Shinganshima police station. We had a call from a Doctor Zoe, she was concerned about your welfare"  
Police... that would work  
"I... I'm somewhere between Trost and Shinganshima"  
"Do you know exactly where you are?"  
"No... I need help"  
Letting out a small sob, the phone slipped from his hand, but it hurt to move.

 

*  
"Eren!"  
Letting out a small moan he turned towards Hannes voice  
"You're alright, you got a free lift to hospital"  
Eren's bottom lip trembled, he wanted to cry but the tears wouldn't come   
"I fucked up again..."  
"Its ok"  
"I went and saw dad"  
Hannes let out a loud groan  
"Why do you insist on causing yourself more pain?"  
"Because I'm an idiot..."  
Hannes slid up next to him and wrapped an arm around him  
"Why didn't you tell us you wanted to see him?"  
"Because I knew you guys wouldn't want me to go"  
"Of course we wouldn't. We love you"  
"Dad doesn't... he wishes he'd gutted me properly"  
Hannes let out a growl   
"Fucking disgusting"  
"I wanted to talk to him... but I got so mad..."  
"He's lucky I wasn't there"  
"Hannes... Levi doesn't know I'm here does he?"  
"No, I was waiting for you to wake up"  
"I'm sorry... I was so scared... I... thought I was losing the pups"  
"Shhh, its ok. Your pups are ok. I've already done a scan. They were distressed, but I drugged you while you were sleeping"  
"That's probably why I can't cry"  
"Yeah. Drugs are great like that"  
"When can I go home? I want the boys"  
"Seeing you kind of drove into a tree"  
"I what?"  
"When we finally found you, the sedan was kissing a tree"  
"I didn't even..."  
"You were completely out of it..."  
Hannes rubbed his arm and Eren sighed  
"Dad wants me out his house"  
"Fuck him"  
"Hannes..."  
"No Eren. You don't deserve this shit. Grisha isn't welcome in this town anymore, and he can't treat you like this any longer"  
"I don't know what to do anymore..."  
"Well if you stop keeping so many secrets we could help"  
"I... I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. I have Levi and the boys and you and I keep feeling like I have to take it all on myself because you both have things you want to do and I'm just... this"  
"You really are an idiot. You are so much more than you know"  
"Hannes..."  
"Eren"  
"Why can't I hate him..."  
"Because you're the better person"  
"I don't know how"  
"Then just listen to us and ignore your father"  
"But we need to find a new house and we have nothing ready for the pups and Levi only just started his course and work and..."  
"And we'll organise something. Now, as your doctor, I'm prescribing cuddles with the boys but you need to take it easy the next few days"  
"You can't say spend time with the boys and take it easy"  
"Sure I can. I'm taking a week off work and we're going to get things organised"  
"You don't have to do that"  
"I do. Eren, I never told you this but I was in love with Carla. I was crazy for her, but she only had eyes for Grisha. So please let me look after you, she loved you more than anything and was so proud of you"  
Eren wrinkled his brow  
"You loved mum?"  
"She was the only woman for me, she never knew though. Maybe if things had been different you could have been my son"  
"I like you better than dad"  
"I'm relieved about that..."  
Letting out a sigh, Eren enjoyed laying against Hannes. The numbness he'd felt before had been replaced with a different kind of numb, a warm and happy drugged up one.


	75. Chapter 75

"Yo Levi! Long time no see!  
Rolling his eyes, Levi jogged over to where Farlan and Izzy were standing by the car  
"Its been like 2 week"  
"Whatever, I can't believe you're still going to school"  
"Can't be a bum forever"  
Opening the back door, he threw his bag into the back and climbed in with a groan. Today had been stupidly long. They learnt about drill bits, because no two drill bits were the same  
"Big Brother! I can't believe you're working at Ravioli again! I've missed you!"  
"I missed you too Izzy"  
Pulling his phone out his shirt pocket he scowled down at the stupid device. He hadn't heard from Eren and he couldn't deny he wasn't freaking out over it  
"Can you turn the radio down? I've got to call Eren"  
"Relax, I'm sure lover boy's just fine. You're with us now"  
"He's not fine, he's been out of it for days"  
"Oh, hormones again?"  
"No... just shut up"  
Calling Eren's number, he got no reply and his stomach dropped, he had a horrible feeling. Calling Hannes, he breathed a sigh of relief as the man answered   
"Eren's fine"  
"How did you know I would be calling about Eren?"  
"It's my psychic powers"  
"So, can I talk to him?"  
"He's sleeping... wait... no he isn't..."  
In the background he heard something happening and then Eren giggled  
"Hey Levi!"  
"Eren?"  
"Dah! Who else would it be?"  
"I don't know, are you ok?"  
"I'm great! Hannes gave me drugs"  
"Why did Hannes give you drugs?"  
"Because I did something..."  
"Eren, what did you do?"  
There was a rustle again and Hannes came back on the line   
"Eren's fine, he was just having a bit of a freak out, but it's all ok now"  
"Why won't you two just give me an answer?"  
"Because everything's alright here. We don't have to worry about him anymore if that makes you feel better"  
"No, it just makes me more curious as to what the hells going on?"  
Hannes sighed, in the background he heard the man telling Eren to stop  
"Hannes!"  
"God alright! He was feeling sick and had to pull off to the side of the road. He'd worked himself up over the twins and I gave him a shot, and we talked. He's going to be fine and I've taken a week off work so we can get stuff done around the house"  
"Why don't I feel like you're not telling me everything"  
"Because you're paranoid. Now, everything's ok and I'll call if that changes. Have a good day at work, and I'll probably talk to you tomorrow"  
In the background Eren was yelling out "Bye! I love you Levi!"  
"Please tell Eren I love him too, and the boys"  
"Will do"  
Hannes ended the call and Levi glared down at his phone.

"Soooo, why is Eren drugged?"  
"Because he had a meltdown by the sound of it"  
"Again..."  
He could hear the disbelief in Izzy's voice   
"Yeah..."  
"I can't believe he's having so many meltdowns!"  
"Well he is pregnant"  
"I'm pregnant!"  
"Yeah. But he's further along than you and he's having twins"  
"What! No fair! Why does he get to have twins again? Faaaarlan, why does Eren get twins and I don't?"  
"I don't know, I don't think I want twins"  
"But..."  
"It's because we're wolves and he only found out on Monday"  
"How did you guys not know?"  
"Because it was missed at the 12 weeks scan"  
"How do they miss a whole baby?! Honestly..."  
He wanted to grab Izzy and shake her, but that was his fault for forgetting she went so crazy over the whole pregnant thing. It was almost like a competition to her  
"You guys better not be having a girl!"  
"We don't know"  
"Can you please find out? Pleeeeeease?"  
Closing his eyes, Levi ground his teeth together. He didn't care if they were boys or girls, he just wanted them and Eren to be happy.

Not having time to go home, shower and change, Farlan dropped him and Izzy off in front of Ravioli and Levi eyed the place before letting out a sigh. This was his life now, no Eren until Monday. He hated it already. Izzy linked her arm through his, completely oblivious to how annoyed with her he was. Stepping into the room, he found the pictures were once again coated with a fine layer of dust like he had the first time. Hanji must have been watching the door, as she came running over   
"Levi! How are you?! How's Eren?! How are my boys!?"  
Hanji seemed genuinely worried  
"I'm good, Eren's home resting, and the boys are big and happy"  
"Eren's home resting?"  
"Yeah. He's been a bit out of it lately, Hannes is with him"  
Hanji nodded and threw her arms around him  
"I missed you and where's my tiger?"  
"I didn't forget the tiger, we're still waiting on the stuff we had posted over"  
"That's ok then! Marley looked amazing"  
"It was. Let me go get changed or Rico will fire me before I even get to start again"  
"Nooo, we can't have that. This place has been so boring without you"  
"What about me!"  
Izzy sounded miffed and Levi took the change to escape into the staff locker room   
"Levi! What are you doing back?"  
Pinching his nose, he groaned at the fact Erwin had obviously just taken his shoes off  
"I'm working here again"  
"Oh, nice to have you back. How's things been"  
"Good... shit, good... shit. The usual"  
Erwin snorted and shook his head. Levi swore Erwin's eyebrows had doubled in size since he last saw him, and that any moment they'd fall off his face and run towards the doorway in a bid for freedom.

 

*  
"Muuuum, stop singing! Hannes, mum won't stop singing"  
Eli wasn't impressed at all as Eren sang along to Beauty and the Beast, what he could say though, No one's neck's as incredibly thick as Gaston's. Thanks to whatever Hannes had given him, it was like every time his mind even thought about thinking something bad, it just went away. He honestly wouldn't have been able to function if the man hadn't. His father wanted him dead, and everyone in the visitors room knew it, but it had felt good to dress how he'd wanted in front of the man  
"Let mum enjoy himself, it's been a while"  
"But he's acting all crazy"  
"That'd because I'm crazy over both of you. Have I told you lately how much I love you and how proud I am to be your mum"  
"We love you too mum, but give it a break already"  
"Nope, you're my babies and I love you. You and daddy and Hannes and Armin and Grandpa Arlert, you guys are my family"  
"Yes, yes, now stop ruining the mooooooovie"  
Rolling his eyes, Eren went to grab his phone, only to realise he didn't have it  
"Haaaaannes"  
"Eeeeeeeren"  
"Do you know what happened to my phone?"  
"No, I can look into it tomorrow for you"  
"But I want it nooooow. I want to message Levi"  
"Levi's at work, Eren"  
"So, I just wanted to tell him I love him"  
"He knows you love him"  
"But I really love him"  
"He knows"  
Eli threw his hands up in the air  
"That's it. Movie ruined"  
Sliding off the sofa, the boy marched from the room. Looking to Ren, his son shrugged  
"You did sing too much"  
"But I thought you guys liked this movie"  
"We do, but we wanted to watch it, not have you talk too much"  
"I'm sorry baby..."  
Ren sighed and slid from the sofa  
"'night Hannes"  
Watching the boy walk from the room, Eren pouted  
"I wanted to watch a movie with them"  
"I know, how are you feeling now?"  
"About dad?"  
"That too"  
"Well he told me I'm not right in the head because I wanted a connection with him and maybe he should apply for custody and that I shamed the family and all I knew how to was spread my legs and he wished I was dead..."  
His voice held no trace of emotion and no matter how he tried he just couldn't care  
"He like said it front of everyone toooooo"  
Hannes's head shot up and he looked at Eren with wide eyes  
"Really?"  
"Yeah. So I yelled at him. He couldn't remember stabbing me. How do you forget trying to kill your own son?"  
"Eren, I think it's time for bed"  
"But the movies on"  
"And you're high. That's why you aren't dealing with anything properly. You really should have told me you were going"  
"I though I'd be safe, you know, I was so scared that I threw up. I can't even remember getting to Doctor Zoe's house... she's the one who called the cops about my welfare. I don't know why though. I'm nothing special"  
Hannes pushed his chair back with an annoyingly loud scraping noise, before crossing over and squatting down in front of him  
"Eren, you are special and everyone who knows you loves you for who you are"  
"Dad doesn't. You'd think he could manage to love his own son"  
"That's because Grisha is a fuckhead. Now, bedtime, doctors orders"  
"Hannes, can I sleep as a wolf?"  
"If you want to"  
"I do... it's so much better being a wolf. You don't have to wear clothes or think or talk to people"  
Taking his hand, Eren blinked as he realised he was suddenly upright   
"Whoa, hello"  
The man smiled gently at him  
"Come on, let's get you to bed"

Laying in bed, Eren couldn't keep his eyes closed, he rolled over what felt like a hundred times, and finally gave up. He wanted to do something, but didn't know what. Slipping from the bed, he padded through the house as quietly as he could, quietly proud of his ninja skill as he snuck out. He didn't know why he was sneaking out, but it seemed like a good idea. Walking into the middle of the small grass clearing at the back of the house, he flopped down, rolled on his back and stared up at the stars. The stars were really pretty and so was Levi. His alpha was so hot. The teens hip line, and the curve of his arse... he was getting excited thinking about it. Shifting back, Eren let his hands roam across his body. It didn't matter that the grass was wet from the night air or that it was cold, he just couldn't stop touching himself as he thought of his alpha. Sliding his fingers inside himself and finding his sweet spot, he let out a rough groan of pleasure. Levi always knew where all his sweet spots were. Using one hand to woke his aching breasts, he continued to finger himself until he came... why did Levi have to be so far away when Eren needed him?

Armed with a new plan, Eren crept back into the house and washed his hands, before running a bath and sliding in. He was quiet proud of himself over this as he could touch and play with himself, but was nice and warm. It was all going well until he came again and felt completely boneless from it. He didn't want to go to sleep, if he slept the good feeling would go away and he didn't want it to... but he was sleepy...

That night his dreams were all about Levi. His alpha was taking pleasure in fucking him thoroughly, and some what embarrassingly, Eren woke with his heart pounding and soaked in slick and cum. Letting out a groan of embarrassment, he pulled the sheet off the bed as he rose. Thank god for water proof mattress protectors. 

He was standing in the shower when everything from yesterday came rushing back like a slap to the face and he sucked in a sharp breath. Hannes had said he'd hit a tree, and then everything was all blurry and he had a feeling he'd done something wrong... rushing to finish his shower, the first thing he did was check on the boys. Ren and Eli were once again curled up together with their cats on the end of Eli's bed. Assured they were alright, Eren dressed in a pair of sweats and a singlet with an inbuilt bra. He never really understood why they bothered, once your boobs hit a certain size they didn't really do much of anything. Heading back into the boys room, he kept a hand on his stomach as he moved to sit on the floor and watch the boys sleep. He loved his tiny prince's so much, they were supposed to start school on Monday, but he couldn't do it. Levi had to be there. He knew his mate would only pretend to be ok with it all, but Eren honestly wasn't. Everyone who loved him was in this house, his talk with his father was playing in his mind and thanks to the his own paranoia he couldn't he help but feel everyone else only tolerated him. Mikasa and Armin were supposed to be moving into their college dorms this week, but he hadn't seen them. Shit. This was no good. He was upsetting himself. He couldn't get upset again. He didn't want to upset the pups... reaching out, he ran his fingers across Ren's brow and brushed his hair back. He wondered what his own twin would have been like... and was kind of jealous that he'd never gotten to know. His sons were thick as thieves, and whenever they needed comfort, they always turned to each other first. He knew society would probably find some way to judge if they knew, but these days wouldn't last forever and he wanted them to enjoy their innocence as long as possible  
"Mumma?"  
Ren blinked up at him sleepily  
"Hey baby"  
"Is it time to get up?"  
"No baby, you can sleep a little longer"  
Ren nodded and closed his eyes again. Why couldn't Grisha understand how wonderful his boys were? Did the man never tuck him in, or feel anything like the love he felt for the boys? He didn't want to be like his dad, he wanted to be the kind of parent his boys could always talk to about anything, but he'd kind of been failing them big time lately and it wasn't fair. 

Climbing awkwardly from the floor, Eren headed out and into the kitchen. It had been ages since he'd made a real breakfast, but when he opened the kitchen draw and saw the knives in front of him... just couldn't do it. In his mind he saw the draw full of blood and slammed it closed. Before closing his eyes and leaving heavily against the counter. It didn't help. Moving to the kitchen sink, he couldn't breathe and knew he was going to vomit. He hated the whole no breathing thing, he always wondered if he'd ever breathe again. 

He was still leaning heavily against the sink when Hanne emerged with a yawn  
"Eren, you have a phone call. You ok?"  
"Yeah... is it Levi?"  
"Who else would call this early in the damn morning... fuck I need a coffee and a smoke"  
Shoving the phone into his hands, Eren raised the device to his ear  
"Levi?"  
"Hey princess! How are we this morning?"  
"Tired... and embarrassed"  
"Embarrassed?"  
"Hannes drugged me last night..."  
"Oooh, how was it?"  
"I think I was high. Everything was funny, but I can't remember much"  
"Sounds like it. How about this morning? How are boys and the pups?"  
"Pups are moving already, and the boys are still sleeping"  
Leaving the mess in the sink, Eren crossed to sit on the sofa   
"Is it bad I miss them like crazy?"  
"Maybe... how was work?"  
"Alright. Hanji wanted to know how you were, so I said you were home resting. Erwin's eyebrows have gotten bigger...."  
"I didn't think that was possible"  
"It's a true story... are you sure you're really ok?"  
"Yeah... um... I needed answers and I finally got them. Now I know where I stand and I can start planning to move on"  
"Baby, you're making no sense. English and small words please"  
"It's ok..."  
His eyes were growing damp, and he desperately wanted Levi's arms wrapped around him  
"L-Levi can I ask you something?"  
"Anything baby"  
"Would you hate the baby if one of them was an omega?"  
"You think one of them's an omega?"  
"No... the boys say I smell like you, so I'm sure they're both alpha's. I kind of always thought they'd smell sweet or I'd smell sweet if it was an omega"  
"Ok... well no. I couldn't. Those pups are proof of my love for you, and are made from both of us. Seeing I love everything about you, I couldn't"  
"Really?"  
"Really. Does this have something to do with your dad?"  
"Yes and no... I'll tell you when I see you"  
"Ok baby. I have to go, but I wanted to see if you were ok"  
"Levi, I love you"  
"And I love you"  
The call ended and Eren let out a rough sob. Why was he the one who couldn't be loved?

Hannes crossed to his side and sank down on the sofa  
"Want to talk about it?"  
"N...no. I'm so sorry about your car"  
"It's ok, the main thing is that you weren't hurt"  
"But I threw up in it and I didn't even realised I'd hit a tree"  
"You kissed a tree, it's just a little love tap"  
"It's still your car. I can't understand how you can be so calm about it"  
"Because I have 8 other ones at back at my place"  
Chewing his lip, Eren looked down at his hands   
"What is it  
"Sometimes I forget that one day you'll leave"  
"Yeah, but it's not like you'll miss my jokes"  
"I think I'll miss all of you. Even if you drug me"  
"You were completely melting down. You needed a break from your own headspace"  
"I'm still not ok. I look at the boys and I know I'll do anything for them... but dad... the only things he'll do for me is kill me"  
"Grisha's always been a bit weird. He showed up one day, here to research a spate of Wolfblood's getting sick. Your grand parents died from it, and your mum got sick. But your dad figured out it was some foreign protein and stopped more people dying"  
"So he used to be a good man?"  
"For a while. He didn't like talking about his past, so I don't know where he came from"  
"I always assumed Germany because of our last name"  
"Maybe, but he didn't have an accent"  
"Do you think you could find out? You said before you could test Levi and find out his bloodline"  
"If you really want to"  
"I'm not going to get anything out of dad and I want to be able to tell the boys when they ask"  
"Next time I take bloods to check your hormone levels, we can do it then. For now, what's for breakfast"  
Letting out a low groan, Eren pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes until colours flashed through the blackness  
"What is it?"  
"I can't... I went to make bacon and eggs, but when I went to get a knife out to cut the bacon to size, all I saw was blood. I feel like a fucking idiot. I mean, I know it's not a big deal, I know it's not real, but that's why I was vomiting in the sink"  
"Then I'll cut everything up for now"  
"No, you do so much for us as it is"  
"It's fine. I told you I took this week off so we can get things sorted"  
"I have to find a new home, but... I want to have the pups here... the boys were born here, and I love this house so much"  
"You're better off having them at the hospital"  
"Hannes, I trust you to deliver them..."  
"And I will, but let's make sure it's not anytime soon"  
"No... there's so much to do and no time to do it"  
"What do you think needs to be done first?"  
"Levi needs to get his license"  
"I meant around the house"  
"The living room. But Levi's got all the stuff for that"  
"Then what's next?"  
"Sorting the stuff in our room... and putting dads stuff in storage until we move out"  
"You aren't going to move you"  
Biting down a snarky comment, he didn't know why he suddenly felt like snapping at the man, but it could be because Hannes was acting like they really would get to stay, while Eren had his head firmly in reality   
"We still need to get baby clothes and nappies and bottles and cots and blankets and mattresses..."  
"Well Levi had his term break at the start of September. We can head into Trost and do all the baby shopping then"  
"But we have no money"  
"You have me"  
"But you work hard for that money. I don't even know what I'd be good at. I tried to find an online course to do, but I couldn't pick one because they all seemed too hard for someone like me"  
"Eren, don't be like that. You know your smart"  
"That's why I'm having my third and fourth baby before Levi and turn 19..."  
"That's Grisha talking, not you. You thought you were being careful"  
"Not careful enough. Sorry. I'm just bringing the mood down. I'll go back to bed and let you have some peace"  
"You don't need to go"  
"I feel like I do... I need to sleep"  
He didn't really, but he did felt sick again   
"Ok. I'll look after the boys when they get up"  
"Thanks"


	76. Chapter 76

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I've commissioned the amazing rforever on tumblr to do a small piece for this... it's going to take a couple of weeks though...
> 
> Hopefully you're all still reading and will like it...
> 
> Soooo, there's smut anger and tears...
> 
> What can I say? Sex helps an omega when pregnant... it's like happy juice

Izzy was a moody cow. If Eren was hormonal, then Izzy was a tyrant. The girl was on a rampage, at both work and at the apartment. Everything had to be a certain way and he wasn't asked but told he was on cooking duty. He appreciated the fact they were letting him stay there, but fuck... the only thing sustaining him was the fact he'd be seeing Eren that afternoon. His boyfriend had been alright Friday morning, but had been distant Saturday and Sunday, and Hannes had told him that Eren was still sleeping when he'd tried to call earlier. As far as he knew the boys were supposed to start school today, so it must be pretty bad if Eren wasn't up for that. Sighing to himself, he looked down to what he was sketching. He was supposed to be making a plan for his assessment piece with a full list of what joins and techniques he was using and where, but his sketching abilities weren't that great. If Izzy saw his work book, he'd never hear the end of it. At least the lumber for his project was being covered by his course fees, so that was already taken paid for. That was another thing he was supposed to be calculating which would he would be using and why, as well as quantity. Sighing to himself, he pulled his phone out to check the measurements again. He was planning on making twin cots for the boys, but there were so many health and safety regulations he needed to consider, as well as mattress side. He hadn't told Dave yet, and everyone else seemed to be happy making bookcases and shelves. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it right.

Submitting his draft at the end of the day, he couldn't help but notice his submitted was three times the size of everyone else's and wondered if they'd all consider him some kind of try hard. He just hoped it wouldn't he like in high school and that his work wouldn't be help up in front of the class as an example of some shit. Leaving his books in his locker, he looked into his bag. The only thing inside was his wallet, smokes and phone, and he seemed stupid to just carry his whole bad around for three items. Fishing out the three times, he then stuffed his bag in his locker and made sure it was firmly locked before heading off to find Eren.

Walking out to the front carpark, he was confused when he didn't see the Hannes's sedan or ute. His boyfriend was picking him up, that's what they'd planned. Hearing a car horn beep, he jumped and looked around, his eyes finally finding Eli hanging out the side of old Jeep  
"Daddy!"  
Oooook... where was the sedan? Jogging over to the battered silver SUV, Levi found he'd been designated the front passenger seat as Hannes was driving and Eren was in the back with the boys  
"You guys have no idea how happy I am to see you"  
"We missed you too. How was class?"  
"Yeah, alright. We're designing our submission pieces. These are the ones we make this term"  
"That's cool, do you know what you want to make?"  
"Not yet... well, kind of, but It's up to our teacher"  
"Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be great"  
"That's the plan. What happened to the sedan?"  
"Mum crashed it... this guy in a really big truck brought it home"  
Spinning around in his seat, Levi was instantly on full alert as his heart raced... Eren was such a careful driver  
"What does that mean?"  
"Relax Levi, its fine. He just nudged a tree with it"  
Eren nodded at Hannes's words   
"Were you hurt?"  
"No... can we not do this now? I didn't want you to freak out"  
If course he didn't... that exactly why he freaked out in the first place. If Eren told him more things, he wouldn't have all the freak bottled away and waiting to out  
"I still can't believe you didn't tell me"  
"Now, now Levi. No one was hurt and the car just needs a little cosmetic work"  
Eren looked down at his stomach and Levi reached out to place a hand on it  
"Ok, but we're talking about this when we get home"  
"Yeah... we do need to talk"  
We need to talk... everyone knew that was code for breaking up... Levi swallowed hard, his throat tight as he did. Unable to speak, he gave a nod  
"Enough being sad! Levi, how was work, we need all the details"  
"Don't even go there. Living with Izzy and working with her... she's gone crazy. Everything has to be in its own place and she's so desperate for her baby to be a girl. She wanted me to tell Eren he had to find out the sex of the twins in case one was a girl and it's grating on my nerves"  
"So you never get much of a break from crazy pregnant people"  
"Eren I can handle, he's adorable. Izzy is... a nightmare"  
Hannes laughed as he shook his head  
"Well make the most of being home, Eren even kept the boys home today so you'd be there for their first day"  
He'd been feeling so guilty and a little jealous over not being there, though he'd tried to hide it... he couldn't help the smile that appeared   
"Thank you! I honestly didn't want to miss it!"  
"I know, I might have also been a bit lonely without you"  
"Hannes didn't get you any more crazy drugs right?"  
"No... but apparently I was kind of hyperactive"  
"You should have seen him. He tried to fight me for my phone when you called"  
"I could hear it in the background... wait, did he crash on the way home?"  
"It wasn't really a crash, he pulled over and tapped the tree"  
"What the hell! How could you keep this from me!"  
He didn't know why he was whisper yelling at Hannes, especially when the boys could hear what was going on perfectly. In the back seat Eren started to cry softly and Levi groaned internally. But honestly, how else was he supposed to react? Eren could have been seriously hurt, and their pups could have been seriously hurt... and no one had called!  
"Dad, make mum stop crying"  
"I'm sorry Ren, I did a really bad thing and dad has a right to be upset"  
"But do you have to cry? Shouldn't you be happy now dads back"  
"I am baby, I really am..."  
Shit... ok, he didn't particularly want the kids starting because Eren had started crying   
"Eren, I'm sorry, I just worry about you so much"  
His mate sniffled and wiped at his face   
"I know... we'll talk about it at home"  
"Ok... so what's the plan now?"  
"We didn't really have one, other than coming and getting you"  
"Well I'm easy, I'm totally ready to go home"  
"What about you Eren, is there anything you want to do?"  
"N-no... home is good"

Arrive back home, both boys ran ahead, while Levi helped Eren from the Jeep. His mate should have just sat in the front, it would have been so much easier for him. Taking a moment to indulge, Levi wrapped his arms around Eren and nuzzled against him, breathing his mates smell in  
"Mmm, I missed you"  
"I missed you too, I kind of went a little crazy on Thursday, but Hannes and I talked and things will be better"  
"That's good, but you still need to tell me about everything I've missed"  
"Tonight, after the boys are in bed... then we'll talk"  
Levi's heart began to speed up again, he could hear that he wasn't going to like what Eren had to say. Giving his mate a kiss, Eren offered him a small shy smile  
"I really did miss you"  
"Daaaaaad hurry up!"  
Levi let out an exaggerated groan  
"It never ends"  
"I know, but they start school tomorrow and we'll have the whole house to ourselves"  
"Why Eren, are you coming on to me?"  
"Maybe"  
Taking his hand, Eren lead him towards the house and Levi's mood perked up. At least he wasn't getting dumped.

 

*  
With dinner cooked, by Hannes no less, and the dishes done, the boys demanded stories and Levi was the only one they wanted. Eren had headed to lie down already, telling him take his time, but Levi wanted answers and he wasn't going to find them reading to the boys. It took 4 stories to get them finally lay down, and then finding their wayward cats to get them to finally agree it was sleep time. Leaving the night light on, he let himself out the boys room with a sigh. It was time to be an adult, and not just sook it and curl up with Eren like he wanted. Since getting home he'd been stuck in a state of semi arousal thanks to Eren's scent having filled ever nook and cranny, but Eren was finally ready to talk.

Slipping into their room, he smiled at the sight of Eren laying in bed, his mate was curled around his pillow and the sheet was only half covering him  
"Princess?"  
"Hey"  
Eren rolled over and blinked at him, it looked like his omega was just about to fall asleep  
"Let me strip off and then I need cuddles while we talk"  
"Mmm, cuddles"  
"I know right, I'm pretty sure I give the best cuddles ever"  
"You really do... you have no idea how much I've missed you"  
"Did you even end up finding your phone?"  
"Yeah, it was in Hannes's car"  
The one Eren crashed. He hadn't gotten a chance to look at the damage, but it was on his to do list first thing tomorrow morning. Stripping down to his underwear, Levi edge his way under the blankets and Eren promptly curled up against his leg. Gently carding Eren's soft brown hair, his mate let out a happy sigh  
"So..."  
"I... can you promise me something? Before I tell you... can you promise to hear me out"  
Eren raised his pinky and Levi shook it, though he was wondering what the hell could be so bad that Eren felt the need to pinky promise  
"Of course princess"  
His mate let out a long groan as he moved to push himself up, the feel of dread caused his stomach to roll uncomfortably   
"You could have just stayed laying down"  
"No... um..."  
Eren shook his head, his tone had lost all its happy undertones and when he went to take Eren's hand, his mate pulled it away   
"Eren, you're scaring me now"  
"I'm sorry... it's just... I know you're going to be mad and it makes it hard to tell you"  
"Baby..."  
Eren ignored his gently spoken word  
"You know on Monday... when I went to see Hanji's mum?"  
"Yeah?"  
"We talked about my dad..."  
"Yeah, you've been in a total daze since"  
Eren let out a huff and Levi clamped his mouth shut. He was risking Eren shutting down on him  
"We talked about me going and seeing dad, in jail"  
Oh no... no... no. There was no way that Grisha was getting anywhere near Eren. His mate was in far too a delicate state to be putting up with his father's shit  
"After I dropped you off on Thursday... I went to see him"  
Levi felt like he'd been punch in the gut and all the air driven from his lungs. Eren did what! And why wasn't he told about it or asked to come? Did Eren really think he'd be alright with this? After everything he'd done to help Eren get back on his feet, his mate went and pulled something stupid like this. A long snarl came from between his clenched teeth and Eren whimpered while shifting away. The sweet notes in Eren's scent turned to upset and Levi closed his eyes. He needed to calm down, but he wanted to scream   
"I didn't want you to worry and it was something I had to do. I wanted to know how he really felt and I wanted to ask for the house..."  
And he couldn't have been there for that because...  
"Did you get your answers?"  
"Y-yes... he wants me out his house. He didn't remember stabbing me, but he wished he'd gutted me for shaking the family... he wants me dead Levi..."  
Levi didn't know what to say. His anger at Eren was still there, but he wanted to tear Grisha's throat out and watch him bleed to death   
"I got thrown out for screaming at him... and then I went to Hanji's... I couldn't even remember driving there, I just wanted to die. Hanji was there, she helped... but I panicked and ran. I couldn't calm down. I feel bad for existing... and I was cramping and everything hurt so much... I shouldn't have been driving, and I don't remember hitting the tree. I don't even remember getting to hospital. But Hannes is going to try and find a way to keep the house..."

Sliding to sit on the edge of the bed, Levi buried his face in his hands. Was he really so untrustworthy that Eren couldn't tell him any of this? What about the pups? Where they really alright? He'd been left out of things all over again, and couldn't help but feel like he wasn't part of the family. A soft hand gently landed against the small of back, and Levi sprung up from the bed. He'd promised not to get mad, but he hadn't seen this coming   
"Levi, please... I knew you'd try and talk me out of it and I had to know what he really thought of me!"  
"Because trying to kill you didn't say it all. Fuck! You did die! He practically mauled you and snapped your arm! How many other ways could he say to stay away!"  
Shit. Fuck. Nope. That's not what he actually meant to say. Well kind of, but not like that  
"You don't understand... I was trying to do this for our future!"  
"Then why couldn't you fucking tell me! You crashed the shitty car and ended up in hospital! What about the pups? What would you have done if all this stress had caused you to lose them!? Or what if you'd had a serious accident!? How could you be so bloody stupid! I need a fucking cigarette"  
Storming from the room, Levi slammed the door behind him, but instead of heading out for a cigarette, he sank down against the door.

"Levi?"  
Looking up at Hannes, Levi shook his head  
"Not now"  
"So he told you?"  
"How could he be so selfish"  
Hannes let out a groan as he sank down in the hallway across from him  
"He really was thinking about the future"  
"How? By keeping secrets and not trusting me?"  
"He does. He just needed to know for himself"  
"But why couldn't he tell us?"  
"Because he didn't want us to say no or to worry..."  
Levi smacked his head back against the door  
"How bad was his on Thursday?"  
"He was out of it by the time we found him. His therapist was worried and called the police station and they called him. He asked for help"  
"That's something I guess. And the pups?"  
"They're fine Levi. Eren's physically fine too"  
"You know, I worked with Hanji this weekend and she said nothing... I wonder if she enjoyed keeping this from me"  
"Levi, now you're just being paranoid. Eren explained how Hanji's his therapists daughter. Hanji wouldn't have mentioned it purely because it would be in invasion of Eren's privacy, and if he's comfortable enough to talk to her, we don't want to take that away from him"  
"But why couldn't he just tell me?"  
Smacking his head harder against the door, he groaned over the fact he'd done it too hard  
"Because it was your first week of school he was so proud of you going"  
"He's more important"  
"You know what he's like. Now had badly did you freak out on him?"  
"I pinky promised I wouldn't, but I yelled"  
Hannes shook his head  
"Go make up with him. I don't want him stressing and thinking you don't love him"  
"I do love him! This is why this is so fucking hard!"  
"Ok, no need to yell. We don't need the boys asking questions"  
He'd forgotten that the boys were just across the hall  
"Fine..."  
Hannes held his hand out and Levi rose before helping him up  
"Good talk, let's not do that again"  
Snorting at Hannes's parting words, Levi shook his head as the man walked down to his own room.

Knocking lightly on the bedroom door, Levi let himself in. Eren was sitting where he'd left him, his mate was crying so pitifully wiping at his face as he gulped down breaths, causing Levi let out a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose  
"I'm sorry I flipped out"  
"I deserve it... I fucked up so badly"  
"No, you don't. You were doing what you thought was right. Even if it wasn't"  
Eren wiped his face before looking at him. The omegas face was a complete mess covered in tears and snot   
"L-Levi... why am I so easy to leave behind?"  
"You haven't been left behind"  
"Mikasa and Armin didn't even say goodbye... dad tried to kill me and mums gone..."  
How the fuck could Armin and Mikasa not bother to say goodbye?  
"And now you're going to leave me too"  
"No, Eren. I might be upset and disappointed, but I'm not leaving"  
Climbing onto the bed, Levi ignored Eren's flinch and pulled his mate against him, before rubbing broad circles on the omegas back  
"Your dad has no idea what he's on about. If we didn't have to honour the shitty bonding conventions, I'd definitely find a way to make him pay"  
"Pl-please don't..."  
"I know, I have no intention of being sent away again. But I really do wish you'd told me"  
Eren shook his head  
"I couldn't... I needed to do this by myself... it was scary though. He was right across from me and I couldn't do anything... he didn't even remember stabbing me"  
"It's over now, and I'm home now"  
He didn't feel nearly as calm as he sounded, but Eren was a wreck  
"I'm so sorry"  
"It's ok princess..."  
Nope, it wasn't. But he wanted Eren to calm down, letting out a whine the omega nuzzled against his chest and let out a sigh   
"Can we go to sleep now? I'm so tired"  
"Whatever you want baby"  
"I love you Levi"  
"I know"

With Eren in asleep in his arms, Levi watched his mates sleeping face. He looked so ridiculously young and innocent. How could anyone want Eren dead? Let along his own father... something was definitely broken in Grisha's head... and in Armin and Mikasa's. How could they just leave? Sure they were only an hour away, but Eren loved them... people fucking sucked.

 

*  
Waking up with Levi holding him, Eren didn't want the moment to end. He'd told his alpha what had happened, but Levi was still here. He hadn't left... though Eren had no idea why. Running his fingertips down Levi's face, Eren couldn't resist the need to press a kiss to his mates lips. Levi was his everything, but he'd lied and kept secrets... why couldn't he swallow his stubborn pride when he needed to? Resting his face against Levi's, he breathed in his boyfriends scent, nothing in the world calmed him like Levi, and nothing in the world drove him crazy like the alpha  
"You alright there?"  
Jumping at the unexpected sound of Levi's voice, Eren blushed at being caught  
"Sorry..."  
"It's alright. You have no idea how much I missed waking up with you"  
"I missed you too... I'm really sorry Levi"  
"I know, but Eren, you need to tell me when things happen. I can't be in Trost believing things are ok, when they aren't"  
"I know. I'm sorry"  
"Good, now, is it time to get the boys up? Or do I get you alone for a little mum and dad time... preferably mum under dad time"  
"Mmm, I wish, but I need so see if Hannes made the boys their lunches"  
Levi groaned and Eren nodded  
"I know, I'm horrible"  
"You're a tease, you better be ready to be thoroughly ravished when we get back"  
Levi wasn't making this easy, the alpha's hands were now massaging his arse and he was growing slick with need  
"Levi, please... we need to get the kids ready"  
"Fiiiiine. I'll wake them up, you can make breakfast while I do"  
He probably should have told Levi he was currently banned from cooking by Hannes, the man thought telling Levi and dealing with the whole knife thing would be too much at once. Though if it came to getting cereal down, it wasn't like he was really cooking... comforted by the thought he wouldn't have to talk about it and things wouldn't be awkward, Eren crawled from their bed  
"Your arse is so hot"  
"Shush you"  
"Just stating the facts"

Opening the wardrobe, Eren pulled out the boys uniforms. They were so tiny and adorable... and he was tearing up already over seeing them in them  
"I thought you were doing breakfast?"  
"The boys uniforms were still in here"  
Levi came up and wrapped his arms around him, before kissing his nape  
"I can't believe they're starting school"  
"I can't believe they're old enough"  
"You've done such an amazing job"  
"We did a good job, but I wouldn't have made it this far without everyone else"  
"You need to give yourself more credit"  
Eren shook his head  
"You'd better take them, I'm about to cry"  
Levi took the clothes hangers from him  
"You take your time baby, I'm kind of tearing up myself"  
Turning in Levi's hold, Eren nodded. The boys were getting so big too fast  
"Thank you for being here..."  
"There isn't anywhere else in the world I'd rather be"

Hannes hadn't made the boys lunches, and Eren shook as he opened the knife draw to cut the boys sandwiches. It was so stupid to be so scared over such a little thing. His hand had healed, the knife he'd been stabbed with was gone and yet... taking a few breaths, he slid the first knife from the draw and quickly slammed it shut. See. It was easy. Nothing to be scared of at all. Double checking the knife was up the right way, he pushed down and cut through clearly. He could do this. Quickly slicing all four sandwiches into triangles, he rushed to then put the knife in the sink... before throwing up on it. The omega couldn't help but wonder how it had felt for his father when he'd sliced down... how much resistance the man had felt. Staring down at the mess, he started to cry and was still standing there when Levi came out with Ren and Eli  
"Eren?!"  
"Dad?"  
"Why don't you two sit down, mum and I are both feeling a bit emotional because you two are starting school today"  
"Dad... we're scared"  
"It'll be just fine, you're going to make all new friends and you know mummy went to that school too"  
"He did?"  
Eren sniffled and wiped his face, putting on the best smile he could, before walking over to the twins and awkwardly squatting down   
"I did babies, and you know your teacher, she used to teach me when I was there"  
"Does that mean she's old? Because your old and she's older than you right?"  
Eren snorted and nodded, reaching out to wrap his arms around the boys  
"Yeah babies, but you better not say that out loud"  
"Mum... do we really have to go?"  
"Yep, but dad and I will walk you to your classroom and we'll pick you up and you're going to have so much fun"  
"But we can have fun at home"  
Levi took his arm and helped him back up  
"I'll finish the lunches"  
"You need to wash the sink, and you need to put an apple and a fruit box in too"  
"Ok, I can do that"  
"Their bags... I need to get their bags"  
"Eren, you still look green. Sit down with the boys and let me do this"  
Nodding silently, Eren sank into the closest dining chair  
"Mum... what were you like at school"  
Ren took the chair to the left and Eli the one to his right side  
"Well, I was always getting into trouble"  
"You were?"  
"Yeah. People used to be mean to your Uncle Armin, so I stood up for him"  
"You did?"  
"Yep. Uncle Armin has been my best friend and I couldn't let people hurt my best friend"  
"If someone's mean to Ren, can I kick them?"  
"No baby, and you can't shift either"  
"But muuum"  
"I know, but we could go for a run this afternoon?"  
"Really?"  
"Yeah baby"  
It wouldn't be much longer before he couldn't shift anymore... he could barely keep up with the boys as it is... fuck... he was going to be screwed  
"A run sounds great, we have this huge forest to explore, its kind of a shame we don't get out more"  
"Yeah..."

As much as he wanted time to slow down or even stop, before he knew it, it was time to take the boys to their first day. Levi helped him get the boys to pose for pictures, but seeing they loved the camera, it wasn't that hard. He must have taken a hundred before Levi finally started moving them towards the Jeep. He hadn't driven the Jeep before and wasn't exactly looking forward to it  
"Are you ok to drive?"  
"Yeah... it should be alright..."  
Levi was with him in case anything happened, so with more confidence than he felt, he climbed into the driver's seat as Levi helped the boys into the back, before jogging around the front of the car and climbing into the front passenger seat  
"Ok! Let's do this!"  
Levi pulled out his phone, and Eren soon found out why  
"Here we are in Shinganshima. It's Ren and Eli's first day of pre-primary! Wave to the camera boys!"  
"Daddy, you're being embarrassing!"  
"It's my job, and here we have mummy! Mum, give us a wave"  
Levi got a wave, and a scowl thrown in for free  
"He's so beautiful, even when he's grumpy"  
"I'm not grumpy, I just have to concentrate"  
Knocking the gear stick into reverse, Eren took a deep breath as the car slowly rolled backwards. It felt like he was driving the ute again, but this car actually seemed to like starting.

Pulling into the front carpark, Eren eyed his old school. He had so many memories of so many hours in detention... he'd totally been a feral child, and actually felt a twinge of sympathy for his old teachers. That didn't mean he'd go back in time and change anything though. Turning off the car, he looked to Levi, the alpha was still filming  
"Levi, give it a rest. I'm about to start crying"  
"But I want to record the school!"  
"Daddy! You already made us talk all the way here..."  
God Eli was adorable... his adorable boys were... letting out a sniffle, he felt the pups kicking as if to tell him "don't even think about it"  
"Fiiiiine! But only because I love you and I'm so proud that I'm about to cry too"  
Levi finally put his phone away and Eren forced himself to slide out the car. When Levi realised he wasn't in any real condition to do much, his mate had fetched him a pair of loose pants and a top. Lifting Ren down, he cringed at the movement as his back protested  
"Mum?"  
"It's fine baby. I love you, I'm just so proud to be your mum"  
"You're being embarrassing"  
"I know, come on, take my hand and I'll show you to class"  
Ren took his hand, his sons hand gripped his tightly and his son walked slightly hidden behind him. The layout of the school hadn't changed at all since he'd been there. Basketball court in the middle of the U shaped building was just as old and sad...  
"Which room is it?"  
"The end one over here"  
Heading down the middle bit of the U, Eren came to a stop near the bag rack. The kids names had already been taped up and 3 or 4 other bags were already hanging. The boys class wasn't going to be very big, but that was probably for the best. They'd be able to get the attention they needed, unlike if they'd been to a big school  
"Eren Yeager... as I live and breathe. Look at you"  
"Muuum, who's this?"  
"I'm your teacher. I used to teach your..."  
"Mum"  
"Teach your mum when he was your age"  
Ren shrank back further behind him  
"Sorry, they're a little scared"  
"I remember you crying when Carla dropped you off, but by lunch time, you'd already kicked one kid in the shins"  
"They'd probably said something to Armin..."  
"Oh I remember Armin too... so tiny, yet full of questions"  
"Yep, he's still just as tiny"  
"Would you boys like to come inside and meet everyone?"  
"Dad... do we have to?"  
Levi squatted down and wrapped his arms around Eli   
"You sure do, but we'll be back to pick you up this afternoon"  
"But what if you forget us"  
"Trust me kiddo, we could never forget you. Now give mum a hug so I can hug Ren"  
Swapping boys, they hugged their sons and the boys trailed in to the classroom with sad backward glances. Eren crumbled against Levi   
"Hey, they'll be alright"  
"I know... but..."  
He shook his head. He had so many memories of this place and now his boys were moving forward and taking their first steps into the real world...  
"Come on, let's head home"  
Nodding against Levi, he looked up and found tears in his alpha's eyes  
"God... were so pathetic. Aren't most parents happy to be sending their kids to school?"  
"Yeah, but we're dorks"  
"You're the dork"  
"Maybe... but I'm the dork that loves you"

 

*  
The moment they'd made it through the door, Levi was on him. The alpha's mouthing and nipping at his neck and Eren was fast unravelling   
"Levi... bed..."  
"Good idea"  
Levi grabbed his hand and pulled him through to their room, before pushing him down onto the bed and climbing into his lap  
"You have no idea how much I've missed this..."  
Given the erection rubbing against his swollen stomach, he had some idea  
"Me too..."  
"Your clothes are in the way"  
Levi's words came between desperate kisses and Eren nodded  
"Hop off and lay on the bed... I want to touch you"  
"But I want to hurry up and be in you"  
Romantic much?  
"Please..."  
Eren's cheeks reddened, he didn't want to say that he wanted to tease Levi the same way his alpha did him  
"Ok baby... I'm all yours"

With Levi laying naked on their bed, Eren tried to be sexy as he crawled up and between the alpha's legs  
"You're so sexy... how did I ever get an alpha as good as you?"  
"Magic?"  
Swept up in the mood, and with his senses filled with Levi's soothing scent, Eren giggled as he nodded. Being stabbed was the furtherest thing from his mind  
"So what do you want to do?"  
"I want to tease you like you do me..."  
"You want to top?"  
Levi sounded terrified and a little insulted  
"Nooo, let's save that for when in even fatter and can't move... but can you close your eyes?"  
"Why?"  
"Because I'm nervous... you always make me feel amazing and I want to do the same for you"  
"You always do... I've never cum as hard as you make me cum"  
Eren's face reddened further, but Levi closed his eyes. 

Starting with his alpha's neck, Eren rocked his erection against Levi's as he nipped and sucked. It had been so long since he'd taken the initiative like this and he felt like a blushing virgin. Kissing his way down, he moved to gently bite on Levi's nipples, before rolling his tongue around both small buds. His alpha's nipples were son much smaller than his own, but were kind of cute in their own way. Levi was shaking beneath him, but not moaning or panting like he would be, and Eren couldn't help but feel like Levi didn't like it that much. He just wanted his alpha to know he definitely appreciated his sculpted body. Crawling backwards, he ignored Levi's erection in favour of mouthing at his alpha's balls, before going lower and causing Levi to jump   
"Eren..."  
"Shhh"  
His alpha's smell said don't you dare and it wasn't like he'd intended to breach his mates opening, he just wondered what it was like as Levi loved to eat him out. Lapping at the ring of twitching muscle, gradually he alpha slowly untensed and began to moan. While his mouth and tongue continued to toy with Levi's ring, Eren's hand moved to begin jerking his alpha firmly, enjoying the feel of Levi's silky skin sliding in his palm. Levi's pre-cum dribbled across his fingers and alpha was now rocking his hips  
"Fuck Eren... feels soo good"  
Smirking as he pulled back, he enjoyed the growl of frustration he received, which was followed by a moan as he sink his lips down over the red weeping head of Levi's penis. The salty taste was addictive, and he moaned as sucked desperately before sliding down. Levi's hands flew to grip his hair and Eren bobbed his head up and down working his alpha into delirium as the firm hold he had kept Levi from cumming  
"Shit... princess..."  
Ignoring what Levi wanted, he continued to suck until Levi's thighs were shaking and his alpha was snarling. It was only then he released his hold and Levi came in hot thick bursts down the back of his throat. Drinking it down, he licked his lips and looked up to see Levi staring down at him   
"I really missed you"  
"I can tell... fuck... get up here"  
Levi didn't seem to mind devouring his mouth as he the alpha massaged his breast  
"Can I return the favour?"  
"Alpha?"  
"I want to taste your sweetness"  
Given his thighs were a dripping mess, Levi's words had him moaning  
"Get on your hands and knees for me"

Levi's tongue was magic and even though he'd cum, his alpha was relentless as he fucked him with his tongue. Shivering and moaning, Eren could barely hold himself up and had to grab the headboard to stop himself buttoning out. His shoulders burnt from the strain, but he didn't care  
"Feeling good baby?"  
"Soooo good. My alpha is so good to me"  
"Good..."  
Levi's tongue slid back into him and Eren's eyes rolled back, he couldn't help but rock his hips in need  
"Levi... I'm going to cum"  
"Don't hold back baby, cum for me..."  
Nodding his head, he moaned freely as Levi teased his sweet spot. The sound he made when he came was a little embarrassing, a nasally whine mixed with a small groan... Levi didn't even give him time to recover, he was pulled back into Levi's lap as the alpha thrust up  
"Levi!"  
He practically screamed his mates name and Levi's hands moved to work his breasts. His whole body was overstimulated, but that didn't stop Levi's hard and fast pace. His third orgasm left him quivering equal parts pleasure and pain. He wanted... needed more, but his body wasn't cooperating. Laying bonelessly against Levi's chest, the alpha's hands moved to caress his stomach   
"I love you"  
Eren nodded weakly, and Levi pressed a kiss to his sweaty temple  
"Do you want to take a bath after this?"  
"Please..."  
Levi's hands continued to gently move across his stomach   
"You really love it don't you?"  
"You being pregnant? Yeah... you're all kinds of crazy sexy... if we didn't have to get out of bed, we never would"  
Eren shivered at the though   
"God, your clenching me so tightly"  
"Because your knot feels so good alpha"  
Levi nuzzled against neck and pressed a kiss there   
"Levi, I feel so much calmer like this... it's like everything's going to be ok... is that weird?"  
"No baby, I feel it too. And I can feel our pups"  
Eren snorted   
"Yeah... 4 months and they'll be here"  
"And then we can practice getting you pregnant all we like"  
"Nooo, then we can practice safe sex until my body goes back to normal and I'm not a basket case anymore"  
"You aren't a basket case"  
Eren sighed, and moved to take Levi's hands in his own  
"I have something else I need to tell you?"  
Levi tensed behind him, he was awful at this timing thing  
"The reason I threw up this morning was from fear. Hannes banned me from the kitchen and cooking because he said telling you and trying to deal with the fact that I can't pick up a knife without panicking was too much for me to handle at the moment..."  
"That's ok. I can cook"  
"Really? I mean, you have to do so much as it is, with work and school..."  
"Eren, we both know that your emotions have taken a real hit with you being pregnant and that you're struggling. I just want my omega to be happy. It's so rare I see you smile now, or hear you laugh. I miss it so much, so if I have to cook I'm happy to cook"  
"I really don't deserve you"  
"I'm the one who doesn't deserve you"  
"But I'm the one who feels like I've gone crazy"  
"Princess, you do realise you have two tiny humans growing in your stomach. I think you're allowed to be crazy"  
Eren nodded, before tensing at the cramping in his stomach... it felt like a contraction... but given he wasn't due for four months it couldn't be  
"You ok? You just tensed up"  
"Yeah, pregnancy pains... it's fine though"  
"Eren..."  
"Levi, I promise I'm ok"  
A tiny spark of panic was burning in the back of his mind. He needed to count... if they were at regular intervals, it was labour... if it wasn't, it was Braxton-Hicks...  
"You know about this better than I do, but promise me if it gets serious, you'll let me call Hannes"  
"Yeah... don't worry, I don't want anything to happen to our pups..."  
"And I don't want anything to happen to you"

Having finally made it to the bath... they kind of... may have... had sex with Eren bent over the bathroom counter, the omega was in heaven. The water was the perfect temperature, Levi's arms were around him and he didn't have to worry about anything...  
"What are you thinking about?"  
"Nothing... just how nice this is. You?"  
"About how gorgeous you are"  
"I still think you must be blind. I feel like a whale"  
"And like I said before, I'd still love you if you were"  
"Would you talk to me in whale?"  
"Like Dory?"  
"Yeah... but Finding Dory was so sad..."  
"I know. You don't realise how sad kids movies are until you're an adult"  
"That's why I prefer the ones where I can sing along"  
"I like it when you sing"  
"The boys don't"  
"That's because they're harsh critics"  
Eren let out a sigh  
"What is it?"  
"I miss them... I wasn't really thinking about them until you brought it up"  
Levi nodded against his shoulder  
"Yeah. But they're tuff kids and they have each other"  
"I'm scared people will pick on them for it..."  
"If they do, I'll hit them. No one fucks with our boys"  
"My strong alpha protecting his pack"  
"Yeah. Are you going to be up for running this afternoon?"  
"I should be..."  
Another wave of pain rolled through his stomach... and he mentally told it to fuck off  
"... can we go to our spot. I miss it... with everything happening, I haven't been there in so long"  
"Yeah baby. I took the boys there the other day. I started running and that's were I ended up"  
"Did they like it?"  
"Nah... but they don't understand just what it means to us"  
Eren hummed, wriggling in Levi's lap. He had no idea how his mate could be hard again... but now that he was, he wanted Levi inside of him   
"Princess"  
Eren nodded, Levi didn't need to be told, the alpha knew from his smell. Rising to his knees, he gripped the edge of the bath as Levi rose behind him, sloshing water across the floor. The alpha's fingers ran down his arse crack, before moving to rub against the rim of his abused opening  
"It's so hot watching my cum running out of you"  
Water sloshed again as Levi pressed in and Eren's back dipped  
"Hard and fast..."  
"Ok baby"  
Even after having knotted him twice, Levi's stamina was impressive and almost all the bath water had been displaced by his alpha's movements. Cumming with a whine, Levi's knot flared and the alpha immediately pulled him down into his lap, so Eren's legs were each side of Levi's   
"Your toes are pruny"  
Levi let out a breathy laugh  
"You really do think about the weirdest things, don't you?"  
"Yeah... what were we talking about?"  
"About how beautiful and perfect you are"  
"Leviiiii. You're the perfect one. You're so good looking and sexy and smart and you smell amazing and you look after the boys and me and your knot fills me so perfectly"  
"I feel like one of those things is not like the others"  
"Possibly..."  
"We were talking about our spot"  
"That's right... if we ever got married, I'd like it to be there... but no one would come because it's in the middle of nowhere"  
"I'd be there and you'd be there. Who else do we need?"  
"Yeah... maybe..."  
Eren was struggling not to feel like it would never happen. They weren't in the position for it to. Lifting his hand out the water Levi played with the promise ring, sliding it off his finger  
"Do you Eren Yeager promise to put up with this cranky dork of an alpha for the rest of his life? To love and be knotted like crazy until death do you part?"  
Eren giggled   
"I do"  
Levi slid the ring down his finger  
"Do you Levi Ackerman promise to love this crazy and hormonal omega, even when he's being an idiot and needs to have some sense fucked into him, until death do part?"  
"I do, and even after death. I'm not letting you give this ring to anyone else"  
Levi rocked his hips and Eren groaned and he turned to kiss his alpha  
"I now pronounce you dork and dork. You may now kiss your dork"  
Kissing Levi languidly, Eren relished the moment. It was silly, but it helped to ease a burden he didn't even really understand   
"One day baby, I'm going to buy you a beautiful diamond for your pretty little finger"  
"I don't need diamonds"  
"But maybe I want to buy you one"  
"Rude much, who said I was finished with my sentence"  
Levi bit Eren's bottom lip and pulled gently until his teeth slipped clear  
"By all means, continue"  
"But they'd be nice"  
Levi snorted, before pressing three firm kisses to his lips  
"You're so fucking incredible"  
"You're fucking is so incredible?"  
"Horny brat"  
"Yep!"  
Settling back in Levi's arms, they stayed like that until the alpha's knot finally lessened.

Given it was only just on lunch time, Levi settled him down on the sofa and covered him with a blanket   
"What do you want to eat?"  
"Popcorn"  
"We can't have popcorn without a movie"  
"Then you better put one on"  
The alpha snorted   
"Ok, which one do you want to watch?"  
"Hercules, the Disney one. Them muses... they're my heroes"  
"I don't think I've seen that one?"  
Eren gaped at the alpha  
"No way! How have you not! That's it, hurry up, you need to be educated"  
Levi rolled his eyes, but obediently went about putting the DVD on, and fetching popcorn  
"Princess... did you know the microwave had a popcorn button?"  
"I know, it's perfect!"  
"Then how come I didn't?"  
"Because we don't use it that much. Can you bring back a chocolate milk for me tooo?"  
"We have chocolate milk?"  
"We have a can of chocolate nesquik hidden from the boys on the second top shelf and we have milk"  
"Fuck I love us"  
"I love us too"


	77. Chapter 77

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know,I left you alone for so long.
> 
> Who would have thought this was still going?  
> I've got class tomorrow... but I did see something pretty cool when I was out monitoring. 12 great cormorants sitting on three branches in nice little rows, which the dog promptly scare away.
> 
> As always, always open to suggestions and ideas as wake make our way towards the birth of our pups and as always, you can find me on tumblr (dammitadolfnomorecake)!!
> 
> Oh and ps. Looking for anime recommendations!! Please gimme something good xxx

So Hercules hadn't been a bad movie, but Levi was getting a bit sick of watching the menu screen. Eren had fallen asleep next to him, and the TV remote was on the other side, so for the last hour, he'd been stuck. Looking to the clock on the wall, it was now 2:40 which meant he really did need to wake Eren up, but the way his mate was curled up against him... it was just too adorable. Slipping his fingers through Eren's hair, the omega let out a happy sigh in his sleep and Levi felt like an arsehole as his hand slid down to softly shake Eren shoulder   
"Eren, come on, it's time to get up"  
Sleepy green eyes blinked up at him  
"Its nearly 3"  
Eren frowned   
"You should have woken me up, I wanted to spend as much time with you as possible before you left"  
"And you are"  
Pressing a kiss to Eren's forehead, he got a mumbled grumble about shitty alpha's and their shitty niceness  
"I know, I'm horrible"  
"Noooo, it's just frustrating that I fell asleep... I've been dreading you coming home because I needed to tell you the truth, but now I have, I just don't want you to go again"  
Slipping from his hold, Eren padded across the room and Levi sighed. It wasn't like he liked leaving his mate for day on end, but until he could figure out his work hours and got his license, he was stuck with things this way. If he could, he'd much rather swap Thursday and Friday nights to Tuesday and Wednesday during the day, that way he could come back home and be there for dinner with his family. He knew he was being naive thinking like that, but it was nice being somewhere where he knew he what people wanted from him.

Eren was yawning as he stumbled back into the room and moved to snatch the car keys up   
"Princess, you need shoes"  
"Too much effort"  
"Sit down and I'll do them for you"  
Eren raised an eyebrow, but Levi pointed at the dining chair until his mate sank down heavily  
"I miss my toes"  
"Well they're very much attached still. Your shoes are near the door right?"  
"Yeah, I was toeing them off as you were devouring my mouth"  
"You make it sound like a bad thing"  
"It is, we have to behave now, but all I want is cuddles"  
"We can have cuddles down by the river"  
Having fetched Eren's shoes, he slid them on his princess's feet  
"How do we feel Cinderella?"  
"Do you know how messed up then original story was?"  
"Nope"  
Eren sighed and Levi helped him stand   
"I can't wait to see our boys, do you think they would have had a good day?"  
"I don't know... hopefully"

The boys hadn't had a good day. Having walked down to the classroom, they found their two sons sitting out on the wooden bench below the bag rack. Both clearly had an air of gloom about them and Eren rushed ahead  
"Muuuummy..."  
Ren promptly burst into tears as he leapt off the bench and launched himself onto Eren   
"Baby! What's wrong?"  
Ren's hiccuping sobs were heartbreaking, and Eli threw himself at Eren, joining in. Given his already altered centre of gravity, Levi had to pretty much catch Eren from behind and help him sit down as both boys sobbed against him  
"Shhhh, it's ok babies, mummy's here"  
Levi couldn't work out why their sons were the only ones outside. Bags belonging to other kids still hung on the racks, so it wasn't like they were late to pick them up... all the crying finally had the boys teacher coming out  
"No offence, but what the hell happened to my kids?"  
The woman sighed  
"Perhaps this isn't the place to talk about it, if you can wait a little longer, the bell will ring and then we can use the classroom"  
"Screw that. I want to know why my two sons and now my mate are sitting there and crying their eyes out"  
Crossing to stand closer to them, the woman squatted down and placed her hand on Eren's shoulder  
"I'm sorry about the boys, but we all know how mean children can be and Shinganshima is a small town. One of the older kids recognised the name Yeager and told everyone that Grisha tried to kill Eren, well more along the lines of "your grandfather tried to kill your mum""  
Eren sniffled and nodded  
"Shit... I should have known it would happen, but I didn't think it's be on the first day"  
"We've just had a very long talk about how lying and spreading rumours and making fun of people isn't alright, but the boys were still pretty upset"  
Of course they were. They didn't associate Grisha with being Grandpa, that was old man Arlert...  
"Thanks... we better get them home"  
"I'm sorry that some kids are little shits, but I'll be keeping an ear out for it now"  
"Thank you"  
The woman disappeared back into the classroom and Levi had to awkwardly pull all three of his loves up. The boys refused to detach from Eren, so Levi grabbed their bags, and kept his hand firmly on the small of Eren's back as they made their way back to the Jeep. Climbing into the middle of the back seat, Levi was clearly the second choice as the boys laid against him. Neither boy talked, they just hid their faces against his sides  
"Babies, do you want to come and see Grandpa Arlert?"  
Both boys shook their heads and Eli's tiny voice replied  
"He hurt mummy"  
"No baby, Grandpa Arlert never ever hurt mummy"  
"But the kids at school said he was an attempted murderer"  
Eli stuffed up attempted murderer, but even the cuteness of the bungled words couldn't take away the cold he felt at hearing them out loud  
"Baby no. That was someone completely different. I promise you"  
"But the kids said! They wouldn't play us and said we were bad"  
Oh hell no! If this wasn't all sorted by tomorrow, Levi was going to tear that shitty school apart and those shitty brats were going to be hit with the full fury of an angry alpha   
"They don't know what they're taking about. You guys are amazing, and I love you and Grandpa Arlert loves you. You've never seen him hurt mummy have you?"  
"No..."  
"There you go"

So instead of ending up going for a run, they ended up visiting Grandpa Arlert. Both boys were still crying when they arrived, but the moment they saw the old man, they both rushed to wrap their arms around him  
"Look at you! You look so manly and tough in your school uniforms!"  
"We're big kids"  
"I know you are, come inside I want to hear all about it"  
Eren moved to awkwardly hug grandpa Arlert as he slid past and Levi was left to close the door and follow the group into the living room   
"You know, you and Armin cried just as much on your first day of school"  
"That's kind of why we're here. Kids at school were saying the boys were bad and talking about Grisha. The boys think of you as grandpa, so when they hear grandpa hurt me... they were really upset"  
Grandpa Arlert sighed  
"Some people have too much time on their hands"  
"I know, and I'm sorry for just showing up, but I wanted to make sure the boys understood it wasn't you"  
"It's fine, it's fine. It just so happens I need my two favourite assistants to help me. The damn kitchen radio is on the blink again"  
Eren snorted and Levi finally felt a little of the weight on his shoulders lifted   
"I don't know why you haven't got a new one yet, you must have fixed it like a hundred time already"  
"Only 99 thank you! Now you settle down and I'll bringing it in here. You know, I've really missed having you around. I was shocked you weren't at Armin and Mikasa's going away dinner"  
Eren let out a shaky breath and Levi was furious at the pair all over again  
"I... It's been chaos at home, readjusting to Levi not being around"  
"I imagine so, how's my future grand baby coming along"  
Levi took Eren's hand, squeezing firmly   
"There's two"  
"Oh really? Congratulations"  
"Thanks"  
Mr Arlert shuffled out the room, and Eren leant against him  
"I know baby"  
"I wasn't even invited..."  
"I know, but maybe it was when your phone was missing"  
"It wasn't... I just had an obscene amount of calls from you and Hannes... and Hanji's mum"  
"You know what, fuck them. You have me, and grandpa loves the boys"  
"But they were supposed to be my best friends"  
"I know baby"

 

*  
Eren snuggled with Levi in their bed. They'd stayed late with Grandpa Arlert, and now the boys were finally sleeping off their less than stellar day at school  
"I can hear you thinking"  
"Probably..."  
"Is it about the boys or is about Mikasa and Armin?"  
"Both..."  
"What a pile of shit. I can't say I'm happy about what happened at school and I'm definitely not happy with Mikasa and Armin"  
Nodding sadly against Levi's chest, Eren closed his eyes. He hadn't done anything, as far as he knew, that would make Mikasa and Armin mad, and the last time he'd hung out with Armin everything had been alright   
"Maybe they hate me?"  
"I'm sure they don't baby"  
"Then why didn't they want me there?"  
"I don't know, maybe they didn't want you to stress over them leaving?"  
"How could not? I've been friends with them for all my life... and it's not they aren't just up the road... I just can't work out what I've done wrong"  
"Princess, you've done nothing wrong. Let's just give them some space and time, maybe there's something more to this? Or maybe they just didn't want to make you cry"  
Levi's excuses sounded stupid. He would have cried even if he wasn't pregnant. It had always been the three of them, no matter what, and now he was back to being alone and that was scary  
"Come here, let me cuddle you properly"  
Levi pulled him awkwardly over so he was cradled in the alpha's lap and Eren hid his face in Levi's silky hair  
"What do we do about the boys? They were so upset"  
"Your old teacher said she'd talked to the class"  
"Yeah... she can be really scary. One time she yelled at me and Armin, and Armin wet himself"  
"Then I think we don't have anything to worry about for now, but if it's still like this next week, I will be going full alpha on those snot nosed little shits"  
"You can't beat up little kids"  
"Maybe not, but I can shift and chase them around until they're screaming for their parents"  
Levi's voice was dead serious, but a small smile tugged on the edge of Eren's lips, his mate was such a good alpha  
"I posted that video from this morning on Facebook. Reiner and Bertholdt both said they missed us and the boys, and that you were looking good"  
"I don't feel very good..."  
He didn't mean it the way he sounded, but Levi knew what he meant and that was the only thing that mattered   
"Do you want me to make you feel better?"  
"Maybe... but I don't feel very sexy right now"  
"That's because you're thinking about all the unpleasant things instead of just thinking about me"  
"You sound like you're jealous"  
"Of course I am. I have the most adorable mate in the world, but not thinking about me even though he's laying in my arms and everything"  
"I always think about you... when you're gone, I wonder what you're doing and how you are and if you're ok"  
And who you're talking to, and what kind of people your friends are and if you've finally met someone better than I am... but he couldn't say that bit out loud   
"And I'm always thinking about what you're up to and if your ok and how the boys are..."  
"We sound like hopeless fools"  
"Nah, we're just crazy. Now, how about I make you feel so good that you feel like you're melting"  
"Mmm... Levi, did you enjoy what I did this morning?"  
"With your tongue? It was weird at first, then it started feeling really good... how come?"  
Eren blushed and squirmed  
"I kind of want to do it again..."  
"So my gorgeous omega wants to play with my body... I think I can handle that"  
"But you did say it was weird"  
"Baby, you have no idea how hot it is what your into my body"  
"Will you present? You don't have to... but..."  
Levi's scent shifted sharply and Eren pulled back  
"It's ok. It can wait until you're ready"  
His omega was hurt by the fact that once again he didn't feel like his alpha's equal. But alpha's don't usually present, unless to their alpha mate. An omega asking seemed kind of like a taboo   
"No baby, we can do that"  
"Really?"  
"Yeah, you're my mate. My partner and the far superior one in this bonding"  
Levi was totally taking this to far, but Eren's omega danced happily at his alpha's words  
"Thank you"  
"For what?"  
"Existing"  
Levi moved to claim his mouth, and Eren shivered as the alpha's hand slid across his form. Their instincts might be telling them to mate, but Levi was going against his and was actually prepared to submit.

Levi's whole body was shaking, and it was clear form the alpha's smell that his mates second dynamic wasn't completely sure about this. Taking a deep breath, Eren moved to massage Levi's firm arse, he didn't know if Levi liked it as much as he did, but once again he wanted to make his alpha feel good. He wondered how Levi would take it if he shifted, but thought better of it... they'd had sex in wolf form before, but it was kind of weird... hot, but weird. Pushing the thoughts from his mind, he eyes Levi quivering opening, the colour was so inviting, and he couldn't help but move to lap at the ring of muscle, gently and firmly toying with it until Levi was panting beneath him. Feeling a good about pleasuring his mate, Eren's tongue slid inside and Levi let out a long moan. Unable to keep his curiosity at bay, he began tongue fucking and eating his alpha with the chest goal of opening Levi up so he could find his alpha's sweet spot. Levi didn't seem the type to have ever had it stimulated, and Eren wanted to show him just how amazing it could be.

Pulling back, he sucked on his pointer finger, before slowly sliding into Levi's opening with little resistance   
"E-Eren?"  
"Shhh... just trust me"  
Levi tensed with his words and Eren continued to work until he could slide two fingers in and finally found his alpha's sweet spot  
"Goooooood..."  
It sounded like Levi was melting and Eren worked to stimulate his alpha, while sliding his other hand to jerk Levi off in time with the thrusts of his fingers. It was so warm and moist inside his mate, and the way Levi rippled around his fingers spurred him on. When Levi finally came, it was with a howl and Eren kept working him until every drop had been milked from the alpha. Carefully sliding his fingers out, he pressed a kiss to the abused opening of his mate   
"Fuuuuck... it's been a long time since I've had it like that"  
Eren's happiness dropped, his mate had done anal play like this without him. He couldn't help but feel like an idiot, Levi always seemed so alpha that he wouldn't go for something like that... wiping his fingers on the bed, Eren felt tears well in his eyes as well as anger burning in his gut. Levi was his... how long was a long time?   
"Princess?"  
Shaking his head, Eren slid from the bed and headed into the bathroom, before turning the shower on and climbing in, ignoring the temperature fluctuation as he did  
"Hey, what's wrong?"  
How was he supposed to tell Levi he was jealous? Especially when he'd fucked Reiner so many times...  
"Princess? Please, what's wrong?"  
Biting his lip, Eren looked away and Levi moved to join him in the shower  
"Please?"  
Eren shook his head as he let out a sob, he was so mad at himself for feeling like this  
"Did I do something wrong?"  
"N-no... I'm just mad at myself"  
"Oh baby, you don't have to be mad at yourself..."  
"But I'm jealous!"  
Clamping a hand over his mouth, the omega was mortified that he'd blurted his feelings out  
"You're jealous? That's adorable, but you have nothing to be jealous about"  
"But you let someone else fuck you"  
Levi sighed, gently coaxing him into his hold as he did  
"I've slept with a lot of people baby, but not like that... I got curious before"  
"So you did it to yourself?"  
The way Levi coughed and looked away told him that was a yes   
"I think I might have done it that way when we broke up and I went on that bender for a week... but I honestly can't remember"  
"I... feel like an idiot. We've both had sex with others, but..."  
"I kind of like the fact you got jealous, it just means you love me"  
"I do, more than anything"  
"Then how about you let me make it up to you"  
"Not here... in bed, I want to sleep with you in me..."  
Levi nodded, his hands coming up to push Eren's hair back from his face  
"You really like sleeping like that don't you?"  
"I feel safe and warm when you're knots buried inside of me..."  
"Eren, I'll always keep you safe and warm"

Not bothering to dry off properly, Levi climbed onto the bed first, letting Eren take his time to move and straddle his mates lap. His alpha was already hard again, and the water and slick dribbling down his arse made it easy to slide down and take his alpha fully. Letting out a needy whine, he began to rock and grind against his mate until he finally built up his rhythm and the sound of slapping wet flesh filled the room. Letting his lewd moans fall free from his hips, his fingers tangled in his hair as he arched back  
"So beautiful baby..."  
Levi's hands moved to caress his stomach and Eren let out a choked mew as Levi began thrust up to meet him as his dropped. When his orgasm ripped through him, he came so hard he saw white and would have fallen sideways if Levi hadn't pulled him down against his chest. Laying there twitching, his alpha continued to thrust up against him, raising his hips for a deep angel, before finally making him cum again as he was knotted. Warmth rushed to fill every part of him and Eren let out a happy moan. His alpha was already moving the blankets up to cover him, and once that was done Levi indulged himself by practically turning to putty beneath him  
"Good night princess"  
"'night Levi"  
With Levi's arms snaking up to wrap around him, Eren let himself fall asleep in the arms of the one person who loved him more than anything else in the world.

 

*  
School refusal reared its ugly head again the following morning. Levi had left Eren sleeping in order to get everything ready for the boy's. He'd made their lunches and organised breakfast before finally waking the two sleeping princes. Eli and Ren both insisted on flooding the bathroom with a sea of bubbles, before shifting and running around the house trying to escape him. This would have continued if Hannes hadn't some stumbling out his room, and hefted Eli into his arms as Levi dived for Ren   
"Right you, shift back now or you're going to get a smacked bum"  
The on Eli's face said he seriously didn't think Hannes did, but when the man smacked his arse, his son yelped and shifted back before he could get spanked again  
"Nooooo we don't want to go!"  
"Too bad"  
Hannes carried Eli into his room, and Levi dragged Ren in  
"Now what's all this, why don't you want to go to school?"  
"They said Grandpa did a bad thing to mum and that we must be bad too and no one will play with us"  
Hannes groaned  
"Levi, wanna grab the towels?"  
Letting Ren go, he ran to his brother and Levi back tracked to grab the towels from the bathroom, before returning to the twins room. Passing one to Hannes, Levi gathered Ren up into the other and sat down on Eli's bed with the boy in his lap  
"Just because people are crap, doesn't mean you can't go to school"  
"But they're mean!"  
"Didn't your teacher say that she'd talked to everyone?"  
"But now we look like dobbers!"  
Oh dear lord, couldn't this petty shit wait until high school at least... or preferably never?  
"Did you tell on them?"  
"The teacher heard"  
"Then you aren't dobbers. Now that that's sorted, it's time for you to get dressed and then we'll all go to school together"  
"Is mum coming?"  
"He wouldn't want to miss dropping you off"  
"But he'll be sad again"  
"Mum will be just fine, but I might have to start tickling you if we don't get a move on"  
Eli screamed with laughter as Hannes tickled his sides and the small boy begged for mercy until Hannes finally stopped  
"That's better, you two look much better smiling"  
Getting their boys into their school uniforms, Levi high fived Hannes for a job well done   
"Right, you get Eren up, I'll get the boys eating"  
"Sir, yes sir!"  
Hannes raised an eyebrow   
"Don't make me make you do push-ups!"  
"Ain't gonna happen, we don't have enough time"  
"We have even less now because you keep talking"  
"Tsk! I do believe you're the one to blame"  
"Your the one who couldn't catch the kids"  
"You try chasing them next time"  
"Maybe I will, you're just lucky I got that damn cast off yesterday"  
"I didn't even notice"  
"I know, now mooooove it!"

Eren was awake, but didn't look too happy  
"Good morning gorgeous, how are you feeling?"  
"Tired"  
His mate definitely looked tired  
"Well the boys are up and bathed, and breakfast is on the table"  
"You should have woken me up"  
"Nah, you needed the..."  
Eren winced as he pushed himself up  
"Baby?"  
"It's fine..."  
"Then why did you wince?"  
"Because these stupid contractions are annoying"  
Contractions? Like contraction contractions? He could feel the colour fade from his face   
"Levi no. Not like that"  
"So like yesterday?"  
"Yeah... they don't normally hurt, but these ones have..."  
"How longs this been going on?"  
"Since I woke up to the sound of the house being destroyed"  
"The boys decided to make a run for it, should I get Hannes?"  
"No, I'm ok. But I probably do need clothes"  
"But you look so good naked"  
Eren grabbed his pillow and smacked Levi in the face with it, before hissing  
"I'm getting Hannes to look at you"  
"Its fine"  
"Then you're not getting clothes until you agree and the boys'll be late"  
"You wouldn't!"  
"I would"  
Eren pouted up at him, but Levi held his ground until his omega sighed  
"Fine, but it's a waste of time"  
Fetching Eren a sun dress and underwear, he helped his mate dress, even having his slapped his hands away  
"You don't need to hover"  
"Maybe I like hovering"  
"But you don't need to hover"  
"Too bad"  
Looping his arm around Eren's waist, Eren groaned   
"Really?"  
"Yep, now tell me that you love me and we'll go check if the house is still standing"  
"I love you, now I'm going to the bathroom, while you go check on the other three kids"  
"Hannes is a kid?"  
"He's a big kid when it comes to the boys"  
"You know, I can't picture Hannes as a kid"  
"Then to check the breakfast table"  
Levi couldn't tell if Eren was pretending to be shitty, or if he'd actually pushed him too far. Sliding his arm back, he held hands up in surrender  
"Ok, but don't take too long"  
Eren rolled his eyes and Levi headed out to the take a seat at the dining table.

"Levi!"  
Levi jumped at the sound of Eren basically screaming his name, running to the bathroom, he soon am discovered why he was in the shit. Thanks to the twins antics, the floor was a mess and Eren was leaning heavily against the wall  
"You can't leave the floor wet"  
"Sorry, I got caught up chasing the boys"  
"Well your pregnant mate nearly went arse up!"  
Moving to help Eren, he got smacked away   
"You're cleaning this bathroom from top to bottom when we get home, so go away"  
Spinning around he smacked right into Hannes  
"What happened?"  
"Eren's in a bad mood and I forgot to mop the floor"  
"Oh shit, but better you than me"  
Hannes walked back to the table like it didn't matter that Levi was in trouble, while Levi dragged his feet as he retook his seat  
"Hannes, is it already Eren's having weird contractions? He says it's normal"  
"Are they coming at regular intervals?"  
"Not that I know of"  
"And do they hurt?"  
"He said they did this morning"  
"I'll have a look at him, but he knows the difference, he's done this before"  
But this was Eren... did no one realise how fragile his mate really was under all his insisting he was alright?

Eren finally appeared, the omega padding over softly, before dropping kisses on both the boys heads  
"Good morning babies"  
"Good morning mum"  
"I see you had fun in the bath this morning"  
"Dad said we had to go to school"  
"That's because you do"  
"But..."  
"I know they were mean yesterday, but wanna know a secret?"  
Ren sat a lightly straighter as he nodded   
"Yesterday everyone was just as scared as you were. That's why they were all mean, but I promise it'll get better"  
"Really?"  
"Yeah baby, now finish your breakfast and we can go to school"  
Ren sighed, and Eli didn't look so sure.

"So Eren, Levi says you're having painful contractions"  
Levi's eyes narrowed, now really wasn't the time and place. This conversation was better had at hospital, with Hannes performing an ultrasound so he could see his pups  
"It's fine, they aren't proper contractions..."  
"How can you possibly know it's fine? Hannes, please, can we get him checked out properly?"  
"Levi, it's not that bad"  
"Eren, I have to leave tomorrow and I can't have you home like this. Please just do this for me"  
Eren let out a long breath   
"Fine, but it's a waste of time, and we need to go if the boys are going to make it in time"  
Looking to the clock, it was already half past 8, which meant that Eren was right and he knew it, his mate smirked as he pushed his back  
"Lunches are done right?"  
"Yep. Bags are packed too, yesterday's apples came home, so new apples today"  
"Didn't you know school was is a day care for apples? They go for a few hours and come back with bruises"  
Eren walked towards the door like it was nothing and Levi was just left shaking his head.

 

*  
Hannes was a man with a plan and Levi didn't know if he liked it or not. Sitting behind the driving wheel of the Jeep, he had 4 pairs of eyes staring at him   
"You couldn't have picked a better time?"  
"Nope, now either you figure it out or the boys get to school lately"  
"What he means is, get the revs between two and three before changing gear and don't ride the clutch"  
"Maybe you'd like to teach him then Eren?"  
"No, I'm good back here"  
The small driving attempt he'd made in Grisha's car was practically a life time ago, and he stalled shifting from reverse to first  
"Daaaad!"  
Shit. This was humiliating, his boys were going to think he was a total idiot.

By the time Levi pulled the Jeep into the carpark, he wanted to kick the shitty thing. Climbing from the car, he slammed the door shut and wrenched the back door open  
"Out!"  
Eren and Ren climbed out, and then Eren lifted Eli down  
"Mum... he's as bad as you"  
"I know, but I was kind of even worse when I was learning. Now let's get you to class"  
Ren took his hand, while Eren took his other   
"You did good babe"  
"I did shit"  
"No you didn't, trust me. I had a tantrum and everything"  
"You did?"  
"I did"  
Eren gave him a small kiss on his cheek before pulling him towards the boys class.

From the school, Hannes made him drive to the hospital. He managed only a slight bunny-hop as he pulled into carpark and let out a groan of relief as the car stalled when he went to park  
"That doesn't count"  
"Does too, I got here didn't I?"  
"We don't even need to be here"  
Hannes grinned as he turned to look at Eren   
"Now, now. Levi had to do something out of his comfort zone, the least you can do is put up with one ultrasound"  
"Yeah, but I haven't drank enough..."  
"If you can handle having Levi up there, you can handle the wand"  
"Fine, but you are both cleaning the whole house through when we get home. Don't think I don't know about the toys under the sofa"  
"But Eren, is so much easier to hide them there"  
Wait? Hannes was the culprit? Shouldn't the man know better... just how much shit could possibly be stored in there?  
"But Hannes, you're supposed to be setting a good example"  
Hannes blew a raspberry and Levi was kind of shocked, his boyfriend and the man were just too in sync.

With Eren laying on the hospital bed, Levi's heart was in his throat as he stroked his mates hair   
"Hannes, whatever you do, don't go finding another one"  
"But Eren..."  
"Yes, your stupid wands in my butt. Now please tell Levi that everything is alright?"  
Hannes laughed and the image of their pups appeared  
"See, they aren't even in position, you're worrying about nothing"  
"Eren, let Hannes be the doctor here"  
"He's right, but wanna hear something?"  
A strong rhythm slowly met his ears and he realised he was listening to the heart beat... or beats... he didn't know how it worked, but it was amazing  
"You guys don't want to know what they are do you?"  
"No"  
"But I can tell you"  
"Hannes, no. We decided to wait"  
"Spoil sports..."  
"So they're both ok?"  
"Yeah, and Eren's alright too. No signs of being in labour though it's way too soon for that"  
"See, so will you please relax? And can we stop by the shop on the way home, I want to get something other than apples for the boys snack and something for their lunches"  
"So we told Levi about that?"  
"Yeah. What a stupid phobia to have"  
"In your defence, I think it's justified"  
"But now in relying on Hannes and I don't want to be that way"  
"I can drug you again"  
"I'll pass for now, I have to take too many pills as it is... also, can you pull this stupid wand out? I have to pee"  
Levi watched the twins move, all too soon they'd be here and he wasn't prepared at all.


	78. Chapter 78

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dont be too mad, but i split this chapter into two. You should know why by the end of it...

It was now Levi's forth week of this stupid back and forth lifestyle, and the alpha was completely over it. His classes were his only real time to himself and he was starting to feel suffocated by his schedule. The guys in class had started shunning him because Dave seemed to give him preferential treatment, more than once giving him advice on how to proceed with the twin cots he was building. The man had initially rejected his proposed project, but when he'd taken the time to explain that his mate was pregnant and he wanted to make something for their future kids and grandkids, the man had come around, even inviting him to invite Eren to the institutes open day. The only problem with that was the Eren didn't know about the cots and all their work so far would be on display, and then there was the other tiny issue of the fact Eren was now 26 weeks and seemed exhausted all the time. Hannes had taken time off work to moved Grisha's things into storage... at his house. Personally Levi would have liked to set them all on fire, but Eren was too kind for that.

Heading out the building, Levi's stomach growled in clear unimpressedness. He hadn't even been able to have breakfast this morning because Izzy had been in a tiff over the fact that she was having a boy. It was like she thought the world was against her, though Farlan seemed thrilled it was a boy, and that had set the girl off further. Eyeing the cafe across the grass, he mentally sighed. He didn't particularly want to go back in there, but a month had passed and surely that girl wouldn't remember him... and he was fucking hungry. Saying a mental apology to Eren, Levi cut across the grass and into the crowded cafe. The smell of burnt coffee had him wrinkling his nose, but he wanted a tea anyway. Joining the line, he pulled his wallet out and stared at the photo of Eren and the boys. He missed his mate like crazy and being apart was putting a strain on their relationship. Eren was stuck chasing after the boys and the boys weren't making it easy. It didn't matter how many times he cleaned up after them, or told them to clean up, the house always looked like it had been hit by a tornado. He continued to stare at the photo until he finally made it to the counter, only to find that girl was there and the minute she looked up at him, she could see she had her eyes on him  
"Hey cutie what can I get you?"  
"Black tea, no sugar and large chips with gravy"  
She batted her eyelashes at him and he just felt sick. He felt like he was cheating on Eren for just being in the same room as her  
"That's $7.60"  
Handing over a $20 dollar note, he waited for his change and small card was pressed into his palm  
"You never called me back about that job, I'd love to hear from you some time"  
Behind him some of the other guys from his class let out "oooooh's" and Levi struggled to ignore them. He past his order and practically bolted from the cafe, finding solitude on the grass. Setting himself up, he pulled out his phone and opened up Facebook. All his new notifications were that Eren had updated his status. Opening his mates profile, he scrolled down to the first one  
Eren Yeager : 2 free kids. Have been running around the house screaming at each other since 5am.  
The next post was a photo of a very trashed living room, complete with texta on the walls.  
Eren Yeager: 2 free kids. Apparently bath time means let's flood the bathroom.  
Eren Yeager: Change of strategy. One free pregnant omega, comes with 2 free babies.  
The next photo was on Eli with a bloody nose, captioned : this is why we don't jump on the sofa  
Eren Yeager : Eli Ackerman-Yeager, aged 5 with a broken nose... and yet, he wants to jump on the sofa again.  
Hold the fuck up. Eli had broken his nose and he was finding out on Facebook? What the fuck? Opening up his contacts he called Eren  
"Hey..."  
"Don't hey me! What the hell, why didn't you tell me about Eli?"  
Eren let out a sigh, which served to piss Levi off further  
"I did text you, and I figured you mustn't have been able to reply"  
"Dammit Eren, this kind of thing warrants a phone call, I feel like a fool for finding out of Facebook"  
"If you checked the times, this happened this morning, just as I was finally getting them ready for school. It's not my fault you don't check you texts"  
The call went dead and Levi immediately opened his texts. Eren was right, his mate had texted him this morning, more than once  
Eren: Good morning alpha, I love you"  
Eren: Help. The kids sound like they're going to kill each other  
Eren: I wish I'd stayed in bed  
Eren: Nearly had a hospital trip, boys flooded the bathroom, all is well. Can you tell I need real adult time?  
Eren: House trashed. I quit.  
Eren: Levi, I don't know if you're in class or not, but Eli smacked his face on the wall and broke his nose. He's alright, and Hannes has set it. I didn't want to call and disturb you, but I'm kind of not ok. I told them not to jump on the sofa and then it happened and I'm so sorry he got hurt. Will call you after class sorry.  
God, he was an idiot. Trying to call Eren back, he found his mate wasn't answering and he let out a growl of annoyance. Eren was probably crying his eyes out now and it was his fault. 

Levi's agitation remained for the rest of the school day and his classmates gave him a wide berth. He made so many mistakes that the leg he was turning on the lathe ended up in the bin and he stalked back into the classroom before dropping his head to his desk with a "thud". Pulling out his phone, he his thumbs hovered over the screen as he tried to think of what to say to Eren. He was so sick of hormonal people. He knew it wasn't fair to Izzy and especially not fair to Eren, but fuck. It was like walking on eggshells. Eren either wanted to cling like there was no tomorrow, or wouldn't talk to him until they firmly knotted together and he couldn't escape. It was some kind of hellish heaven and the fact that Eren's scent was now growing sweeter and more alluring by the day didn't help. Hannes said it was something about Eren's wolf side being suppressed due to how developed their babies were, but it drove him crazy and he was stuck feeling like he was in a rut whenever he wasn't buried in his mates glorious arse. Letting out a growl of frustration he locked his phone and grabbed his school bag. He couldn't be here, not when he was this worked up.

The others in his class eyed him as he crossed over to Dave, it was only a little after 1, so he was definitely leaving early  
"Levi?"  
"Sorry, I have to go"  
"Everything alright?"  
"My kid broke his nose and my mate won't talk to me. I can't be here like this or something more than just a cot leg might end up broken"  
"It takes a strong alpha to admit that, go on and head off. I'll see you Monday"  
"Thanks"  
Stalking through the building, he glared as he emerged out in the sun. If he went back to Izzy's he'd have to deal with her. But he didn't have anywhere else he could go, and even though he could catch the bus back to Shinganshima, he had work tonight.

In the end, Levi caught the bus out to the shopping centre near Izzy's messaging Farlan to tell him he didn't need to be picked up. When Farlan failed to reply, he wondered if Izzy had finally killed him off. Pushing that thought from his mind, he started wandering towards the department store. He'd wanted to go shopping for the pups, but Izzy was likely to just take whatever she wanted from his things without asking. He'd made that mistake. He'd found a onesie that Eren would have lost his kind over, but Izzy had taken it the moment she saw it and had a tantrum when he'd asked for it back. So, never again... maybe he could just buy a box or something cheap in a big box and pack around it. He was making a mental list when he walked into two people he thought he'd never see here of all places   
"Levi?"  
Jerking his head up, he found himself face to face with Armin. Eren hadn't ended up asking about that night, and it was kind of sore spot that Levi hoped would just vanish  
"Oh look, it's you two"  
Mikasa frowned  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"Nothing. How's life?"  
"Good, classes are crazy, we were just meeting up Sasha and Connie, you should come with us if you've got time"  
"I can't, I've got to buy some things for the twins"  
"Oh! How are the boys?"  
"Eli broke his nose this morning, but they're not the ones I'm talking about"  
"Since when is Eren having twins?"  
"Since we found out after he had a mental breakdown from visiting his dad... and then he crashed into a tree, but anyway, gotta go"  
Pushing through the pair, he knew he was being petty, buuuuuut he kind of felt like giving them both a good punch for abandoning Eren. The pair didn't even bother following him because they knew he was a hairs width away from snapping. 

Grabbing a shopping trolley, Levi slung his bag into it, before plunging into the department store. He really wanted to shopping for the pups with Eren, but also wanted to spoil his omega a little. He told himself he'd only buy a couple of each things... which turned into 6 onesies, 2 packs of dummys, 4 pairs of pants and four long sleeved tops. He also grabbed some flannels, socks and beanies, though he wasn't too sure how the beanies would go with the pups ears. Moving away from the clothes, he found two blankets that Eren would love, both had small white wolves on them and came in blue and brown. That's why he needed one of each colour. After having spent so much on the pups, it felt wrong not buying anything for the boys. He knew Eren was trying to teach the boys numbers, and Ren seemed to be really struggling with it. So he grabbed two books on numbers, and then one on letters. The boys could trace over a number or letter, but didn't really recognise much in the way of words... he had no idea how much a 5 year old was suppose to know though, but they seemed really smart to him. But he was completely biased, he definitely had the cutest kids in the world.

Having paid for all the baby things and the books, he wanted to get Eren something. He didn't have a huge amount of money left, buy the thought of getting his mate a ring was firmly at the front of his mind. He'd promised to buy Eren a ring with his first pay, but that had gone onto food shopping instead. Hannes had tried to pay, but the man was doing so much for them, and his pride wouldn't allow it.

Opening his phone up, he logged onto his online back account and sighed. He had just on $600 in there, but that wouldn't buy Eren the kind of ring his mate deserved... still, he moved to look through the one of the jewellery shops on the way. The fact that it had huge sale signs out the front had nothing to do with it. Wandering the small space, he immediately found a simple gold ring with a small emerald and diamond in its top. The price was $500 and that would really hurt their savings, but it was just so perfect for his mate that he couldn't help but buy it. He had no idea how he was going to propose, but now he had the ring at least. Slipping the small bag into his shirt pocket, he made sure the button was down up firmly. Continuing through the centre, he found a discount store and brought a box form there, and a roll of tape to Izzy proof it with. The girl was a damn menace. He placed the baby things into the box and taped the hell out of it, right here in the shopping centre, before calling Farlan and asking him to come get him. His friend actually answered this time and promised to be there soon.

Izzy was hanging out the front seat as Levi walked towards the car and bit down a groan   
"What's that!?"  
"Don't get your hopes up, it's Eren's"  
"Noooo, I want a present too"  
"Well this one is for Eren. I had to pick up books for the boys"  
It was kind of a lie, but books had been purchased   
"That's so mean"  
"Yes, I'm a horrible and terrible alpha for doing things for my mate"  
Farlan snorted lightly   
"That you are. How's Eli?"  
"Hannes set his nose"  
"I can't believe Eren was so irresponsible. Poor little Eli!"  
"He wasn't irresponsible, you know how hyperactive the boys are and that Eren is 6 months pregnant"  
"But still. We spent the day baby proofing the apartment"  
"The house could be empty and the boys would still find a way to end up breaking something"  
"Maybe they have too much sugar in their diets, I read this thing online about that"  
Muesli for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch. Cookies for an afternoon treat and the meat and usually vegetables or salad for dinner. That was when he didn't bring takeaway home or Eren/Hannes didn't feel up to cooking. Eren took pride in making sure his family all ate healthy, even if he was still using a butter knife to cut things. They didn't seem to freak Eren out as much, and had resulted in some very interesting carrot shapes. Grinding his teeth together, Levi pulled out his phone, at least now he knew what he wanted to tell Eren   
Levi: Princess, I'm sorry. It didn't come up that I had new texts and went on Facebook to stalk you. I hope you're ok, and that Eli isn't in pain. I love you, and please don't blame yourself over all of this. I have a surprise for you, and I hope I'm still allowed to come home on Monday.  
Rereading what he'd typed, he nodded to himself and waited for Eren's reply.

He didn't get one until he in the car and on the way to work, his heart was racing as he opened it  
Eren: you're allowed in if the surprise isn't lingerie  
Damn, he should have totally brought something sexy for his mate...  
Levi: No. I didn't even think of that, and I picked up a couple of books for the kids  
Eren: Oh! Thanks! And does that mean I'm not sexy anymore :(  
Levi: Eren, you are literally sex on legs. I love you're sexy tummy. Ok, I'm getting to work now, but how is Eli?  
Eren: He's asleep next to me. We've been watching movies in bed. His face is really badly bruised, but no other damage   
Levi: Ok, I'll call you tomorrow, I love you and give the boys a big hug  
Eren: Love you too

 

*  
By Monday afternoon, Levi was once again on the edge of exploding. Izzy had gone through he work clothes and found the engagement ring he'd brought. He'd caught her in time to prevent her from opening the box, but some that lead to the girl throwing both him and Farlan out of the apartment. Levi was alright, he had class after all, but having to call Eren and tell his mate that Farlan was bringing him home had made his mate cry... he wasn't completely sure why, but Eren had sobbed into the phone before hanging up mid sentence and Levi couldn't help but wonder what shit storm he was walking into. When he went to stalk Eren's account, he found his mate hadn't posted anything to give any clue. The only good thing that happened was he managed to get the side cot panels done, well the tops of them that would be joined on using dowel. The four panels were of wolves, well a wolf head cut out of them. It served as reminder why he and jigsaws weren't best friends but he sanded out the small jumpy bits. It had taken way too long to get things exactly perfect, and this had lead to the class pulling the piss out of him for being so anal. 

When Farlan pulled up, Levi had been dreading Izzy would be there, but thankfully she wasn't. He honestly couldn't take much more of everything in general, so when Farlan offered him a joint, he didn't bother turning it down. Eren could be as pissed as he liked, Levi needed to fucking chill and this was definitely going to help.

By the time they reached Shinganshima, Levi was happily mellow, he wasn't stoned, but the weed had definitely taken the edge off and now he just wanted sex and cuddles with his beautiful mate. Farlan parked on the other side of the sedan that Eren had crashed, to him it looked worse than what Hannes and Eren had played it down to be, hell, the bonnet didn't even close  
"So who crashed the car?"  
"That would have been Eren"  
Farlan let out a whistle  
"That bad?"  
"Couple of hundred to get it fixed, but the whole cars probably worth that"  
"You should see Hannes's house. He took me out there to pick up the ute, it's like a freakin junkyard"  
"Hannes never seemed like a car man"  
"I know right, but he seems to just collect them, I don't know what he's gonna do with them"  
Farlan shrugged, his friend already in the process of climbing out the car. Levi tripled checked he had the engagement ring, before zipping his bag closed and half falling out the car. Regaining his composure, he glared at Farlan, before heading to the boot of the car and grabbing out the gift box for Eren  
"Izzy was pretty mad she didn't know what was in there"  
"Given its baby clothes, it's probably best she didn't"  
Farlan let out a groan   
"She's driving me fucking crazy. We have months until he's born, but she seems to think it's happening it's tomorrow"  
"Yeah, I really don't know how you're putting up with it. I was about ready to throttle her the other night"  
"Well she's my missus, I can't just up and leave her"  
"Still, I'd rather Eren, at least he has a reason for being crazy"  
"And you get to sleep with him"  
"That's true"

Ren and Eli were waiting at the door and Eli's face looked awful, his sons two black eyes were still a mottled mix of yellow and purple, but the boy was smiling   
"Daddy, you stink"  
Farlan snorted and turned away  
"Thanks kid. Do you think I can maybe come in?"  
"Did you bring us something?"  
Both pairs of wide eyes were on the box  
"No, this ones for mum"  
"He gets all the best stuff"  
Ren took Eli's hands and tugged Eli back into the house  
"Feeling the love yet?"  
"Yep"

Eren was dozing on the sofa when they walked on, and the living room was chaos. It looked like the boys had been playing in wolf form again, and Levi had no idea how Eren could sleep around in. Placing the box down in front of the sofa, Levi squatted down next to it, and gently kissed Eren's forehead  
"Hey baby, I'm home"  
"Sleeping..."  
Levi snorted and shook his head  
"Too bad, I missed you and I have a present for you"  
"But sleeeeeep"  
"But present"  
Eren wrinkled his face before opening his eyes  
"Damn I thought I was dreaming"  
"Oh, so you're dreaming about me not being here now"  
"No... Hannes gave the boys sugar... and you smell like pot"  
"Yeah... but in other news, present?"  
Eren scowled as he sat up and Levi had a feeling he was going to cop it later   
"Hey Eren"  
"Oh, hey Farlan... did I know you were coming?"  
His mate seemed genuinely confused   
"Yeah baby, Izzy kicked us out the apartment"  
"Sorry, I'm just too sleepy to think..."  
"It's all good, I'll just crash on the couch"  
Eren nodded  
"Levi can... get you a blanket"  
Eren yawned adorably and Levi stole a kiss from his exhausted mate  
"I love you baby, I'm sorry about the wrapping, Izzy would have totally stolen the box if she'd known what was inside. She's become a total pack rat"  
Eren looked down at the box  
"You're going to have to open that, I need to pee"  
Levi took Eren's hand and pulled him up off the sofa, his mate smelt so fucking good. He couldn't stop himself from nuzzling against Eren's neck like crazy  
"Levi, down boy, let him go to the toilet at least"  
Moving to whisper in Eren's ear, his mate shivered as Levi rutted up against him  
"Tonight, you arse is mine"  
"Levi... don't tease..."  
"It's not teasing if I'm promising"  
"Do you guys want me to take the kids for a drive? I can smell Eren from over here"  
Eren blushed bright red as he pushed Levi away  
"No, it's ok. Levi needs to calm down and plan something for dinner"  
Eren slipped from his hold completely, and Levi let out a frustrated growl  
"Farlan, can you take the boys to get pizza?"  
"Can I order whatever I want?"  
"Yes, if it gets you out of here faster"  
It was embarrassing how hard he was, his underwear wet from precum, and all from just a few small touches  
"Where's your wallet?"  
"In my bag... Ren! Eli!"  
Both boys came running out, both looking incredibly guilty as they did  
"Daddy?"  
"Uncle Farlan is going to take you pick up pizza"  
The boys grinned at each other  
"Yes! Best day ever!"  
"You've got to behave for uncle Farlan"  
"We will!"  
The twins ran over to Farlan and started pushing him towards the front door  
"Hold up, I need to grab money, or no pizza for us"  
"Stupid money!"  
Eli wasn't happy to wait, and Levi was already moving towards the hall. Yeah. He only had one thing in mind.

Eren was washing his hands as Levi prowled into the bathroom  
"I heard you calling the boys"  
"Farlan's taking them to get pizza"  
Wrapping his arms around Eren, his hands moved to slide across his mates stomach as he rolled his hips forward   
"Something you want?"  
"More like something I need"  
Sliding his hands to the top of Eren's sweatpants, his mate offered no resistance as he pushed them down  
"Put your hands on the bench for me"  
As Eren scooted back, Levi fumbled his own pants down  
"Shit Eren..."  
Rubbing his erection along Eren's arse crack, his mate moaned before he even began to push in. He wasn't going to last. Moving his hands to take a firm hold on Eren's hips, he pulled back and shoved in hard, Eren groaned beautifully and Levi lost control. His rhythm was sloppy with desperation and he didn't even make a dozen thrusts before cumming hard and knotting Eren with a growl. Resting his head against his boyfriends back, he felt Eren move and realised he'd neglected his mate. Sliding his hand down, he nudged Eren's out the way and jerked his boyfriend off until Eren came with a low grunt warm semen dribbled across his fingers   
"Feeling better?"  
"I feel like I've been stuck in a rut"  
"You smell like it too... and do you want to tell my why you smell like pot"  
"I might have had a joint on the way home"  
Or 3... but minor details  
"Things that bad?"  
"Yeah..."  
Taking a deep breath, Levi growled at his mates scent  
"You smell so sexy... I don't know how we're going to get anything done while I'm home"  
"I'll give you all the sex you want, if you give me cuddles"  
"Deal. So you missed me?"  
"I always miss you... did you see Eli's face?"  
"Yeah... I'm sorry I flipped... I felt like a total arsehole"  
"You were"  
"How about I clean the living room?"  
"You're going to have to anyway, I hurt my back and Hannes gave me nice painkillers"  
Levi was instantly alert, moving to pull back without even thinking about the fact he was still firmly knotted. Eren let out a whine of discomfort, and Levi promptly fucked up again by pushing forward  
"Stop moving..."  
"Sorry. Why didn't you tell me you hurt your back?"  
"Because it only happened this morning... also, the boys listen to me anymore, they know I can't shift and chase them"  
"Baby..."  
"It's ok. Hannes is going to get me a book on yoga, it'll give me something to do, I've totally packed on the kilos"  
"No you haven't, and I'll still love you"  
"I feel like that's the polite way of saying I'm fat"  
"No baby, you're pregnant with our pups"  
"You know, I don't think I was this big with the twins until I was 8 months last time..."  
Levi didn't know if that was good thing or not... and opted to play it safe   
"I still love you, and I love the pups and the boys"  
"And Farlan for taking them out so we could fuck"  
"That too. I'm so over Isabel though. She's totally mental. She made Farlan baby proof with her... and she's mad she's having a boy"  
Eren shook his head   
"I thought she'd love being pregnant"  
"I think she loves it too much"  
"My poor little alpha can't win"  
"Nope"  
Laying his head gently against Eren's shoulders he sighed  
"I wanna go for a walk with you, I wanna go back to our spot"  
"Mmm, that's going to be a long walk"  
"We don't have to, if you don't want to"  
"No, I do... we can tonight or tomorrow"  
"Tomorrow, I don't want you wandering around in the dark"  
"Won't my big bad alpha protect me?"  
"I will, but I don't want to take any chances, we've made it this far and it's only a little longer before they're here"  
"That's true"

After cleaning Eren down, and then himself, Levi snagged the scissors from the kitchen and settled down with his mate on the sofa. Carefully sliding the blades through the sticky tape  
"So why did you buy me a present?"  
"Because I love you, do I need another reason?"  
"No, it's just we're supposed to be saving up for the pups"  
"It's fine"  
Eren didn't need to know his bank account was empty now, and that they'd have to start this savings thing all over again  
"Ok, sooo, are you ready?"  
Lifting the box up, Levi placed it between his legs and lifted the lid. It took Eren a moment before he titled it his way and his mate let out a gasp  
"Levi?"  
"Surprise baby, I know I said it was a present for you... but I wanted you to know I really am working hard to provide for you"  
His mate cried quietly as he pulled each item out  
"Levi... they're so cute... thank you... I've been so scared, we had nothing... and I didn't think we'd get to buy anything in time"  
Guiding Eren's face to his chest, Levi rubbed his mates back as he cried  
"You don't have to worry baby, we'll be ready in time"  
"How? In less than 14 weeks they'll be here and it'll be chaos. We don't even have a cot, or nappies or a baby bath or anything like that... and Hannes will be away for a week in October..."  
"Eren, I'll just take the week off of school. It's not a big deal. And we can buy nappies, or I can pick them up in Trost"  
"They've got to be cloth, or they won't sit properly"  
"No problem, hell, we could even order them online"  
"Mum took care of this last time, she knew what to do... what if I mess up? I don't know what I'm doing anymore"  
"Well you're sitting on the sofa with your alpha at the moment, but, you haven't even got to the best bit yet"  
Digging around in the box, Levi pulled out the two wolf blankets  
"I knew we had to have them"  
Eren sniffled and turned to look  
"They're so cute... we didn't have anything like that, mum turned old blankets into small blankets for the boys... thank you Levi... you're such a good alpha to us"  
Levi's alpha was smug in the knowledge its omega was pleased, and Levi pressed a kiss to Eren's temple   
"You and me are a team, we can do this and besides, how hard can a baby be? I mean, you went out and cheered in front of hundreds of people like it was nothing, that makes you pretty fearless"  
"All I feel is fear... I don't even remember how I used to be"  
"You used to be sexy and courageous and smart and funny and gorgeous and you let nothing stop you. You never broke down, and you never let people help you unless you had to... oh wait... nothing's changed"  
Eren snorted  
"So the fact I'm scared of my dad, can't use a knife, keep having breakdowns and can't chase after or pick up my own boys... means I'm courageous"  
"You're courageous because you haven't given up. No matter how bad things have gotten"  
"You always know the right thing to say"  
"That's because I'm the best alpha ever. Now where do you want me to put this?"  
"In our room..."  
"Ok princess. Hop up for me?"  
"I don't want to move"  
Eren's arms wrapped around him, almost squashing him. At least a cuddly Eren was better than an Eren who wouldn't talk to him.


	79. Chapter 79

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> November first!!!! I can't wait, but it will be the first time I've worked on a work for that long... oh, that's when I should have my 10 panel for this fanfic... guys, I'm so excited, I couldn't have done any of this without you. 
> 
> Soooo, what do you guys wanna see most? I already know all about the twins birth. So I'm not changing those details, but I want Levi to take Eren on another date... but it might he a bit hard... sometimes our alpha doesn't think things through and he definitely lets his temper get the best of him....

Having thoroughly indulged in pleasure his mate, Levi watched the sun rising. He knew what he wanted to do now, and sliding out of their bed, he pressed a kiss to his sleeping mates sweaty brow  
"Le-vi...?"  
"I'll be back soon lovely"  
"Mmm'kay. Love you"  
"Love you too"  
Waiting until Eren was snoring, Levi continued from the bed and dressed warmly. Hopefully this would go as planned.

Walking out to the living room, he grabbed his bag and pulled everything out, before finally finding the small ring box. Opening it carefully, he smiled down at the small band. He didn't need to take Eren out to dinner to make him happy, he just needed the perfect spot and that spot was were it all began. Moving to the kitchen, he quietly pulled out everything he thought he needed, he might not be a gourmet chef, but he could totally make a pretty mean sandwich, and being the good alpha he was, he made the boys lunches too. They were probably going to be a little surprised to find that he'd used the cookie cutter to turn their lunch into cat and wolf sandwiches, but he was in such a great mood that he couldn't help himself. Casting a glance to the clock, it was a little after 6, which meant he had about half an hour to get out to their spot, set up and get home to bath the boys. Grabbing juice boxes, and the lunch he'd so carefully made, he packed them into the bag with the ring.

Waiting until he was outside, Levi shifted into his wolf form and took the backpack strap into his mouth. The plan was to get to their spot, pull all the blankets out to air, straighten everything up and have it perfect for spending the day in the son with his mate. Farlan would be right chilling at home. He had his smokes, food and control of the TV remote. 

The tent was kind of smell, but there was a gross mouldy mess in a strawberry container, which may have explained it. Dragging the blankets out, he laid them out in the... well, it was kind of cloudy so there was a lack of sun... before turning his attention into pinning the tent flaps back, before sweeping it out the best he could and straightening up the lanterns and lights. When he was sure everything was perfect for his mate, he left his backpack in the corner and headed back home.

The boys were awake, and Hannes was chasing after them. Laughing to himself, Levi moved to start making breakfast  
"Where have you been?"  
Looking over at Farlan, Levi had the urge to throw an apple at him. His friend looked less than impressed at all the noise so early in the morning  
"Went for a run, I didn't think it'd take so long"  
"You stayed up all night having sex and then you went running... what a carefree life you have"  
"You're just jealous. Do you want food? Or are you going back to sleep"  
"Fuck off, I'm sleeping"  
"Then go sleep in the boys room, Hannes has them up and moving"  
"They've already been bathed, they were kicking up a storm because you weren't here"  
Rolling his eyes, Levi carried two bowls of muesli over to the table, before grabbing the milk  
"Ren! Eli! Breakfast!"  
"Daddy! Save us!"  
Ren and Eli both came running out with their underwear on, but no pants and Levi caught them as the ran to hide behind him  
"Hannes says he's the pants monster"  
"That's because I am! Mwahahaha!"  
Levi bit his bottom lip as he tried not to laugh at the man with a pair of the boys school pants on his head like a hat  
"Um... nice look there"  
"I know right. I'm coming to get you!"  
Both boys shrieked with laughter as Hannes lunged towards them, and Levi happily sacrificed his children to the dreaded pants monster and sending them over to the table to eat  
"I take it Eren's still sleeping"  
"Yep"  
"Good, you can drive in today"  
"That works, I've got something to talk to about"  
Hannes raised an eyebrow in curiosity and Farlan grumbled as he hefted himself off the sofa  
"You're all way too noisy"  
Wrapping the blanket around him, his friend stumbled down the hall way and out of sight   
"What's he doing here?"  
"Izzy kicked us out. She's gone crazy"  
"Worse than Eren?"  
"Way worse than Eren. She's had Farlan baby proofing the house with her"  
"Damn, she seemed like a nice young girl"  
"She is, she's just..."  
Levi waved his hands not sure of the word he wanted  
"Pregnant?"  
"Yeah... that"  
"Daaaaad, come eat breakfast already!"  
"I'm coming, keep your pants on"  
Eli looked at him as if confused   
"Never mind kiddo"

The twins didn't want to let him go when it came time for them to part. Big boys insisted on extra long cuddles, ignoring the fact the bell had rung  
"You guys have to go to class"  
"Nooo, dad you're finally back and you're going to leave again"  
Damn... he was succumbing to their cuteness... defences dropping... resolve weakening  
"Come on Ren and Eli, class has started"  
Saved at the last second  
"You guys need to go to class, but I'll see you after school"  
Both boys didn't look impress as he pulled back. Giving them a small wave, Levi turned and walked back through the school. It was a weird feeling to know Eren had gone to school here, especially considering he couldn't remember any of his primary schools... mostly because Kenny didn't believe in mainline education. Jogging across the carpark, Levi opened the Jeep door  
"I thought you'd gone back to school"  
"The boys didn't want to let go"  
"Of course they didn't. You're the fun parent now that Eren can't be"  
"He's going to be alright though, right?"  
"Yeah, he's fine. The pups are fine too. Now, you said you wanted to talk?"  
Fuck... ok... there was no easing into this then... Levi's heart was racing and he took a few deep breaths before wincing as he spoke as if he expected to be hit  
"I'm going to ask Eren to marry me. Today"  
Hannes burst out laughing and Levi was somewhat hurt and confused, he shot Hannes with his best scowl  
"Sorry! Sorry! You guys are already bonded and pretty much married as it is, but you looked so scared"  
"Well you're the closest thing to a father he has, and I love Eren, and the boys and the pups and I... I just want to be with him"  
Hannes smiled as he nodded  
"Eren doesn't need my permission, he's going to do what he wants, but I'd give you my permission anyway. You're really good with him, and seem to know what to do, even when he doesn't"  
"Thanks, but I don't know about that. I was expecting to be yelled at"  
"What did you do?"  
"I ran into Mikasa and Armin and you know how they had a going away dinner and didn't invite Eren? Well I might have been a little snappy towards them..."  
Hannes drew his brow  
"I didn't hear anything about this, as far as I knew everything was alright... as for the dinner, they did, but it was when he was high as a kite. It was going to be a surprise baby shower..."  
Levi groaned  
"Shit... well I might have fucked up, but Grandpa didn't tell us that bit"  
"It'll be fine. Anyway, just how do you propose to propose?"  
Starting the Jeep, Levi took a deep breath   
"It's kind of cheesy, but we're going to go for a walk out to the spot where we met later, and I've already made lunch and bought the ring... I have no idea what I'm actually going to say, but I had all these fancy ideas in my head... but when I looked at him yesterday, I knew that was the place"  
"Very nice, did you buy him flowers or chocolates?"  
"No... should I?"  
"No, I'm just messing with you, as long as he's with you, he'll be happy"  
"Thanks... um, will he be alright walking?"  
"Yeah, I he had a shot yesterday to help with the back spasms, but you're big enough he should be able to ride on your back"  
"Is that safe?"  
"If you take it slow"  
Levi wasn't sure that having Eren on his back would be the best course of action, but maybe his omega would like it now he couldn't shift...  
"Do you guys want me to pick the boys up?"  
"Yeah... no... they really did seem upset that I was gone. I hate leaving them behind"  
"Then you need to hurry up and get your license, and I'll take that as a "yes Hannes, I would love you to pick the boys up"  
Levi groaned  
"Hannes, your car hates me. And that blue piece of shit ute is even worse"  
"Hey, Eren loves that thing"  
"No, he really doesn't"  
"You know I actually bought it with him in mind"  
Levi frowned, his mate hated that thing  
"Really?"  
"Yep. Now then, don't stall on the way home and I'll see what I can do about booking your test"  
"Can't I just get an auto licence?"  
"Nope, manual or nothing. Eren did it, even when he was falling apart without you. Now hurry up, I need you to hurry up and propose so I can see that ring"  
"You just get your mind off Eren's ring"  
Hannes just shook his head  
"Not even going to touch that one"  
"That's the point"  
Letting out a groan, Hannes set about lighting himself a cigarette and Levi concentrated on getting them home in one piece.

 

*  
"Princess?"  
Letting out a groan, Eren's hand immediately moved as if to seek him out and Levi smiled as he gently sat on the edge of the bed  
"What time is it?"  
"Its after 9. The boys are at school, so I thought we might go enjoy our spot all day. Hannes said he'd pick them up"  
"That's sounds really nice"  
"Yep, you and me baby. What do you want to wear today?"  
"A dress... they're easier"  
"Ok, I'll get you a dress while you go to the bathroom"  
"Can I have kissed first?"  
"You can have a kiss, the rest will have to wait"  
Leaning over Eren, his boyfriend snaked an arm up around his neck and pulled him in for a deep kiss. When they finally parted, Levi stared down into Eren's eyes  
"You're so beautiful"  
"And you're a total sap. Now, you promised me a walk?"  
"I did, you can even ride on my back"  
"Mmmm... I think I want to walk, but I'll remember that when I regret my choice"

Pullin out a light blue sundress, Levi also grabbed Eren a bra and underwear, as well as his mates socks and shoes. Secretly he loved dressing Eren, it meant he got in a few extra touches and kisses as he did. Eren gave him a shy smile as he returned and Levi rose to help strip his mates pants off, if he was Eren he totally would have just walked around naked. Sliding his hands up, he rubbed Eren's swollen stomach and pressed a kiss to the taunt skin  
"Hello my pups, it's your daddy. I can't wait to meet you babies"  
"I can wait... but I honestly do feel better that they have something"  
"I know baby, and remember Hannes said we can go shopping at the end of school holidays"  
"Yeah, but that's the end of September, I'll be so fat by then"  
"And you'll still be perfect. Now let me dress you"  
After doing up Eren's bra for him, and then helping his mate pull up his underwear and dress, Levi tied the thick blue ribbon into a lopsided bow. He wasn't great at bows, but he intended to get out of it soon. He then helped his mate put his shoes on, and lead him from their room. Hannes was sitting on the sofa watching cartoons and Levi felt kind of bad that the man's two side kicks weren't there   
"Soooo, what are you two doing?"  
"Um... going for a walk"  
"Did you take your tablets?"  
"No, I just woke up"  
"Take your tablets and go have fun, I'll just sit here and watch my 'toons"  
"I think you're just as excited about them as the boys are"  
"Maybe... but don't tell anyone, I've got my image to protect"  
"Hannes, that's long gone now"  
"You're just jealous"  
Eren rolled his eyes and looked to Levi   
"This is what you leave me with"  
"I know, but things will be better when I get my licence... now let's get you drugged up?"  
"You make it sound so bad"  
"No baby, it's just my shitty humour"  
Eren didn't seem all that happy as he downed his pills   
"We can go now right?"  
"Yeah, come on"

Eren was practically glowing as he held Levi's hand tight. The omega seemed not to care the day had darkened further, instead he was busy pointing out flowers and grasses as they walked. His mate had a much better understanding of the forest than he'd expected, but Levi promptly kicked himself. Of course Eren did, he grew up here. Still, Eren in his element was really something else  
"What?"  
Oops. Sprung  
"Nothing, it just looks like you're really happy"  
"It's because you're here... and I think I've hit the point where everything hurts, but the pills help"  
Eren's scent didn't contain pain, and he wondered if that was thanks to whatever drugs Hannes had Eren on  
"Do you wanna ride on my back?"  
"No, not yet. When you hurt your back, you're supposed to keep moving so the muscles don't all cramp up"  
"I just don't want you to be in pain"  
"It's ok, no pain no gain right, and I shouldn't have mentioned it"  
Eren tugged hard on his hand as he began walking slightly faster, leaving Levi frowning at his mate. Eren should be taking things slowly, resting and concentrating on himself... this might have been a stupid idea... but he might only be thinking that because he was nervous as hell. Eren had always been out of his league, even though he'd caught the teen and bonded with him, sometimes the differences in their pasts were glaringly obvious and he fell short in every respect... not just height. Swallowing down the terror starting to brew, he let Eren lead him deeper into the woods.

Eren didn't last long at his faster pace, his mate stumbled and Levi yanked him close  
"Careful there"  
"Sorry..."  
"Let me shift, you didn't get much sleep and you still have to be feeling it"  
Eren blushed lightly and Levi took that as a yes, pressing a lightly kiss to Eren's lips, he stepped away and let himself shift, before laying down so Eren could climb onto his back  
"I forgot how soft your coat it, it feels so nice"  
His mate rubbed the top of his head and Levi rose slowly  
"It's ok alpha, I'm ok"  
It probably took them even longer as Levi padded softly through the woods, Eren insisted it was alright, but he wasn't taking the chance.

"Levi, have you been down here?"  
Nodding at Eren's question, Levi had to carefully negotiate his way down the slope and over to the tent  
"Thank you alpha"  
Laying down, he waited until Eren was off of him before shifting back   
"I came down this morning to air things out"  
"You didn't have to do that"  
"I know, but maybe I wanted to"  
Reaching out to pull him up, Levi used the motion to wrap his arm around his mate  
"I love you, so what do you want to do? The plan was to nap in the sun, but the suns kind of run away"  
"I can live with cuddles in the tent, but please tell me there's food here, I'm starving"  
"Yes there's food, you wait here and I'll put the blankets back in the tent"  
"Levi, I can help you know"  
"Or you could stand there and let me do this for you"  
Eren sighed, but his mate remained standing like he was told.

With the tent filled with the blankets again, Eren and Levi were enjoying their picnic of sorts. Eren was sitting in his lap, letting Levi feed him and Levi was nuzzling the omegas neck as he did  
"You can't possibly be horny still"  
"Maybe... it's your fault for being irresistible"  
"I think you're blind, how's your back?"  
"You're the one with the sore back"  
"But you're the one who carried me"  
"Princess, I'm fine, but..."  
His sentence was cut off by the pattering of rain atop the tent  
"The tents water proof"  
"Then let me close it at least..."  
Of all the days it had to fucking rain, it has to be right now when they were in the middle of nowhere and he couldn't get Eren home without his mate getting wet. Sliding out from behind Eren, Levi zipped the tent close, before climbing back across the blankets  
"I guess we're stuck here"  
"There's worse places we could be stuck"  
Finishing his sandwich, Eren wrapped the other half and put it back in the container. His mate then moved the bag out the way and moved to slide under the blankets, leaving Levi to follow suit. Gathering Eren up against him, Levi nuzzled his boyfriends face and gently pressed small kisses to his lips  
"It feels like it's been forever since we had any alone time"  
"I seem to remember having alone time last night and this morning"  
"But we weren't properly alone, just you and me... without the kids and Hannes and now Farlan around"  
"Yeah... even at home we're always waiting on getting the kids or there's housework to be done"  
Eren hummed and pulled back slightly, Levi smirked at the dusting of red across his mates cheeks and slid his hand up and along Eren's thigh  
"Now who's horny"  
"I blame you"  
"I guess I'll just have to give you a helping hand"  
"Maybe you will"  
Sliding Eren's underwear down enough to tease and work his lovers erection, Eren made the most sinful moans and whimpers as he panted in his ear. This day wasn't going as planned at all. It was supposed to be warm and sunny, and they were going to nap, then have lunch and then during lunch he was going to propose and then came the sex... Eren pulled him back to reality by nuzzling furiously against his neck  
"Need you..."  
His mate let out a disappointed whine as Levi released him, before nudging Eren on to his back. His mates underwear was soaked at the back, stroking Levi's ego. Eren was still getting so wet for him and still wanted his knot so badly, even when pregnant with their pups, what kind of alpha could resist such a sinful treat.

Pulling back to undo his jeans, he watched as Eren's hand slid down and his mate began to play with himself, one hand jerked his erection slowly, moving to thumb and rub at the leaking slit, while the other massaged and worked his left breast. Eren's breaths fell in pants, and Levi was mesmerised by the sight   
"It looks like you don't need me"  
Eren spread his legs wider  
"Always need you"

After the least coordinated sex they'd ever had, Eren was now curled up in his hold. The dress had been practically ripped from Eren's body and the teen now needed a new bra, but Eren was practically purring in his. Reaching blindly behind him, Eren whined in annoyance as Levi was forced to seperate ever so slightly  
"I'm still here, hold on"  
Snagging the strap of his bag, Levi let out a mental cheer as he drew it over to himself and fumbled around inside until he finally found the ring box  
"Levi... its cold"  
"Sorry baby, give me a second"  
While trying to push his bag out the way, the ring box fell out of his hold and Levi groaned at himself in annoyance. Having to roll all the way over to find the thing was less than smooth, but some how it had ended up at the edge of the blankets. Opening it slightly, he checked the ring was still safely inside, before rolling back and cuddling around Eren... only for his mate to let out a loud nasally snore... this was ridiculous. Placing the box down on the other side of Eren, Levi sighed as he settled down and repositioned Eren in his hold. His brat was so damn lucky he loved him.

 

*  
Eren shivered in Levi's hold. The wind had picked up, and his alpha was snoring against him, complete oblivious to what was happening outside the world of his own creation. Squirming slightly, Eren frowned as something caught against his stomach, and thanks to Levi's ridiculously strong hold, he had to awkwardly slid his hand down and feel around. Catching then unknown item with his fingernails, Eren scratched at it until he could finally pull it into his hold. But he couldn't actually do anything now he had it. Levi's arm was across his elbows, and his stomach meant he couldn't see his hand, and it was just a mess of tangled limbs... but he had to know what it was in his hold now that his curiosity had been sparked. Squirming harder in Levi's hold, his alpha let out a growl, but his hold eased a fraction and Eren slid to freedom... well as free as he could get himself without letting go of the mystery time and waking Levi. Raising the item up to look at it, his heart began to pound, a ring box? Given it was here that surely meant that Levi bought it for him...  
"Levi..."  
His mate gave a groan, so Eren shook him harder  
"What? What's wrong? Shit, it sounds like a storm outside"  
His alpha took a moment to notice what was in his hold  
"Levi, is this?"  
Levi took the box from his hands and let out a sad sigh  
"This wasn't what I planned at all"  
His mates whole frame seemed to shrink back and Eren frowned as he rolled towards his alpha  
"Levi, hey, why do you look so sad?"  
"Because this isn't what I had planned at all. We were supposed to laze around in the sun and then we were going to have lunch, and then... I suppose you saw..."  
"No, I haven't looked on the box. I woke up and was digging into my stomach"  
"You don't have to lie to make me feel better"  
"Levi, I'm not lying..."  
His mate looked up sadly and Eren nodded  
"Now tell me what came after lunch"  
Levi let out a sigh   
"You really are something else... this isn't anything like how it was supposed to go. But Eren, I love you. I love you all the time and even when you're going crazy, I still love you. You're such a good omega to me and the boys, and you're a much better person than me in every respect. But baby, I love you so much and I want to give you everything I can. I want to fix up our home, I want to buy you all the nice things you deserve, I want to pamper you and make you feel loved everyday... and I know I'm broke, and I will probably never live up to your standards, but I want to marry you"  
Levi opened the small box, and Eren had his breath taken away. It was a small and simple ring, but it was perfect   
"Levi, that proposal was terrible. I don't need all those nice things, I just need you and the kids. You're an amazing alpha to me and the boys, and you love us so much. That's what matters"  
"I really don't deserve you"  
"Levi, just hurry up and put the ring on my finger so that I can kiss my fiancé"  
Sitting up so Levi could slide the promise ring from his finger, Eren's face was covered with silent happy tears as the engagement ring was slid into its place  
"Do... do you like it?"  
"Yeah... its perfect..."  
Leaning into kiss Levi happily, he could feel the tension melting from his mates shoulders. He didn't understand why Levi had been so worried, of course he wanted to marry his alpha. As the kiss ended, Levi moved to cup his face in his warm hands  
"So that's a yes?"  
"Of course that's a yes. How could think it would be anything but a yes?"  
"Because we are currently stuck in a tent in the middle of a storm"  
"Then we'll just have to cuddle close to stay warm"  
Levi nodded as if he hadn't noticed the flirty tone in Eren's voice  
"Yeah... you better cuddle up against me. You look really tired still"  
"I'm not tired anymore"  
"But you've hardly gotten any sleep today"  
"Levi, we just got engaged and you think I want to sleep now?"  
"I don't know... I can't think... you said yes and made me too happy to think"  
"Levi, kisses, and then sex and then cuddles... I want to feel connected to my fiancé"  
"But..."  
"Nope. Stop thinking. Start doing"  
It was like his mate was in shock, so Eren took the lead, guiding Levi back so he could straddle his mates hips  
"Mmm, my smart and sexy fiancé... Eren Ackerman..."  
Levi blinked up at him and his mate finally smiled   
"I like the sound of that"  
"So do I... but we need better vows for the wedding than the ones from the bath"  
"I don't know, they were very us"  
They really kind of were. Eren's heart was still racing, and he couldn't describe how happy he was... there just weren't enough words in the world. Levi truly loved him, enough to marry him... and he actually had the ring to prove it.

The rain continued to pour, and desire the steamy atmosphere of he tent, Eren was tired and cold, he just wanted to go home. He wanted a hot shower, and then more cuddles with his fiancé. Smiling down at his ring, he still couldn't quite believe he was Levi's fiancé and he wanted to scream it for the whole world to hear  
"Princess, come back here"  
"I need to pee"  
"But it's wet out there"  
Unzipping the tent flap, Eren was hit with a gust of cold wet wind, he really didn't want to go out there, but... he needed to pee. Stepping into the muddy grass, Eren winced. It felt revolting, and he had to cautiously pick his way past the tent, getting throughly wet in the process. Returning to the tent, Eren grabbed his dress and pulled it over his wet frame, he wanted a bath... preferably with Levi and then warm clothes and soup would be so good, and cuddles...  
"Levi, can we go home now? I don't think the rains going to let up... and it's getting pretty cold"  
His alpha rose and cross to stick his head out the tent flaps   
"Shit... yeah... those clouds aren't going anywhere... let me grab the bag, and you need a blanket. You're soaked"  
Eren nodded, his dress was already clinging to his body uncomfortably and he couldn't stop shivering. 

The sun was down by the time they arrived back at the house. The blanket was gone, Eren was soaked and splattered with mud and completely frozen. He soooo hadn't imagined the day he got engaged to his mate that it would end up like this... but despite everything he still had the ring on his finger and his mate by his side  
"Hannes! Blankets!"  
Levi practically screamed for the man and Eren was kind of shocked, his alpha hefted him up, despite the fact he could walk  
"Levi, you're over reacting, put me down"  
"You're frozen. Hannes, can you put extra blankets on our bed"  
"What the hell? Why didn't you guys just stay where you were?"  
"Because it was cold... can you tell Levi to put me down?"  
"Levi, get him into the bath and warmed up. I'll heat up some soup"  
Everyone was totally overreacting. Farlan was holding the kids back on the sofa, Levi was carrying him around like he wasn't 6 months pregnant and Hannes was... well... Hannes  
"I'm fine, you can calm down now"  
"You're lips are blue"  
"Then let me get into the bath already"  
Levi insisted on carrying him into the bathroom and laying him in the bath. Before turning the warm water on and tugging off his backpack  
"Levi, calm down"  
"No. I never should have taken you out today, it was stupid"  
"It wasn't stupid"  
"It was, now you're all cold and muddy. Today was total fucking shut shit"  
Ouch... it wasn't that terrible... they'd had sex and picnic and napped and gotten engaged and had more sex... and it would have been fine if it hadn't been so wet and cold... it wasn't like he hadn't been insanely happy or anything... Covering his face with his hands, Eren's whole body shook as he began to cry. He was angry and hurt beyond words. They'd gotten engaged and now Levi was saying it was stupid and shit?  
"Let's get you out of these wet clothes"  
A crack echoed through the bathroom as Eren slapped his alpha's hand  
"Don't you dare fucking touch me! Get out!"  
"Eren?"  
"Get the fuck out!"  
"Princess, you need to calm down"  
Yeah, no, that wasn't happening right now. Didn't Levi understand what he'd said and how much it hurt? Ripping the engagement ring off his finger, Eren threw it as hard as he could  
"Get the fuck out Levi! Just leave me alone!"  
"What the hell Eren! Why are you throwing a tantrum? I really don't get you sometimes..."  
"Why don't you think about what you say before you say it! Hannes! Hannes!"  
Levi looked towards the bathroom door, it only took a moment for Hannes to be standing there  
"What's going on here?"  
"Get Levi out of here! I don't want to see him! Especially since I apparently mean shit to him"  
Covering his face again, Eren pulled his knees up as he tied, and failed, to curl into a ball  
"Levi, I think maybe you should let me talk to Eren"  
"But..."  
"Just go away!"  
How many times did he needed to tell the alpha to leave. He'd been so happy, every time he'd catch site of the ring, he'd smile like an idiot, despite being freezing cold...  
"Fine! Do whatever the fuck you want!"  
Levi slammed the bathroom door on the way out and Eren let out a whimper as he flinched away from the sound.

Having crossed to sit by the bathtub, Hannes turned the taps off and let out a sigh   
"Let's get you out of that dress"  
Shaking his head, Eren dissolved further, sobbing hard enough that his throat hurt and he couldn't catch his breath. A strong arm wrapped around his shoulder and he was pulled closer to Hannes   
"You need to calm down Eren, you're still cold as ice and the stress isn't good for the pups"  
Hannes rubbed his back, as he talked Eren through breathing in and out until Eren could finally breathe properly. Laying his head against the side of the bathtub, Eren just felt exhausted  
"Can you tell me what happened?"  
"L-Levi... he proposed to me... I was so happy Hannes... he... he didn't really have the most romantic speech... but I was so happy..."  
"Then why are you fighting? And where's the ring?"  
Eren sniffled as he shook his head  
"It's in here somewhere, I threw it"  
"I don't think I'm getting the whole picture here"  
"We went out to our spot, and we ate and then... we napped and I woke up to the ring box half under my stomach, when I found out what it was, I woke Levi up and he proposed to me... given how cold and wet it was outside, we waited in the tent, but it didn't get any better and now he's saying that the whole thing was stupid and shit... I was happy... I feel stupid for being so happy... it's like he doesn't even care that I'm ok..."  
Eren's words were soft and mumbled, he was cold all over again, but this was a kind of numbness. Hannes's hand moved to gently stroke his hair  
"I think he was freaking out over you"  
"But I'm ok... I got wet and cold, but it wasn't like he planned for us to get stuck in that storm. It just feels like he regrets it now... and I don't even know where the ring is"  
"Lets get you out of that dress, and I'll hunt around for your ring as you clean up"  
Eren shook his head, his heart felt like it had broken into a hundred tiny pieces   
"He doesn't want me... he was just doing what was right"  
"Eren, he does want you. He told me this morning he was going to propose to you and he never would have bought the ring if he didn't"  
"I'm sorry Hannes... I can't deal with this... anymore"  
"That's ok, let me help"  
Hannes helped him out the saturated dress, and got the body wash out the shower so Eren could clean himself down. They didn't really talk, but Hannes washed his hair for him, even using the measuring jug to rinse it out like they did with the boys. Helping him from the bath, Hannes wrapped him in his towel and sat him down on the toilet  
"I'm going to hunt for that ring. You stay put"  
Eren wasn't sure he could have moved anyway. He felt bone tired, but his mind wouldn't shut up and his stomach was doing backflips  
"Can you give me something so I can sleep? I don't feel very good"  
"Ok, but the ring comes first. I want to see it"  
Hannes hunted around the room until finally finding it on the bathroom counter  
"That was a pretty good throw, it was sitting between the handwash and toothpaste. Levi did a nice job choosing, he probably went with an emerald to match your eyes  
"I don't know..."  
Pressing the small ring into his hand, Hannes helped him stand and through to the bedroom  
"I'll get your pyjama pants and a long top. You might have warmed up, but it's still pretty cold inside"  
Hannes was right, Eren could already feel the goosebumps returning. Hannes helped him dry off, and Eren didn't even have the energy to feel embarrassed like he normal would. The man then helped him into bed and got him sitting against the bedhead  
"I want you to eat something, from memory we have canned soup somewhere"  
"I'm not hungry"  
"Sorry, but these are doctors orders. You haven't had much sleep, I bet whatever you ate you burned off having sex and then you got soaking wet. I'll grab you something to sleep, but you have to eat first"  
"Fine, I'm too tired to argue... have the boys eaten?"  
"They had a snack when they got home from school, but it wasn't dinner time yet, probably is by now though"  
"Can I have cuddles with them? After dinner?"  
"I'll settle them down in here for the night, the way that winds picked up outside, it sounds miserable"  
Eren nodded, and Hannes left him alone. He'd gotten engaged to his mate and now everything had gone to shit... what if this was a sign of things to come and this is how it would be from now on?


	80. Chapter 80

Having finally showered, Levi was quietly simmering with anger. He was angry at Eren and angry with himself. He didn't understand why his mate had gotten so angry, so suddenly, and slapped him away. Marching back into the living room, he noted the absence of Hannes, the man had been squinting at a soup can when he'd left to shower, so apparently he'd figured it out  
"What do you guys want for dinner?"  
"Food!"  
Biting down a growl, Levi leant on the counter, his anger growing at the soup dribbled across it. Couldn't Hannes clean this shit up?! Grabbing the cloth from the sink, he was pissed off further to find it had been left in a wet heap. Did no one do anything around this fucking shitty house? Letting out a growl, he rinsed the stupid cloth and started cleaning up the mess Hannes left  
"Daaaaad, what's for dinner?"  
Hadn't he just asked what they wanted? Taking a deep breath, he looked over to the boys  
"What do you want?"  
"Spaghetti! The one that mum makes with meat and that other stuff..."  
"Mums busy"  
"But dad! That's what we want!"  
"Well you'll have to put up with me making it!"  
Fuck, he'd snapped at the boys... he'd gotten engaged to Eren today, how had things gone so shit so fast? And why did his omega want to be left alone so badly? He'd hunted for the ring in the bathroom and hadn't found anything, so didn't know if Eren had it or if it had been lost down a drain or something  
"Farlan, dad's mad at us, isn't he?"  
"Why would he be mad at you?"  
"I don't know... but he's being scary"  
Ren sounded upset, which did nothing to make Levi feel better   
"I'm not mad at you... I upset your mother and I don't know how"  
Eli let out a groan   
"Dad, don't let it get you down. Mum's always being weird"  
Great, now he needed his 5 year old to comfort him.

Taking out the tomatoes, onions, garlic, parsley and celery, Levi started dicing them as the mince defrosted. Hannes had managed to splatter soup all over the inside of the microwave and once again, the alpha cursed the man  
"What's for dinner?"  
Looking at Hannes, Levi eyed the bowl in his hand  
"Didn't you just have dinner?"  
"Oh this? Nah, this was for Eren. He's asleep now. Oh, he wants the boys to sleep in there tonight"  
Eren was asleep... well that ruled out talking to his mate tonight   
"Fine, he can have whatever he wants"  
"Is that because you're angry, or because you love him and you're sorry for what you said?"  
"Both. I don't even know why he snapped"  
Hannes placed the bowl in the sink before leaning on the counter across from him  
"Do the words "today was shit and stupid", ring a bell?"  
"Well it was. Nothing went as plan. The weather didn't cooperate, I fucked up my proposal. Eren was frozen cold and covered in mud and then he started crying and yelling at me"  
"Because he didn't care how the day went, he was happy you wanted to marry him and then you bitched about it. He thinks you did it because you thought you had to..."  
Hannes reached out and smacked him upside the back of the head, letting out a growl, Levi slammed the knife down  
"What the fuck am I supposed to do? I'm trying to make him happy, and then he yells at me. He was soaked through, nothing went as planned..."  
"He didn't care. He was happy because you proposed. I found the engagement ring, and it's on the bedside table now"  
At least it wasn't missing...  
"So what's for dinner?"  
"Spag bog"  
"Oooh, nice. Want some help?"  
"No, I just want to get this done"  
"Ok"  
Hannes headed over to sofa and put the cartoons on, leaving Levi alone to brood as he made dinner... he really had fucked up by the seems of it.

 

*  
Eren was acting creepily normal the next morning. The ring was on his finger, and Eren was actually cooking breakfast when he finally woke up. The smell of pancakes had Levi's stomach rumbling, his version of spaghetti bolognese was no where near as his mates and he hadn't had much of an appetite. The boys had already been bathed, and the pair were watching cartoons on the sofa. Walking into the kitchen, Levi watched awkwardly. His tongue felt thick and heavy, and he didn't know what to say to his mate   
"How many pancakes do you want?"  
Not expecting to be talked to, Levi jumped  
"Uh... 3's fine"  
"Why don't you watch cartoons with the boys. Is Farlan getting up?"  
"No, it's too early for him"  
"Ok. Hannes is already at work"  
Levi nodded and headed over to sit with the boys, he lifted Ren into his lap  
"What are we watching?"  
"Cartoons..."  
Dah. Obviously. Silly daddy. He had no idea what was on, but the foxes on the screen were kind of cute, though calling an orange fox "pumpkin" didn't seem terribly original.

After breakfast, Eren still seemed happy enough as they dropped the boys off at school. The storm had done some impressive damage and branches were being cleared off the road as they drove past. Arriving at the school, Eren kissed him on the cheek and then smiled as he climbed out the car. It was like his mate hadn't screamed at him at all... climbing out his own side, Levi helped Ren out the car, and held the boys hand as the walked to class. A tree had fallen across the basketball court, and both boys were in awe of the men cutting the tree into manageable pieces   
"Dad, what are the using?"  
"Their called chainsaws"  
"Have you used a chained saw before?"  
"Yep, but not for a long time"  
"They're really loud"  
"Yeah..."  
The boys teacher was standing outside the front of the classroom as they approached   
"Eren! We tried to call, but there's problems with the lines, there's no class for the rest of the week. We had a branch come through the window and it's just not safe to have the kids in the classroom"  
Levi expected Eren to sigh, but his mate just nodded  
"Ok, so school again on Monday?"  
"Yeah, I'm sorry about this"  
"It's fine, come on boy, I think this means cartoons at home"  
Levi was growing more and more confused. This was all too normal. His mate even started humming as they walked back to Jeep. Pinching himself hard, Levi rubbed the spot angrily, he definitely wasn't asleep.

He had to wait until they were home before he could take Eren by the arm and lead him into their room. His mate sat on the edge of the bed, so Levi sank down next to him, their arms touching, but he didn't dare reach out and take his mates hand   
"Eren. You're still upset aren't you?"  
Eren looked genuinely confused  
"About what?"  
"Yesterday?"  
"Oh... nah, it's fine"  
"If you're mad, you should tell me"  
"But I'm not mad"  
"Then why haven't you said anything about it?"  
"Because you were right, and I was selfish. At the end of the day you still asked me to marry you and that made me so fucking happy..."  
"But you yelled at me to go away"  
"Because... no. Never mind. We aren't talking about it. You want to marry me right?"  
"Yeah"  
"Then its fine. Can we make it Facebook official?"  
"If want to?"  
"And can we take a selfie?"  
"Sure... are you sure you aren't mad?"  
"I was, and I was hurt, but I had a great nights sleep and the boys had both shifted and curled around me while I was sleep, so I woke up feeling the love. But you do have a horrible way of phrasing things"  
"It was just, I had this whole plan in my head and you ended up soaking wet"  
"And yet, here I am, just fine. Now can we please make it official...? I want to show off this ring"  
"It's not that fancy... should I have got you something better?"  
Eren scowled at him  
"Levi, its perfect. It's nice and simple and it's what you chose for me. Hannes says you chose an emerald because my eyes are green"  
"He's right, it stupid isn't it?"  
"Stop saying that. I don't know why it's suddenly in your head that everything's stupid, but I hate it. It makes me feel like you're trying to say I'm stupid because I love you and you think your stupid..."  
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Levi sighed  
"That's not it. I just don't know what I'm doing anymore"  
"And you think I do?"  
"You're doing better than me"  
"Levi, you're over thinking things. I just need to be by my side... and pick up everything from hip height and below because it's way too much effort"  
"Ok... so, can I have a selfie with my fiancé?"  
Eren smiled at him beautifully as he leant over and grabbed his phone  
"We gotta have the ring in it to"  
"Of course..."  
Holding Eren's hand in front of the camera, the two dorks posed, Levi kissing Eren's cheek as he did  
"Don't forget to tag me"  
"I will, and can we set our relationship to engaged?"  
"Yeah... hey Eren, we're engaged"  
Eren grinned at him as he nodded, his mates eyes sparkled with happiness and Levi's heart skipped a beat  
"I love you... even if I say stupid things"  
"And I love you, even if you do say stupid things"  
Watching Eren upload the photo, they tried to come up with a witty caption, but came up short. Instead Eren went with "Guess what happened?". It wasn't like Levi had a better idea.

Within 10 minutes, Eren had a phone call from Reiner. Levi was going to leave his mate to it, but Eren took his hand and he knew he wasn't going anywhere. It seemed Reiner wanted all the details, but Eren skipped the storm, and their fight, instead just saying that Levi proposed out at the place where they first met. The conversation then moved onto the pups and then how Levi was going at school. He would have been able to contribute to the call if Eren had bothered to put it on speakerphone, but he understood his omega probably needed to talk to his friend as Reiner seemed to be the only one making effort. The alpha wondered if he should have maybe told Eren about the surprise baby shower, but Mikasa and Armin had had a month since then, and the few days since he'd run into them, to make contact with Eren again. It wasn't like his mate wouldn't listen to what the pair had to say, and he knew Eren was missing them like crazy. In the end, Eren was on the phone to Reiner for a good hour before hanging up, and letting out a sigh as he did  
"You ok?"  
"Yeah... Reiner and Bertholdt both say congratulations"  
"I guessed as much. What else did they have to say?"  
"Not much, well, they're coming for a visit in November, which they both insisted wasn't because of the pups... but given they wanted to know when I was due, I'd say otherwise... the also wanted to know how your classes were going, I said they were alright... which they are, right?"  
"Yep. Dave is actually a pretty good teacher, he's been helping me out with my project"  
"Very nice... you still haven't told me what your making"  
"That's because I have no idea how it's going to turn out"  
"Even if it's shoddy as hell, I'll still be proud of you. I'm really proud you're doing something you love... even if we have to be apart"  
Eren rested his head against Levi's shoulder with a small sigh  
"It won't be forever baby..."  
Fuck it... Eren needed this...  
"There's an open day coming up... I was wondering if maybe you'd like to come see my class"  
"Really? It won't be embarrassing?"  
"Why would it be embarrassing?"  
"Because the boys aren't always on their best behaviour... and I'm kind of pregnant"  
Frowning in annoyance, Levi released Eren's hand and wrapped his arm around his mate  
"You could never be embarrassing"  
"But I'm fat"  
"You're pregnant"  
"And the only things I really have to wear are sweat pants and dresses"  
"So what? You look amazing in both... but you do look even better naked"  
"Levi..."  
Eren's phone started ringing again and Levi groaned internally. Eren was being so adorable and they hadn't had sex last night...  
"It's Grandpa"  
"You'd better answer it"  
Eren nodded and answered the call, Levi could hear the old man gushing over the ring. Eren had so many people who loved him, he just wished his mates father could be one of them... but at the same time, he didn't want his mate having any kind of relationship with the man. He could never forgive Grisha for what he'd done and how badly he'd fucked with Eren's head. His mate was still recovering and it had been over year. It wasn't fair on Eren and it wasn't fair on him and the boys. 

Unlike his call with Reiner, Eren was only on the phone for maybe 5 minutes before hanging up  
"Grandpa says congratulations and he expects us for dinner at 6"  
"We're having dinner there?"  
"Apparently... Levi, I don't want to get up and adult. The boys have probably destroyed the house by now"  
"Then you can watch a movie and I'll clean up"  
"Or we could just watch movies..."  
"Yeah, that plans better. Do you want anything to drink or eat?"  
"What I really want is a strawberry sundae, but we don't have ice cream or strawberries"  
"Sooo juice?"  
"Please..."  
Eren hissed as he pulled back and snatched Levi's hand before pressing it to his stomach. The pups were really kicking and there was little wonder his mate had hissed  
"I don't think I'll ever get over this"  
"You would if you were carrying them... but it's kind of nice to feel them movie and know they're alright"  
"Yeah..."  
Going to kiss his mate, Eren rose and Levi was left sitting on the bed as his mate quietly walked from the room. Stupid adulting and being good parents.

Walking into the living room, he found the twins sitting quietly on the sofa. Ren had Mr Kitty, and Eli has Titan, both cats happily curled up in the hold  
"Do you guys want a drink?"  
"Can we have milk?"  
"Sure, mum and I were thinking of watching a movie, what do you want to watch?"  
"Can we watch Lego?"  
"Which one?"  
"I don't know, I can't move, Mr Kitty will be mad if I do"  
"Ok, well let me get your milk and then we'll pick a movie"  
Finding some cookies in the cupboard, Levi handed them and the milk over, before backtracking to get Eren his juice. He was settled comfortably when Eren came stumbling out  
"Sorry, Sasha called to congratulate us"  
"How is she? Is she still with Connie?"  
"Yep. She's good. She's studying at the same college as Mikasa and Armin, except she's going vet science"  
"I always pictured her being a chef"  
"No, she'd eat all the food if she was. Her parents used to work with animals or something like that... anyway, what are we watching?"  
"The boys wanna watch Lego"  
"Lego movie it is"  
"Have I seen this one?"  
"I don't think so... do you remember Unikitty?"  
"What the hell is that?"  
"That's a no then"  
It was kind of funny watching Eren awkwardly bend to snag the DVD from the rack, but it was also adorable, his mate cursed his stomach before quickly apologising to the swell. Placing the DVD into the slot, Eren looked to the sofa  
"Someone's gonna have to move"  
"Nope, you're going to come sit in my lap so I can cuddle my fiancé"  
Eren blushed at the word "fiancé" and Levi reached out towards him  
"I don't think I'm going to get used to being your fiancé"  
"I don't mind if you blush like that every time I mention it. It's adorable"

 

*  
Getting boys up and ready, Eren dressed as nice as he could. He really needed more clothes now that he was further along, but they didn't have the money and he didn't even want to think about how much the ring on his finger had cost his mate. He still couldn't believe it. Sliding the white dress on, he frowned at how tight it had become. It'd been lose when he brought it. Coming up behind him, Levi's hands moved to caress his stomach  
"You look amazing"  
"Yet I feel like a whale. Do you think this dress will be alright? I mean, it is a bit tight..."  
"You look perfect, and your boobs like huge"  
"Thanks for the reminder, they feel really heavy and swollen"  
"I can rub them better"  
Levi's hand slid up and the alpha massaged lightly  
"Levi... I'm going to get hard..."  
"That's the plan"  
"But we have to go to dinner"  
His alpha grumbled about him being a spoilsport, but pulled back  
"Are the boys ready?"  
"Yep. We should probably go"  
"And the big kid is ready?"  
"Yeah, Farlan's waiting in the living room with the kids"  
"I'm surprised he hadn't gone back to Izzy yet"  
"Well we're leaving tomorrow morning, so one more night isn't going to hurt"  
"I suppose... it's just so weird they're fighting to begin with"  
"She's not the same Izzy we knew and loved"  
"I would say being pregnant doesn't change you that much, but it kind of does"  
"Hormones are scary..."  
Eren nodded and turned in Levi's hold  
"We have to go, but if you're a good alpha, I'll let you undress me later"  
"How am I supposed to say no to that?"  
"You're not"

 

Arriving at the Arlerts, Eren pulled in behind a car he didn't know  
"You didn't say someone else was going to be here"  
"That's because I didn't know"  
"So it's not one of Hannes's cars?"  
Eren shook his head, it was too nice looking to be one of Hannes's  
"Guys, how about we get out the car and go see who it is?"  
"Look at him, just because he's the oldest kid in the car, he thinks he's so smart"  
Eren snorted at Levi's words and Farlan let out a huff   
"Don't worry uncle Farlan, daddy's just as weird as mum"  
"I don't know..."  
"Are you calling my mate weird?"  
"He'd have to be to put up with you"  
"He's engaged to me now"  
"Eren, are you sure? It's not to late to run"  
Eren swallowed, he knew Farlan was only joking, but he felt uncomfortable after the conversation he'd had with Levi that morning  
"Leave him alone. Come princess, dinner awaits"

Standing on the front door step, Eren didn't know why he was so nervous. It was just dinner with grandpa... and the owner of the mystery car... with a sigh of annoyance, Farlan reached past him and pressed the buzzer, the teen earning himself a glare from Levi   
"Well it wasn't going to push its self"  
When the door opened, Eren was sure they were all pretty shocked. Armin was standing there with a glass of wine in his hand and grin on his face  
"Congratulations!"  
Eren staggered back slightly as Armin wrapped his arm around him. His heart was pounding and he felt like he was going to puke. He wasn't ready to face Armin, especially given his friend didn't seem to have any time for him any more  
"Come on in already, Grandpa's been talking about the ring and he's dying to see it"  
Did that mean Armin wasn't? He wasn't anywhere near ok with this. He stumbled into the house and Levi took his arm, leaning in close to whisper   
"It's ok baby, I'm here"  
Yeah, he'd probably be crying by now if Levi wasn't here. Following Armin through to the kitchen, Grandpa Arlert immediately shuffled over and took his hand   
"Very nice. Levi, you made a good choice"  
"With both the ring and the omega wearing it. Thanks for inviting us over for dinner. You remember our other kid, Farlan, don't you?"  
Farlan rolled his eyes  
"Sometime I swear he was dropped on his head at birth"  
"Come take a seat, the more the merrier, and now Armin's here"  
"I saw the car in the drive way, is that yours Armin?"  
At least Farlan asking meant Eren didn't have to  
"No, it's Mikasa's, she loaned it to me so I could come home for the evening. She would have been here, but she has night classes on Wednesday"  
Why would Mikasa come? Levi left his side to help the boys wash their hands and Eren felt naked without him by his side. Moving to take a seat, he began to chew on his lip  
"So when did Levi? Propose?"  
Armin sat across from him and Eren felt like a bug under a microscope   
"Yesterday..."  
"And you waited until now to announce it?"  
"They had a fight last night, but you wouldn't know it now"  
"Oh, were Eren's hormones out of control again"  
What the fuck... his hormones levels were back to where they were supposed to be and for the most part, he wasn't as moody or messed up as before. But it felt like Armin was taking a dig at him  
"No, I didn't think about what I was saying and upset him. We got caught up in that storm, and I was more worried about getting him warm than I was about what was coming out my mouth"  
Grandpa Arlert placed the roast he'd done down in front of them  
"That storm came out of nowhere"  
"Yeah, the school took some damage, so the boys don't have school until Monday"  
Armin was still staring at him, but with Mr Arlert now directing the conversation, Eren could mostly ignore that  
"How are they doing?"  
"Alright. Things settled down after first day, but not they don't want to go when Levi's home"  
"I bet they don't. How about you Levi? How's your classes going?"  
"Pretty good. We have a good teacher, and yeah. I like it for the most part"  
"That's good"  
Grandpa Arlert started carving the roast and Eren supposed he should make an effort... even if it was kind of scary   
"H-how about you and Mikasa?"  
"Me?"  
"Y-yeah... with your classes?"  
"Pretty good. The college has an amazing library, and content is just had enough to be interesting without being too complex"  
"That's good"  
"Yeah, Mikasa's going really well too. She's dating Jean now"  
She was what? Since when? And why? She didn't even like him that much...  
"Wow! Her and Jean, never would have seen it"  
Saved again by Farlan   
"You'd be surprised what happens when people grow apart"  
If Armin had a problem, why couldn't he just say it  
"Anyway, Eli how's your face now? You broke your nose right?"  
"It's fine... it really hurt, but Hannes made it all better"  
"Well that's good. I couldn't believe it when I saw what had happened"  
"That's because he was jumping on the sofa and didn't want to listen. He's just lucky that we had the ute at home, other wise I would have had to wait for Hannes to come out to the house"  
Grandpa Arlert placed two thick slices of pork down on the face and Eren's stomach clenched uncomfortably at the knife in the man's hand. This was getting beyond a joke  
"Eren, are you alright? You've gone pale all of a sudden"  
"I'm fine, just baby stuff"  
"How are our two babies?"  
"Good... loving kicking the hell out of me. Hannes says my hormone levels are back to normal and all my blood tests look good. He's even taken a sample and he's going to find out where dad came from, like the wolf line"  
"It's amazing what they can do these days"  
"Yeah, its funny though. We're still waiting on stuff from Marley, but we should know the results within the next two weeks..."  
"You still haven't got it?"  
"Nope... Reiner did warn me it would take some time, but I didn't think it would be this long. But I also wouldn't put it past Hannes having already picked it up and left it at the hospital instead of bring it home"  
Grandpa Arlert nodded, moving on to serve everyone else   
"It's good you've got him for support"  
"I know. He was going to move out months ago, but now Levi's at school, he's going to wait until next year. Personally I think it's because he can watch cartoon with the kids"  
Grandpa Arlert let out a laugh  
"It's like he's a big kid"  
"He really is, you should see him. He gets right into watching cartoons with the boys, and he knows what's going on in each of them"  
Eren nodded at Levi's words  
"So how many days is class for you Levi?"  
"Monday, Thursday and Friday. But I also work Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So I'm only really in Shinganshima from Monday afternoon, until Thursday morning"  
"That's not very long"  
"That's why every moment counts. It sucks that I can't be with Eren more, but we make it work"  
"And Hannes helps"  
"Yeah. And Grandpa Arlert, he total helped us out"  
"Grandpa is good like that"  
Eren nodded  
"Yeah. I just wish I could visit more often. I just end up so tired. I drop the boys at school, and then there housework to do, or Hannes will need a hand, and when I finally think I have time for nap, it's time to pick the boys up"  
"It can't be that bad"  
"Just wait until you're a parent Armin. Two little boys who just want to play, I can imagine the chaos"  
"Especially because I haven't been able to bend to clean up properly lately. But even when Levi or Hannes clean, it looks like a tornado has hit 10 minutes later. They got hold of textas the other day... never again"  
Grandpa Arlert let out a happy laugh  
"One time you and Armin got hold of pencils and redecorated the hallways. You were both so proud of yourselves"  
Eren groaned  
"I am so sorry... if I knew then what I know now"  
"It was fine, nothing that a little wallpaper didn't cover"  
Armin didn't look particularly pleased, and Eren had a feeling that this animosity he was getting from the teen came from the fact he didn't get to see the old man as much as he would like. It wasn't like he wanted there to be a distance, but he didn't know if he was going to upset Armin by being here and it was just a stupid mess.

After dinner Eren was ushered into the living room with the twins, while Farlan and Levi did the dishes and Eren wished Levi was there to act as a buffer. The best he could do was sit the twins between him and Armin   
"So when's the wedding going to be?"  
"We aren't sure... we're kind of saving up again from scratch, and the things we need for the pups and boys come first"  
"Fair enough, do you know where you want to have it?"  
Yes... but that wasn't going to happen. He wants grandpa Arlert there and the old can couldn't be expected to traipse through the woods to get there  
"No... well, it'll be in town or maybe in Trost. Levi wants do all these nice things for me, but all I want is for things to go smoothly and to marry him"  
"And I'm sure they will"  
"Of course, you and Hannes will be there... I kind of want both of you to give me away. The last time I saw Grisha, he told me he wished he'd killed me, and you both have been more of a father to me than he ever has... I mean, that's if you want to"  
Grandpa Arlert beamed  
"Of course I'd love to"  
He hadn't really given it much thought, but he really did want both men included  
"And Farlan will probably be Levi's best man. That's if Izzy let's him"  
"I noticed the lack of Isabel"  
"She's pregnant too, and apparently she'd become scary. She threw them both out the house on Monday, so Farlan is taking Levi back to Trost tomorrow"  
"That worked out nicely then"  
"Yeah... it's nice Levi has somewhere to stay"  
Eli crawled into his lap, and Eren loosely wrapped his arms around his son  
"What's up baby?"  
"I don't want daddy to go"  
"I know, but he's doing this for us"  
"But it's not fair"  
"Daddy is working hard for the future"  
"The future sucks"  
Snorting lightly, Eren rocked Eli   
"It might be for now, but soon you'll be a big brother and then daddy will be back home all the time"  
Well not all the time, but Levi would be able to be home a hell of a lot more  
"I don't want to be a big brother and I don't want dad to leave"  
Eli squirmed from his hold and ran towards the kitchen, causing Ren to get up and run after him  
"It'll get better Eren"  
Nodding at Grandpa Arlerts words, Eren wiped at the tears forming   
"I know, it's just shit at the moment because Levi doesn't have his licence, but he only gets to practice the two days he's in town. He's gotten better though"  
"He'll get there"  
"Yeah... and I know it's hard on him too. He doesn't really get anytime to himself. He's either at school, working to sleeping when he's in Trost, so we don't get to talk all that much. I don't like messaging him when he's working or in class"  
Grandpa nodded and Eren forced a smile  
"Sorry, it's just frustrating"  
"I can imagine"  
Falling silent, Eren continued to dab at his face. Grandpa turned the TV on, the man saying something about the new series he'd gotten into on Netflix, but Armin stayed quiet. When Levi and Farlan carried the boys back in, Eren finally felt himself settling down  
"What did we miss?"  
"Nothing much"  
Levi looked to him and Eren nodded  
"We might head off, but all the dishes are done and we should get together again next time I'm in town. I know Eren and the boys both miss you"  
Grandpa rose slowly as Levi crossed and pulled Eren up  
"Thank you... my nerves are shot"  
"It ok baby"  
Moving to hug grandpa Arlert, Eren tried to stifle a yawn  
"I'm sorry, I'm just so tired all the time"  
"It's fine, you take care of yourself"  
"I will, thank you for tonight. Levi's right, next Tuesday we should do this again. I can cook or Hannes can"  
"That sounds lovely"  
Grandpa Arlert kept an arm around him as they walked to the door  
"It was nice seeing you again Armin"  
Eren had wanted to say the words, but Farlan did  
"Yeah, it was nice seeing you guys too"  
Having finally said all their goodbyes, Eren climbed behind the drivers wheel with a groan. He'd needed to pee for like a good hour now, but was scared Armin would corner him  
"It's ok, home and then bed I think"  
"Mmm, I like this plan"  
"Is it just me or was Armin really quiet"  
"It wasn't just you. He hasn't been talking to me for a while now"  
"What happened?"  
"I don't really know..."  
He couldn't even be bothered trying to keep think about it. He just wanted sex and sleep... but mostly to pee and get out the stupid dress he was in.

 

*  
The twins fell asleep easily and even Levi had to admit he was feeling it. Stumbling into the bedroom, he closed the door with a heavy sigh  
"Day over! I need my Eren recharge now"  
His mate was already beneath the blankets, and Eren reached out for him  
"Let me strip first"  
"Mmm... free show?"  
"Only you would like that. Are you ok? It was really fucking awkward tonight"  
"Yeah... oh, you should probably know I asked Grandpa Arlert to give me away when we get married. I want him and Hannes to"  
Levi smiled  
"That's nice, I can't picture anyone else more suitable"  
"Yeah..."  
Pulling his jeans off, Levi folded them before dumping them in the corner for washing. He stripped the rest of his clothes off as he let out a long yawn  
"You sound as tired as I am"  
"I am, but I already got you out that dress..."  
Crossing the room, Levi climbed into Eren's waiting arms, immediately rolling his mate onto his back as he claimed Eren's mouth. He was so pissed at Armin for being such a shitty friend and wanted to make his mate melt until Eren couldn't even think about what had happened. Pulling back, he carefully brushed Eren's hair back from his face   
"My perfect mate"  
"Your fiancé you mean"  
"Yeah. Eren Ackerman... I really do love the sound of it"  
"I do too..."  
Sliding his hands down Eren's naked form, Levi slowly crawled backwards until he could bury his face between his omegas legs. He loved the musky smell that mixed with Eren's sweetness and set to work on opening his mate with tongue. Eren's slick flowed into his mouth and Levi couldn't get enough as licked and sucked at his mates needing entranced, enjoying the mews and whines of pleasure his mate was making. He really didn't want to leave again. He felt like he was missing out on so much by not being by his mates side. Pushing the thoughts from his mind, he continents to eat Eren greedily until his mate let out a low groan and Levi smirked as Eren came across his own stomach. Sliding his tongue free, he moved to mouth at Eren's balls, before slowly licking his way up to lap up every drop of Eren's semen. Pulling Eren's hips up, Levi shifted forwards, burying himself in Eren with one hard thrust that had them moaning in synchronisation. Taking his time, he slowly fucked his mate, savouring the sight beneath him. Eren's whole body trembled and the teens pupils were blown with lust. He'd never get over how incredible Eren looked as he fell apart completely in his hold. He was the only one who'd ever see this, and the thought along had his alpha's who swelling. Changing angle, Eren let out a gasp, and Levi increased his pace. His whole crotch was soaked from Eren's slick and his mate wanted him that much that his whole body was going crazy for him. He didn't know about other alpha and omega relationships, but he was sure they'd never measure up to the physical pleasure and connection they both felt when they were together like this. Cumming with a howl, he drove his knot as deep as he could, before collapsing onto Eren's stomach. His chest heaved with exhaustion, but hands moved across his mates swollen belly, as he nuzzled the soft skin, pressing kisses against it as he did. He already missed Eren and he hadn't even left.


	81. Chapter 81

"Mummy, you look funny"  
Eren supposed he probably did, attempting yoga in the living room might have been less embarrassing if the boys hadn't been home, but he'd woken feeling stiff and sore so it seemed like a good idea at the time  
"You know, you two could come join me"  
"Noooo"  
In other words it was way more fun too laugh at it him  
"Mum, we wanna go for a run"  
"You can't, not until your father gets back"  
"Why can't you come with us?"  
"Because I can't shift anymore"  
Both boys looked mortified as Eren lowered himself down to the ground   
"What do you want to do instead?"  
"Can you make cookies? It's been ages since you made cookies"  
"Do we have everything we need for cookies?"  
"Yes!"  
Eren snorted  
"You guys didn't even check. But we can make cookies, though you might have to help me up"  
Instead of helping him, both boys threw their arms around him   
"Cookies!"  
"Babies!"  
Pressing kisses to his sons faces, the boys soon wriggled from his grasp and then helped him up  
"Mum... does it hurt being fat?"  
"If your father was here, he'd say "mums pregnant, not fat""  
"But dad isn't here"  
"I know, but I don't really know how to describe it"  
He loved being pregnant, he loved knowing their pups were forming inside of him, he just hated the mood swings, morning sickness and being sore and tired... but than those tiny details, yeah, he loved it  
"Mum... I don't know if I want to be a big brother... Hannah's big brother goes to school and he's really mean"  
Hannah must have been a kid in the boys class... he really should know all this, but half the time it felt like things just went through one ear and out the other  
"So you're scared of being big brothers?"  
"We don't wanna be mean!"  
Pulling both his sons close, Eren wished he could lift them  
"Babies, you have nothing to worry about. I know you're going to be amazing big brothers"  
"But... he's so mean"  
"Not all big brothers are mean. I promise"  
"Really?"  
"Yep and now it's cookie time, we need to see what have"  
They really didn't have much of anything, well not as much as Eren remembered. Hannes had been doing most of the big meals, but Eren hadn't realised how low things had gotten. Grabbing the shopping list off the fridge, he started noting down everything they needed, and then let out a sigh. They didn't have the money to do a big shop, he'd have to content himself with getting just what they needed for cookies seeing he'd already agreed  
"Mum, what's wrong?"  
"Nothing babies, I was just thinking"  
Ren and Eli both looked at him skeptically   
"If you keep looking at me like that, you won't be getting cookies"  
"You wouldn't"  
"Unfortunately you're right, I love you both too much. I need to grab my keys and my wallet, you guys..."  
He looked at his sons, they were still in their pyjamas and neither had their hair done  
"...Look fine. Let's go"  
Given he was in yoga pants, and a singlet, the boys looked perfectly acceptable. Grabbing his keys and wallet, he ushered the boys out to the Jeep.

Pulling up in front of the store, Eren turned to the boys in the back  
"You guys have to wait here, I'm not going to take long"  
"Can't we come in?"  
"Not this time, but I'll be back soon..."  
Rolling the window down a bit, Eren locked the car before heading inside. Given he couldn't lift the boys into the trolley, everything would have been fair game. Grabbing a basket, Eren wandered through the isles, stocking up on everything he needed  
"Eren"  
It took him a moment to realise Grandpa Arlert was standing next to him, jumping back on surprise, the old man gave a laugh   
"You scared the hell out of me"  
"I noticed. I did call out, but you seemed to be off in your own head"  
"I was trying to remember everything for making cookies, the boys and I are were thinking of having a lazy day"  
"Have you got the chocolate chips?"  
"Yep... I think I have everything, what about you? If you don't mind, I can give you a lift home"  
"You don't need to go out your way for me"  
"It's hardly going out my way. I was thinking about bringing you some cookies later, this is just skipping out the middle man"  
"If you're sure..."  
"Trust me, I'm being completely selfish, it's so hard to feel motivated when Levi's gone, the boys didn't even have their bath this morning"  
Grandpa snorted as he shook his head  
"Then that would be lovely. I still need to grab a few more things..."  
Following Grandpa Arlert around, Eren put his height to use, ignoring the fact that stretching too far hurt, this was for Grandpa Arlert after all. Better he hurt himself further than the old man get hurt.

"Grandpa!"  
Both boys were excited to see the old man, and Eren loaded up the back of the Jeep so Grandpa Arlert could climb into the car  
"Grandpa, are you coming home with us?"  
"Nope, you guys are coming home with me"  
"Aw yes! Now we don't have to have baths"  
"I was wondering what that smell was"  
Both boys looked at each other and shrugged, they obviously couldn't care less  
"Are you going to make cookies with us?"  
"Oooh, I think I'll leave the cooking making to your mother, but if you guys don't mind, I could use your help. My old radios on the blink again"  
Eren groaned as he rolled his eyes, closing the boot, he returned the trolley to the front of the store. Today was going to be a good day...

 

*  
Pulling up out the front of the Arlert house, Eren immediately wanted to turn around and flee. Mikasa's car was parked out the front of the house, even Grandpa didn't seem that thrilled   
"Grandpa, is Uncle Armin here?"  
"He must be, he wasn't here when I left"  
"If you want to spend some time with him, we can come back..."  
"No, no, its fine. He just worries now he's not here all the time"  
There was definitely something more to it, but Eren couldn't ask in front of the boys. Turning the car off, he took a deep breath   
"Are you alright? Don't think I didn't notice what happened at dinner the other night"  
Eren nodded  
"I'm sorry, I have no idea what I've done, and I didn't want to make things awkward. The boys and I both love you like family, but I don't want to cause trouble between you and Armin"  
"Eren, you are family, and family can sometimes be idiots, now let's get inside before my show starts"  
"Of course you know what your shows start"  
"Allow an old man his pleasures"

Grandpa and the boys went ahead, while Eren carried in the shopping, while trying not to trip. The old man had tried to help, but the boys were clinging off of him, so it was easier to let them go ahead, flinching as he stepped into the house  
"Where were you? I got here and you weren't home, do you know how worried I was"  
"I was just up at the shops"  
"You didn't answer your phone"  
"Because its on charge"  
Eren tried to ignore the argument and crossed over to the kitchen counter to place the shopping down, Armin immediately appeared at his side  
"You know you're supposed to be avoiding sugar"  
"That's my shopping..."  
"Then what's it doing inside?"  
"Well, Grandpa was going to tinker with the radio while I make cookies..."  
"That's convenient, you ignore all of us for weeks, and now you're back to acting like you live here"  
Eren's heart began to race as his mood sank  
"Um... what?"  
"You didn't even know he's been sick, did you? You've been off playing happy families and ignoring us for weeks"  
What? What the hell...  
"I've been ignoring you? You've been ignoring me! You didn't even contact me before you left! I've spent weeks wondering what the hell I did wrong, and now you're turning this back on me"  
"We tried to have a party for you, but you went and crashed your car. You've been out of control and you know it. Even Eli got caught up in at all"  
"Armin, that's enough"  
"No grandpa, you know it too. He's been too busy for you, but now Levi's not home, oh look, here he is. We're only here for when it's convenient for him"  
"That's not true at all! I stayed away because you and Mikasa decided you weren't talking to me and I didn't want to make things awkward... and you have no idea about what happened with the car"  
"Of course we don't. You don't tell ya anything! It's all about you and Levi isn't it? When did you become so selfish?"  
Staggering back slightly, Eren's eyes were filled with unshed tears  
"You didn't know grandpa had been in hospital, you didn't know his blood sugars been sky high, so his blood pressure. He's been worrying sick about you, but you don't care. Look at me, I'm Eren and I crashed a car, feel sorry for me"  
Taking a step back, Eren's back hit the kitchen counter and he slid down to the floor  
"We're listening Eren, go on and explain"  
"I crashed the car by accident! I didn't even know I had!"  
"How can you not know?"  
"Because I was upset, I was crying so hard I couldn't even see straight and I shouldn't have been driving, but..."  
"There you go again, playing the victim. You were upset, you're always upset"  
"Armin, leave him alone. You don't know what happened"  
"No, and don't act like you do either"  
He couldn't stand listening to Armin and his grandfather arguing. He didn't want them to fight  
"I went to see dad! That day I was driving back from seeing dad! I was upset and crying and swerving all over the road. I didn't know I'd crashed because I wasn't right in the head. Ok. I'm still not right in the head! I can't even use a knife. I'm not ok and if I'm not around no one has to know I'm not! Dad said he wished he'd gutted me and sometime I really wish he had! So please just stop fighting... I'll go... just stop"  
Breaking down into sobs, his whole body shook and the pups made their own upset clear, kicking hard as pain flared through his stomach  
"Eren... I didn't know"  
"You weren't supposed to! None of you were! I got stabbed over a fucking year ago and then when I cut my hand, I freaked over all the blood! Hannes says it's PTSD, and that I'm getting better, but I don't feel like I am!"  
Practically screaming the words, he pushed the heels of his palms against his eyes as he sobbed harder. This was so embarrassing, here he was falling apart, and he couldn't stop crying now he'd started  
"Mum?"  
Fuck... he'd forgotten about the twins... Reaching for them, both came stumbling into his arms and he held them close  
"I'm so sorry babies, I'm sorry you have such a screw up like me for a mother"  
Ren was the first to start crying, and Eren kept his face buried against his son  
"Did you really go see him?"  
"He wants me dead and out the house... he didn't even remember what he'd done, but every time I look at my stomach, all I see is that stupid scar. I wanted to know why he did it, but it turns out he hated me all along"  
"I don't think the boys need to know about this, Armin, why don't you take the twins into the living room"  
"But..."  
"Armin, just take the boys"  
Eren clung to the boys as they were pulled away, he didn't want to let them go, but their warmth was replaced by Grandpa Arlert  
"I'm sorry... I didn't know you were sick... it's just, I've been so messed up and I didn't want to dump all my issues on you..."  
"It's ok, but you could have told us, we love you Eren, and the boys"  
"I know, that's why I couldn't... I didn't want you to hate me like dad does..."  
"We could never. Armin had no right acting like that"  
"He's just worried about you... and I'm just bad news"  
"You're not bad news"  
"I am. I don't know how Hannes and Levi put up with me. One minute I'm alright, and then something stupid sets me off and I end up like this... it's so stupid"  
"It's not stupid, I can't imagine it's easy having that constant reminder, but you are alive and we're all grateful for that"  
"I don't know why"  
"Then just trust us that we are. We should get you up off the floor"  
Eren shook his head as he sniffled  
"I think I'm stuck... I feel so fat"  
"You're not even that big. It's all in your head. That's always been one of your faults and one of your strengths, once you get something in your head, it's nearly impossible to convince you otherwise. You're as stubborn as they come, but your hearts in the right place"  
"I'm so sorry"  
"It's ok"  
Grandpa Arlert helped him up off the floor, causing Eren to whimper as he rose  
"Are you ok?"  
"Yeah... I get these pains when I get upset..."  
"And Hannes knows about them?"  
"Yeah. It's pretty much the pups getting upset too"  
"We can't have them getting upset. Let's get you sitting down and I'll make you a nice cup of tea"  
Eren nodded, letting himself be lowered into the closest dining chair  
"T-thank you"  
"That's alright"  
Grandpa Arlert gave his hand a firm squeeze before leaving and Eren tried to focus on calming back down  
"S-so you're really going to be alright?"  
"Don't worry about me Eren, plenty of life left in me yet"  
"G-good... I don't want to lose anymore family"  
"And you're not going to"

It was only a few minutes later that Grandpa Arlert placed the hot cup of tea down in front of him  
"I think Armin can put the shopping away"  
"I can do it"  
"No, you need to calm down. We don't want you going into labour before time"  
Eren snorted, trying to smile  
"Yeah... that might be a bit awkward"  
Wrapping his hands around the mug, Eren let the warmth soak into his fingers  
"Mum?"  
Eli's soft voice came from towards the living room, and Eren rushed to wipe his face  
"Yeah baby?"  
"Can we have cookies now?"  
Laughing lightly, Eren held his arms out and Eli came running over, catching his son, Eren awkwardly sat him on his knee  
"I've got to make them first"  
"Can we help?"  
"You're suppose to help grandpa, he needs someone to help him with his radio and to watch his shows with him"  
"But if we help, won't the cookies get made faster?"  
"No baby, but how about I start now?"  
"They're going to be chocolate chip right?"  
"Of course. All other cookies are imposters"  
Eli nodded and Eren lifted him back down. Rising shakily, Eren rubbed his stomach  
"Eren, maybe you should sit a little longer?"  
"I was just going to grab what I needed before sitting back down"  
Snagging his two bags of shopping, Eren made a show of sitting back down and Grandpa Arlert shook his head  
"See, stubborn"  
"Yeah..."

While the boys and grandpa worked on the radio, Eren sat alone in the kitchen making cookies, he didn't mind being alone, it gave him time to think. Armin had been cold to him because he thought that Eren had been taking him and grandpa for granted. So he'd brought this whole mess on to himself... it wasn't the best feeling. Looking down at the cookie dough batter, he realised he'd been so caught up in his own head, he'd made way too much. It was kind of a stupid idea, but he couldn't help but wonder if Armin and Mikasa would want to take some home.

Moving to the cupboard beside the counter, Eren pulled out all the baking trays that Grandpa Arlert had, once again he was lost in his own thoughts, so finding Armin standing by the table as he rose, he couldn't help but jump  
"I didn't mean to scare you"  
"No. It's ok. I'm the one imposing"  
Hadn't he just decided to try and make the effort. Placing the trays down, Eren grabbed the baking paper out   
"You're not imposing"  
"Armin, you don't have to pretend to like me anymore. I don't blame you for hating me..."  
"I don't. I just don't understand you anymore"  
What was he supposed to say? I don't understand me either?  
"Why did you go see Grisha? And why you tell us about it?"  
"What was I supposed to say? That I still love my dad and I can't hate even though he hates me and wants me dead? That doesn't even make sense to me"  
"Are you sure you didn't misunderstand him?"  
"Armin, he told me he wished he'd gutted me. There's no misunderstanding that"  
Armin sighed  
"I guess I understand why you crashed now"  
"I couldn't think straight. I can't even go back to my therapist about it. So I've just been trying to figure out my own head space and how not to look stupid in front of everyone"  
"We're supposed to be friends"  
"I'm not much of a good friend"  
Settings to work on laying out the baking paper, Armin started making cookie balls. They weren't talking, but things weren't so tense now.

106 cookies... he'd really over done it, but Armin had stayed and helped to dole them all out. By the end of it, he never wanted to see cookies again and the smell had him wrinkling his nose. The pups seemed to agree, kicking hard against his ribs   
"Why don't you sit down? I can do the dishes"  
"No, you go spend time with your grandpa, I made this mess"  
Honestly he really wanted to sit back down, but he didn't want Armin cleaning up his mess  
"It's fine. You made cookies for all of us after all"  
So Armin was going to take some... that meant things were alright, right?  
"You wash and I dry? Or you can dry?"  
"I'll wash"  
"Ok, I just need to go to the bathroom real quick"

Grandpa Arlert seemed relieved that they'd seemed to have come to some sort of agreement. Eren found himself laughing at Armin's bad jokes, and it was like the last few weeks hadn't happened, though in the back of his mind, he was keeping a careful watch on what he said and did, letting Armin lead the flow of conversation. He didn't want to lose the tendrils of friendship that had begun to rebloom.

 

*  
Levi was exhausted. Collapsing onto his bed, he fumbled his phone out to call Eren. It didn't matter that it was like 3 in the morning, he missed his mate and the day had been shit. After half a dozen rings, Eren's sleepy voice finally reached his ears  
"'ello?"  
"Hey princess"  
"Levi...?"  
"Yeah, I take it you were sleeping?"  
"No shit... is everything alright?"  
"Yeah, I just really needed to hear your voice"  
"Mmm, does that mean you miss me?"  
"I do"  
If he didn't have school tomorrow... today, he'd totally get Farlan to drive him out to Shinganshima. Eren let out a sleepy yawn  
"I should let you get back to sleep"  
"'m 'kay. I wanna hear you voice. What did you do today?"  
Levi groaned, covering his face with his free hand  
"Work was awful"  
"Mmm? What happened?"  
"Erwin stank us out the break room and Izzy forgot an order. The guy ended up screaming at me over it..."  
"That sucks"  
"Yeah. I only just got home, I got stuck on clean up duty because of it"  
Eren let out another sleepy yawn   
"My poor alpha..."  
"What about you? What did you do?"  
"I sorted stuff out with Armin... I think..."  
"You did?"  
"Mhmm, cookies solve everything..."  
"You made him cookies? Do I get cookies too?"  
It was a few moments and then a soft snore came through the line. Levi snorted lightly, Eren was adorable   
"I love you too princess"  
Ending the call, the alpha groaned as he rolled over. He really did need a shower, but he was just so damn tired. In the end, his disgust at being dirty won out, and Levi stumbled through the apartment and to heaven of a hot shower and soap. 

Trying to appear human, Levi felt like he was failing. 3 cups of strong black tea had only served to make him pee. He couldn't afford to be this tired. He needed to put together the front panels of both cots today, because he'd given himself the personal goal of having the cots nearly finished before the open day. Walking into the classroom, he dropped down into his chair and smacked his head lightly onto his desk  
"Big night Ackerman?"  
Rolling his eyes Levi propped himself up and glared over at the idiot who'd dare to talk to him  
"That's a pretty scary look you've got there"  
Looking to the class door, Dave smiled happily as he walked into the class and Levi had a feeling he wasn't going to like this  
"Good morning class, you're going to love this..."  
No. No he wasn't...  
"The guys over in hospitality have asked us to make them some planter boxes. They want to grow their own herbs or something like that. What we need is two boxes from each of you, and they need to be finished by Friday"  
Yep. He was losing a whole week... not fucking cool.

The plan for the planters sucked. They were way too low, and too small, with insufficient drainage and the wood was totally wrong. Dave totally should have known better, but this was what they were told to do and he had to swallow his frustrations. Even in his tired state, he still made steady progress and by lunch time all he had to do was glue and screw them together. But that was where things went wrong. Given he was the outsider now, he didn't have anyone to help him, so he had to resort to some creative problem solving. Using a bench clamp to hold the panel as he screwed into it was apparently against OH&S, and he copped a lecture from Dave over it... in front of everyone. With his bruised ego, his work pace dropped drastically and he was ready to throw the stupid planters out. It wasn't like he was going to get hurt or hurt anyone else, he wasn't that stupid. Still, he managed to finish the rest on his own, but he couldn't even look at Dave without getting pissed. 

When they finally ended for the day, he couldn't wait to see Eren. He was dead on his feet and needed a nap... for like 5 years. Eyeing the busted old blue ute in the front carpark, the alpha stumbled his way towards it. He probably looked like he was drunk, but he couldn't care less. Tripping less than gracefully on the last stair was the final straw. Today had been fucking awful, and his face was still burning as he climbed into the cab of the ute   
"Are you alright?"  
"Fan-fucking-tastic. Where are the boys?"  
"With Hannes"  
Eren was smiling, but the smile didn't reach his eyes and Levi knew his snappy reply had hurt his mate  
"Sorry. I am just so tired..."  
"It's ok. How was today?"  
"I don't think you really want to know"  
"That bad?"  
"Worse"  
"Ouch"  
Levi nodded, clipping his seatbelt in, he immediately laid across the bench seat and rested his head on Eren's thigh  
"I missed you"  
"Yeah, I've missed you too. You ready to go home?"  
"God yes!"

He totally fell asleep on Eren's thigh, they didn't even make it out of Trost before he did and he slept straight through to Shinganshima  
"Levi, time to be human again"  
Eren's fingers were gently coming through his hair, and Levi sighed as he opened his eyes  
"I guess I fell asleep?"  
"Yeah, but it's alright. You're really cute when you're asleep"  
"I'm not the cute one. And I had stuff to ask you about. Like Armin?"  
Eren nodded  
"Yeah. Apparently grandpa's been sick"  
"He has?"  
"Yeah... Armin's just been worried and grandpa's been worrying about me. We kind of had it out and then made cookies, but we're all good now"  
"I'm glad..."  
At least that was something going there way  
"Now give me a kiss, your kids are waiting"  
"Wait, why are they mine?"  
"Because they've been with Hannes for like two hours..."  
"It can't be that bad"

It kind of was. Hannes and the boys were watching cartoons. Pizza was smeared across the boys faces and cats were licking at the box on the floor. Even Eren groaned at the sight  
"Guys... really?"  
"Oh hey, you're back earlier than I thought you'd be"  
Picking up the pizza box, Titan clawed at his leg as the tom stretched up towards it  
"Hannes, can we stop teaching the boys bad habits. They're supposed to wear those uniforms again tomorrow"  
"I'll chuck them in the wash tonight. We were having a boys afternoon"  
"You did realise that's pretty much every afternoon?"  
"Mum doesn't count"  
Eren shrugged, apparently not hurt by Eli's comment   
"I'm pretty sure he does. Do I get a hug at least?"  
Both boys groaned as they climbed off the sofa, and two pairs of greasy hands grabbed at his work shirt. Reaching over he placed the pizza box on the table and hefted both boys up onto his hips  
"Did you miss me?"  
"Yes! But mum made cookies with Uncle Armin"  
"Don't worry daddy, we didn't eat them all"  
"Good, now give me a kiss and I'll let you go back to your cartoons"  
Both boys pressed a kiss to Levi's cheeks and Levi placed them back down, before looking to Eren   
"Where's my cookies?"  
Eren rolled his eyes  
"First you sleep all the way home, and now you want all the cookies! What is this?"  
"This is your alpha coming home after a ridiculously long day and needing loving"  
"You poor thing. You sit down and I'll get you a nice cold milk for your cookies"  
Letting out a yawn, Levi sat heavily at the table. His eyes were burning from lack of sleep, but he'd missed this so much. Placing his cookies and milk down in front of him, Eren pressed a kiss to the top of his head. Grabbing his mate before he could leave, Levi rested his head on his mates swollen stomach with a sigh  
"Hello pups, I missed you"  
"I'm sure they missed you too... you look really tired still"  
"I am. I didn't get out of work until like 2 and then I called you and had a shower, it was like 4 when I fell asleep and then I had to get up at 7"  
Eren's fingers found their way back into his hair   
"I'm sorry I fell asleep"  
"It's ok. You're adorable"  
"I'm not that adorable, now eat your cookies and have your milk than you can take your nap nap"  
Levi raised as eyebrow as he looked up at Eren   
"Don't give me that, you're going for a nap, and I'll make up dinner"  
"Mmmm, best omega"  
"Yes, yes, you love my crazy pregnant arse"  
"I dooo and I love your arse even when it isn't pregnant"  
"Speaking of pregnant people, how's Izzy going?"

Trust Hannes to ruin their moment   
"She's yeah. She had a bad day at work yesterday, forgot an order so I got yelled at, but she's alright"  
"That's not very fair"  
"Nah, it's ok. She's having a bit of a tough time, she broke down crying Friday night, so forgetting one order was hardly anything to get worried over"  
Hannes nodded, but Eren scratched the top of Levi's head  
"Why was she crying?"  
"She's worrying about what she's going to do for work once she's had the baby. She doesn't exactly have family she can ask for help, and she's terrified she's going to be a bad mum. That's why she's been trying to hard and driving us crazy. She wants to be the perfect mum, and is convinced she's already fallen short"  
"Every mum wants to be the perfect mum. There's no such thing. All you can do is make sure your kids clean, fed and loved"  
"She's taking it pretty hard, and Farlan's so chill, he might as well not even be there half the time"  
"I can't believe you didn't tell me"  
"You'd have just worried. She's fine now, and I don't want to think about it, not while I'm home"  
"You still should have told me"  
Levi shrugged and Eren sighed as he pulled away.

After his milk and cookies, Eren lead him to the bedroom, his boyfriend climbing onto their bed and looked at him expectantly   
"Hurry up and get into bed, I'll let you sleep in my lap again"  
"I can think of other things I'd rather do in your lap"  
"And I can think of three reasons why we can't"  
"Can't we send the two small reasons off with the big reason?"  
"Not this time. The big one did me a favour by picking up the two small ones"  
Stripping down with a groan, Levi ignored the fact he'd skinned his knees when he'd stacked it. He wanted Eren cuddles and nothing was stopping him. Curling around his mates leg, Levi let out a happy sigh  
"I missed you Princess"  
"You said, but I missed you too"

 

*  
With Levi snoring against his leg, Eren couldn't bring himself to move. It was clear from the dark bags that his alpha had been pushing himself too hard, and now Eren couldn't help but feel guilty over it. Levi was his whole world, and the alpha was trying so hard to be such a good mate, but this lifestyle wasn't working. He didn't want Levi to wind up having an accident, or collapsing from exhaustion. No amount of money was worth that.

Carefully sliding down the bed, the movement that would have usually woke his mate, didn't even cause a change in Levi's breathing, so Eren pulled him as close as could, nuzzling against Levi's soft hair and pressing kisses to the spot  
"I'm so sorry. You're working so hard for us, but I'm not even doing anything to help"  
He had to make sure Levi's time at home was as stress free as possible, even if it meant pushing himself. He couldn't let Levi suffer for him any longer.

When it became clear that Levi wasn't going to wake, Eren carefully slid from his mates hold. There was so much to get done around the house, and he'd neglected much of it in favour of spending time with the boys and Armin and Grandpa. His mate seemed so relieved that he'd made up with his friend, and he felt shittier for dumping his problems on Levi. Ignoring the pain in his back and hips, he set about gathering up all the dirty washing and carrying it into the bathroom, before moving the lot into the laundry and loading up the machine. His clothes didn't matter that much, so they went in with Levi's, leaving the boys and Hannes's for two seperate washes.

Returning to the living room, he eyed the mess the boys had made and sighed  
"Levi alright?"  
"Yeah, he's exhausted. I wanted to clean up a little while he's asleep, but I guess I don't know where to start"  
"Muuuum, you're in the way"  
"Sorry baby, but how about helping me clean up some of these toys you guys have left all over the place"  
"But cartoons are on"  
"You can watch cartoons after"  
"No! We're watching them now"  
Reaching for the remote, Hannes turned the TV off and both boys looked at him in shock  
"Mums asked for your help. If you help it'll be done in no time"  
"But we were watching that! Besides, dad always cleans up"  
"Dads exhausted from working hard to take care of us"  
"That's not our fault"  
Eren felt the telltale prickle of tears  
"Can you please just help me?"  
Both boys looked to Hannes and Hannes shook his head   
"You guys have to help mum"  
"No! I don't want to"  
"Ren and Eli, you will help me clean up right now!"  
"No! We want to watch cartoons"  
"If you aren't going to help, you can go to bed!"  
"Fine! I hate you mum! You're so mean!"  
Grabbing Eli's hand, Ren pulled his brother off the sofa  
"You two better leave the door open and if I hear you playing, you'll be banned from cartoons for a month!"  
"You're so mean! I'm telling dad"  
"Don't you dare, your father doesn't need this right now"  
"At least he loves us!"  
Running down the hallway, the boys disappeared from his view and Eren let out a small sob  
"Eren?"  
"It's fine Hannes... I just want to get this done"  
"Can I help?"  
"No, its alright. You can go back to watching cartoons"  
Hannes sank back in the sofa, and Eren kind of wished he'd leave. He didn't want the man watching as he cried   
"Does this have something to do with Levi?"  
Eren shook his head, he didn't want to admit how selfish he'd been. Everyone was working hard to support him and he was just... this... Sinking awkwardly to the floor, he was forced to crawl around as he gathered up the boys toys and stuffed them back into the plastic crate in the corner. He felt so fucking shitty and crawling around did nothing about his back, but he didn't want to admit it   
"I might just clean the kitchen up a bit"  
"It's fine, I'll do it"  
"Eren..."  
"I said it's fine! I'll do it!"  
Sitting back Eren shook his head  
"Sorry... just... I'll do it"  
"Ok. I'll be down in my room if you want me"  
Hannes rose and Eren sighed. He wanted to scream, hanging his head, he looked down at the stuffed lion in his hand. When the hell did he become so useless?

By the time he'd done the dishes, wiped the countertops and dining table, swept the floors and mopped them over, he could barely stand. But then the washing machine chimed and reminded him he still needed to hang that load out. Whimpering as he hung each item out, he was thoroughly miserable. He'd let everyone take care of him for so long, this was definitely the price he was paying for his selfishness. Limping back into the house, he put Hannes's clothes in the machine and put them on a short wash given how few items there were. 

Peaking around the corner of the boys room, he found them playing with lego quietly. He'd upset them, and all he'd wanted was a little help. Taking a breath, he moved to stand in the door way  
"M-mum... we were just..."  
"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you, but guys. We're a team right? I know you want to play, but sometimes I need help"  
"But you made us look uncool in front of Hannes"  
"Hannes still thinks your cool"  
"How do you know?"  
"Because I've known Hannes for a long time. Look, I know you're too young to understand, but daddy is working so hard for us, and it's not fair on him to clean up after you. Now it's time for bed, and I need to wash those uniforms"  
Hobbling over to Eli's bed, Eren jerked up as a sharp pain shot up his back. He'd definitely over done things... like the idiot he was. Levi was feeling way worse then he was. He had no right to complain  
"Mum?"  
"It's fine, mummy just has a sore back"  
"We don't really hate you mum"  
"I know. Come here so we can get you out your uniform"  
It was kind of impressive how much grease the boys had managed to get on themselves, and the worst spots would definitely need pretreating. By the time he finally climbed off of Eli's bed, he wanted to collapse into a ball of pain. Instead he forced himself to head into the laundry and spray the boys clothes.

The final thing he needed to do before he could allow himself the luxury of collapsing in a heap was to apologise to Hannes. He couldn't deny he was nervous as he knocked on the man's door and cracked it open  
"Um... is now a good time?"  
Hannes looked at him in confusion  
"Why wouldn't it be?"  
"Because I was dick to you before?"  
"Eren, you were hardly a dick"  
"I was, and I wanted to say I'm sorry. You didn't deserve it"  
"You don't need to say sorry"  
"Just. I do. You do so much for and the kids, but I never do anything to thank you. Levi collapsing into bed goes to show how selfish I've been without even thinking. I never took your help for granted, and I wouldn't even be alive if it wasn't for you. I'm just really sorry"  
Shuffling away, he pulled the door closed behind him and headed to the bathroom. The last thing he felt like was a hot bath, but his muscles were screaming from the abuse. He really needed to take his pills for the pain, but that was too much like effort and he felt like he deserved it.

Having made it into the bath, he ignored the pain, it wasn't really helping and he just felt nauseous... and a little light headed. This was definitely a horrible mistake on his behalf and adding cold water to the bath did nothing to make him feel any better. Why was he such an idiot? Why was it when he tried to fix things, they never went according to plan. Feeling thoroughly disgusted at himself and his current state, he awkwardly tried to slide from the bathtub. Much like when he'd fallen in Marley, he wasn't exactly how it happened, but there was a crack, followed by a rush of pain so intense he threw up. This night really couldn't get any better, and he bit down hard on his lip as he whimpered. He knew this feeling, he'd felt it when Grisha snapped his arm. He'd some how managed to not only fall out the bathtub, but to break his fucking arm in the process.

Biting harder on his lip, he awkwardly pushed himself up. His vision swan and he just about ended up on the floor again. It was completely graceless as he snagged his towel, and he was now crying so hard he could barely see straight. He'd meant to be making things easier for Levi and Hannes... but he was too much of a fuck up to even do that right. Hugging the wall, he cradled his arm up against his chest while the towel around his waist barely stayed on. 

"Hannes?"  
His voice was soft and tasted blood as he spoke, he supposed he'd probably bitten to hard on his bottom lip. Letting out a whimper, he knocked against the door lightly  
"Come on in"  
"I c-can't..."  
He didn't even know how he was standing. He felt feverish and revolting and all kinds of shitty that weren't describable by the English language. When Hannes opened the door, he practically fell on the man  
"Fuck Eren, what happened"  
Hannes guided him to sit on the bed, and Eren held his arm out slightly  
"How the fuck did this happen?"  
Even though the man sounded more concerned than angry, he still couldn't help but wince   
"Hey, sorry. Eren?"  
"I don't feel very..."  
His sentence was cut off by throwing up and he honestly wanted to die. Hannes however took it in his stride, the man's cool hand coming to his forehead  
"You do feel a little warm"  
"I was in the bath... and I fell"  
"Ok, let's get Levi and the kids up and then get you to hospital"  
Eren shook his head  
"Levi passed out. I don't want to wake him..."  
"He's going to want to know"  
"Please Hannes, he hasn't been sleeping"  
He really didn't have the energy to argue  
"Fine, but only because I am just a man and can't carry both of you. But you're going to need clothes"  
Nodding sadly, Eren felt Hannes pull away. It was ridiculous. He was ridiculous. The side of the bath must have been wet and his hand must have slipped... how pathetic could you get?


	82. Chapter 82

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's going away again?

Levi had had the most amazing nights sleep. Waking feeling fully refreshed and ready for cuddles, he was confused to find Eren absent from their bed, and even more confused to find the twins standing there watching him... it was kind of creepy to know his sons had been watching him sleep  
"Hey kiddos?"  
"Dad, where's mum?"  
Levi frowned as he rubbed at his face. It was too early for Eren to be missing, his happy mood was fading by the second  
"He's probably in the bathroom"  
"Nope"  
"You already checked?"  
"We looked everywhere"  
"Did you ask Hannes?"  
"No, he's busy making breakfast"  
"Ok, lets go solve the mystery of our missing mum"  
Sliding from the bed, he was glad he at least had his underwear on. It didn't seem like the boys would let him any piece until Eren was found. Lifting them both onto his hips, he shivered. Pants. Pants would have been nice.

Padding through to the living room, he placed the boys down on the sofa and grabbed the blanket from there, he'd forgotten how cold the house could get in the morning. Wrapping himself up like a human burrito, he waddled over to the kitchen counter  
"Hannes?"  
"'morning Levi"  
Hannes didn't particularly look happy and the man looked kind of exhausted   
"Hannes, have you seen my missing fiancé"  
"I have. Go get dressed and get the boys ready, we're running behind today"  
Hannes was being weird, well, weirder than normal  
"Hannes?"  
Letting out a sigh, Hannes put down the knife he'd been using to make the boys sandwiches  
"Look Levi, I know you're worried, but I'm exhausted. Can you please just get the boys ready for school, and then we can talk about it"  
Pursing his lips in annoyance, Levi knew Hannes was obviously doing what Eren had asked him to do... but that didn't explain anything and he needed to know where Eren was  
"Hannes, just tell me Eren isn't in hospital over something stupid again"  
"He was cleaning last night and went to have a bath. Eren slipped while getting out and broke his wrist. 6 weeks in a cast and it'll be just fine, and the pups are fine too, but I was up with him all night, and he sent me home to get the boys ready and get you. So please just help me get the boys ready"  
The look Hannes gave him was quietly begging him not to fight him on this. Less than impressed, Levi nodded slowly  
"Boys, bath time!"  
"But we want mum"  
"Mums out at the moment, so you'll have to wait until after school"  
Both boys let out huffs, clearly not impressed as they dragged themselves off the sofa  
"He's supposed to be home with us"  
"I know, I'm not too happy he's not here either"  
Especially because he went and broke his wrist without telling him about it. Sure someone needed to stay home with the kids, but even a "hey, I have to go to hospital" would have been appreciated.

The bathroom smelt of vinegar, and Levi didn't miss the fact the floor was wet. If Eren had fallen, anything could have happened. His mate could have hit his head for all he knew, but Hannes was acting like nothing was wrong. The alpha found himself trying to work out how all this might have happened, and cursing himself for not being there when Eren needed him  
"Daddy?"  
Shaking his head, he took a deep breath through his nose as he forced a smile onto his face  
"What's up?"  
"You weren't paying attention to us"  
"Sorry, it's time for you to get out isn't it?"  
"Daddy... is mum alright?"  
"Yeah, he's ok, and we'll see him after school"  
"Do we have to go to school?"  
"Yep. I've got stuff to do today"  
Like getting dressed, the tiles were cold and wet, which meant he was cold and wet. Lifting the boys out the bath, Levi pulled the plug and sighed. He had no idea what he was going to say to Eren.

 

*  
Eren was sleeping peacefully when Levi walked into the room. His mate was holding a small ultrasound photo against his chest, but despite how adorable he looked, Levi couldn't take his eyes off the bright pink cast in his wrist   
"And he's really alright?"  
"Yeah, he wanted to clean the house up and went at it like a bull at a gate. He's going to hate it, but I'm putting him on bedrest for the next two weeks. He'll still be expected to do his yoga exercises, but no lifting, no carrying anything heavy, no getting the cast wet..."  
"Yeah, he's not going to be impressed at all. He should have just left it for me to do"  
"He was worried about you. You've been pushing yourself so hard, and he felt guilty about it all"  
"I'm his alpha, I'm supposed to look after him"  
"There's looking after them, but then there's running yourself into the ground"  
Levi sighed   
"It's fine. I'm fine. I was just a bit tired yesterday. Is it ok to wake him up?"  
"That's the plan. We can take him home now"  
Moving to take Eren's hand in his, Levi used his other hand to gently caress his mates face   
"Princess?"  
Eren let out an adorable little sleepy huff  
"Eren, its home time"  
Eren's eyes fluttered open, his mate looking up him sadly  
"Why didn't you wake me?"  
"I'm sorry... you were so sleepy..."  
"Eren, I still want you to wake me up, especially for things like this"  
Eren bit his lip and Levi leant in to gently kiss him. He hated the fact that Eren's bottom lip looked like a cracked and bloodied mess  
"Hannes says it's home time"  
"Ok..."  
How was he supposed to stay mad when Eren looked so guilt  
"Princess, it really hurt that you didn't wake me, but you're ok and that's what matters"  
"But... I..."  
Eren shook his head   
"Sorry. Let's go?"  
Taking the ultrasound print from Eren, Levi slipped it into his pocket, before helping his omega sit up  
"Take it slow, he's probably going to be a bit light headed"  
His mate had certainly paled since sitting up, but Eren was already stubbornly trying to get off the bed  
"Hannes, we both know he doesn't know "slowly""  
"Well it's time he learnt"  
Walking over, Hannes looped his arm around Eren's waist and they slid him down together   
"Guys, I can walk"  
"Nope, you're being helped, so accept it"

Eren fell silent, and stayed silent all the way home. Levi had the feeling he wouldn't like whatever was going through his mates head, but didn't push him. He'd had enough of scare this morning. Settling his mate down on their bed, Eren immediately moved to slide under the covers   
"Let me help"  
"No... I can do this... you should get some sleep..."  
"I slept, I'm more concerned about you"  
"You don't need to be... it's not the first time I've broken my arm"  
The omegas body language screamed he wanted to be left alone, but there was no way that was happening. Climbing into bed behind Eren, he wrapped his arm around his mates waist, fingers splayed protectively over Eren's swollen stomach  
"Can I ask what happened?"  
Eren sniffled as he buried his face against the pillow and Levi bit down his sigh. A few minutes passed and he'd almost given up on getting a reply  
"I felt sick, and went to get out the bath. My hand must have slipped..."  
"Did you hurt anywhere else?"  
"Hannes says I have bruise on my arse, but I don't know how"  
"I wish you'd woken me baby. I was worried when I woke up and the boys said they couldn't find you"  
"H-Hannes... I told him to let you sleep... I'm sorry, I'm still sleepy"  
"Ok baby, you get some sleep. I'm right here"  
Eren probably was still sleepy, but Levi knew he was using it as an excuse to hide what he was really feeling. Resting his forehead against Eren's nape, Levi didn't know how to make this better. 

At some point he'd fallen asleep, and Eren slipping from his hold him wide awake in an instant  
"Eren?"  
His mate tensed, as if annoyed to be caught in the act  
"I'm just going to the toilet"  
"Ok baby, do you need any help?"  
"No... you just sleep"  
The moment Eren was out the room, Levi let out a groan, before rolling out the bed. He severely doubted his mate would just come back to bed, and there was housework to be done.

Heading into the laundry, he found the machine spinning out, which meant Hannes had to have put a wash on. So that would need to be hung out... and the floors would probably need doing, it wasn't like Eren could do them. Grabbing the broom out, he made his way into the hall, only to find Eren coming out the bathroom. His mate seemed confused as to why he was holding the broom  
"I thought I might give the place a bit of clean while you got some sleep"  
Eren took a shaky breath, but nodded, moving to disappear back into their room without saying anything.

Surprisingly enough, the floors were cleaner than he'd expected. He only collected a small pile of sand, which was soon binned. Next came hanging the washing out. The two long lines were mostly filled, so Levi supposed Hannes had hung out a load before waking the boys that morning. Feeling pretty good about cleaning, he set to work scrubbing down the kitchen, followed by the bathroom. It was near on 3 by the time he finished, and he wasn't sure who he should wake. Eren was drugged, but Hannes was exhausted. In the end he chose Hannes, purely for the drugged Eren factor. Knocking lightly on the man's door, he found Hannes looking at him in confusion  
"Sorry to wake you, Eren's resting and its time to pick the boys up"  
"Oh... shit, I guess I passed right out. I suppose we better go pick them up"  
Hannes groaned as he pushed himself out bed  
"Hannes, can you tell me what happened last night? I asked Eren, but he said he slipped"  
"Hold on, let me wake up"  
Waking up involved climbing into the Jeep, putting all four windows down and lighting them up a cigarette each. Letting out a contented sigh, Hannes began reversing   
"So last night, Eren waited until you were sleeping before coming out. He got it in his head he wanted to clean the house and they boys didn't want to help. So they were sent to their room, and Eren started to cry as he began gathering up all their toys. I asked him what I could do to help, but he didn't want help. I think he's been feeling pretty useless seeing his backs been so sore"  
Levi nodded, he had a horrible feeling he'd just made things worse  
"He did the kitchen, the living room, I think the bathroom... and the washing... oh and the floors too... swept and mopped... he was in a world of hurt, and he made himself sick worrying about how to be a good mate"  
Yeah. He was an idiot. He knew the living room and kitchen were cleaner... but... fuck  
"Anyway. Given how sore he was, he decided to take a bath, but felt sick pretty much right away and got lightheaded. When he was getting out, he slipped, and threw up... he came down to my room straight away. Showed me his broken wrist and threw up on me. That's the whole story of how he ended up on hospital"  
"Fuck... I think I made things worse. I just redid all his cleaning..."  
Hannes groaned  
"Yeah. Let's not say anything about that. He strained his back trying to make sure the house was clean for you, so you wouldn't have to worry about it... I thought he'd sent himself into labour given how badly he was whimpering when we got to hospital, but it was just from the muscle spasms"  
Just. Just. How was it "just". Even the idea that Eren could go into labour so soon has his stomach in knots. He hadn't even thought about that...  
"Levi, keep all this under your hat. He was trying to do what he thought was right, and he just wants you to be able to relax at home"  
"But I'm his alpha"  
"Yep, that's why he wants to make you proud. You're only going to upset him if you bring it up. As far as you know, he slipped. That's it"  
Grinding his teeth, Levi nodded. It didn't sit well with him at all. He didn't do things at home just because they needed to be done, he did them because he loved Eren. He just wanted his mate to relax.. well, relax as much as was humanly possible for Eren. This pregnancy has taken so much out of his mate, and it didn't seem fair that he was off with his friends, while Eren was home with their kids.

Pulling up at the school, Levi climbed from the Jeep feeling much older than his 18 and a bit years. Stretching with a yawn, he started off to the boys classroom. The twins were standing out the front, and he could see the disappointment on their faces that it was just him  
"What? No love for me?"  
Ren sighed, and Eli looked at his feet  
"We were expecting mum"  
"You really miss mum don't you?"  
"He was mad at us last night for not helping... is that why he's not here?"  
"Idiot. He said he was sorry when he put us to bed"  
"Don't call your brother an idiot. Mums home now, he had a little accident, so Hannes had to take him to the hospital"  
"But... he's alright?"  
Eli's bottom lip was quivering and Levi kicked himself  
"Yeah, of course he is. Mum's tough and I know he missed you guys"  
Taking the boys hands, Levi lead them back through the school and over to the Jeep. Both boys were quiet as they climbed up and Levi helped them with their belts  
"It smells like mum in here... but it also smells gross"  
"It's a good thing we're headed home then"  
"Hannes, dad said mum got hurt"  
Dobbers. Climbing back into the Jeep, he left Hannes to answer any questions, it was probably smarter and would stop him from putting his foot in it again  
"Mum slipped in the bathroom and broke his arms. I've decided to call 2018 the year we got a break"  
Levi scowled at the man, but Hannes decided he had to continue  
"I got a break, Eli got a break and Eren got a break..."  
"How is this even funny to you?"  
"Because we're all alright?"  
Hannes shrugged, while Levi was quietly angered by the way the man was turning this into a joke. He knew Hannes was the kind of man who laughed because if he didn't, it was just too sad, but this was still too raw.

The second they got home, the boys were straight off to find Eren. Their bags were dumped on the floor and their shoes kicked off in their rush. Following behind, Levi cleaned up their trail. They're children were definitely deciduous, and it was tempting to see if they'd answer to deciduous one and two. Leaving them to Eren, Levi emptied their bags and made sure there wasn't anything important smooshed down the bottom. In Eli's bag, he found what once was a drawing of his name... it was a shame it had been squashed, still, he couldn't bring himself to bin it. Ren didn't have one in his bag and Levi was left wondering if that meant his son had already binned it, or if Eren had rescued it. Placing on top the fridge, it was now safely hidden from small fingers and he made a mental note to ask Eren later.

Having finished with the boys bags, and having washed their lunch box, Levi headed into their bedroom. Eren was sitting up with the boys curled up against him  
"They missed you"  
"I noticed"  
"I've done their bags, what else needs to be done?"  
"They need to get out of their uniforms"  
"That might be a bit hard, I don't think they want to move"  
Eren nodded, the omega gently rubbing the boys backs  
"Babies, daddy needs your uniforms"  
"But mum..."  
"You can put your pyjamas back on, and then come back to bed. I'm not going anywhere"  
"Promise?"  
"Promise. Now go get changed"  
The twins climbed from the bed, and Eren winced as he repositioned  
"Can I get you anything? You haven't eaten have you?"  
"I had breakfast at the hospital with Hannes"  
"That's not enough. I'll make you and the boys something to eat"  
"Levi, its fine"  
"Nope, I'm your alpha and I wanna cook for you"  
Crossing to the bed, Levi half climbed on and pressed a kiss to Eren's lips  
"I love you. Be back soon"  
Walking from the room, he headed into the kitchen. He had no idea what would be good for his mate and Hannes had migrated back to his room.

In the end Levi chose to do toasted sandwiches. It wasn't fancy, but it was easy. Using the tin of braised steak and onion he found in the pantry, he made four with it, and then another 4 with just cheese. The bed was probably going to end up filled with crumbs, but it seemed mean to take Ren and Eli away from Eren. Grabbing 4 juice boxes from the cupboard, Levi carried the lot through to the bedroom. Ren and Eli were already back in bed, happily telling Eren about there day, while Eren nodded along  
"Food time"  
The boys wriggled from Eren's hold, and Levi shuffled across the bed on his knees, before placing the plate on Eren's stomach. His mate didn't seem terribly impressed, but didn't voice his objections  
"Mum, how are you going to take a shower if you can't get your hand wet?"  
"This isn't the first time I've broken my arm, I became a pro at it before"  
"You broke your arm before?"  
"Yep, when you guys were tiny"  
"Did it hurt?"  
"Yeah, but being with you guys made all the pain go away"  
"My nose really hurt... did it hurt more?"  
"No baby and it's not a bad break"  
"But you got a cast"  
"I know, Hannes even chose the colour"  
So that explained why it was pink... though he wouldn't have put it past Eren to choose pink himself  
"You didn't even wake us up... we could have seen you get your cast"  
"No, you guys needed to sleep because you had school"  
"But daddy didn't know either"  
"That's because daddy has been working so hard so we can have everything we need and it would have been mean of mummy to wake him"  
Eli shrugged, while Ren nodded around his sandwich quarter. Levi swallowed down his annoyance at Eren's sentence, his mate should have woken him  
"We missed you mumma"  
"I know babies, and I missed you guys so much"  
Falling into silence, Levi watched Eren eat, his mate barely finished a sandwich before stopping  
"You need to eat princess"  
"I'm full, you guys can finish them"  
No. That wasn't the plan  
"Can you try and eat a little more? You need your energy"  
"I'm fine"  
"Eren..."  
"Levi, drop it. I'm full"  
Eren covered his face with his good hand, obviously upset about snapping in front of the boys  
"Mum are you sleepy? You say we get mad when we're tired"  
"Yeah I kind of am baby. I'm sorry"  
Ren slid the plate into his hold and Eli nodded  
"We're going to play in our room, mum you go to sleep"  
Eren nodded with a sigh  
"I'm sorry babies, give me a kiss first, I love you guys"  
After giving Eren his kisses, the boys ran off, leaving the two of them alone  
"Eren?"  
"It's ok Levi. I'm going to get some sleep. You should play with the boys, they really miss not having you around"  
"But I want to spend time with you"  
"There's not much point when I'm just going to sleep"  
"Can I stay with you until you fall asleep?"  
He sounded so pathetic. Eren was hurting in more ways than one and he just wanted to be there for his mate   
"If you want to..."  
As Eren carefully slid down the bed, Levi moved to sit next to his mate, guiding Eren's head onto his thigh, before playing with hair like Eren had done for him  
"I love you princess"  
His omega didn't reply, instead Eren stared forward and Levi counted to 5 mentally  
"I didn't know you'd cleaned... I didn't mean to make you feel bad"  
"It's fine, like you said, you didn't know"  
"It's not fine. I noticed the place had been tidied up, but I was just focused on trying to make things easier for you"  
Eren let out a dry laugh that made Levi wince  
"I'm the one who should be making your life easier. You're working too hard and trying to juggle class. You deserve to come home to a clean house, not a pigsty like this place"  
Rolling off his leg, Eren pulled the blankets up against him  
"Baby, its fine. I promise"  
"You might think it's fine, but I don't! I'm fucking useless Levi. I'm fat and ugly and can't even chase after two boys. How the hell am I supposed to look after the boys and two pups? I'm sorry you got saddled with me for a mate"  
"Are you fucking kidding me?"  
Rolling Eren on his back, Levi moved to pin his omega to the bed  
"You want to know what makes me mad or upset? It's when you talk about yourself like that. I'm so sick of it. You are my omega! Mine! My mate and the mother of our boys, and you've been dealt a shitty hand, but I'm so tired of you hating on yourself. I love you, I love the boys and I love our pup. I'm working hard because I want to. I want to be a good alpha, but you insist on hurting yourself further like it won't hurt me. Hannes told me you're on bedrest, he told me he thought you'd worked yourself up so much you were in labour. So why Eren? Why can't you rely on me more?"  
Eren stared up at him, his eyes wide, but then his omega bit his lip and looked away  
"You're too good for me"  
"Don't say that. We're supposed to be partners"  
"If we are partners, why am I so fucking useless! I cleaned the whole house through, I couldn't even walk properly by the end of it, but I wanted you to be able to relax! And it wasn't even good enough! You didn't notice at all! I'm sick of having to wait for you to come home and then watch as you do everything! It's not fair on you!"  
"Are you deaf! I don't mind!"  
"But I do!"  
Eren's body trembled beneath him, and Levi only now realised how scared and upset his mate smelt. Releasing Eren's wrists, he took his mates face in his hands   
"Princess..."  
"Everyone thinks I take it all for granted! Everyone has to do things for me and I hate it... it hurt Levi... not just my body, but everything. I'm letting everyone down and they all act like it's ok"  
Breaking down into sobs, Levi awkwardly pulled Eren up against him, rocking him gently as he rubbed his mates back and held his face against his shoulder  
"I know it does. I know how stubborn you are and I know you want to do everything yourself, but you can't. God, your like 28 weeks or something, you don't need to think about anything other than our pups"  
"But what if I'm a bad mum to them? I'm scared... I'm scared of failing them like I failed the twins... and I'm scared the twins will think I'm replacing them..."  
"You won't fail them. If anyone's going to it's going to be me. I have no idea what I'm doing, I don't even know what I'm doing with the twins, everything I do know I know from you. You took amazing care of the boys, and we'll work through this together"  
Jesus... it was like listening to Izzy again  
"I just want to be useful and now I'm even more useless"  
"You're not useless"  
"I feel so frustrated all the time. I wasn't this bad with twins..."  
"You also didn't have all this shit happening with everyone else"  
Eren sniffled against him sadly  
"And if you're frustrated, I think I can do something about that"  
"Levi... the boys"  
"The boys are busy, and we don't have to go all the way. Just let me help you relax and then you can get some rest"

Having closed the door, Levi moved to crawl up between Eren's legs. Sliding his thumbs under the waist band of him mates pants, he rubbed gently  
"Can you lift your hips?"  
Eren raised them with a small whimper, so Levi rushed to pull them down to his mates thighs. He couldn't just pounce while Eren was like this, and he found himself trembling as he took extra care  
"I love you. Even when you get these silly ideas"  
"I-I don't know why..."  
"Then just accept I do and I love all of you"  
Sliding Eren's pants down to his ankles, Levi freed each foot carefully, before running his hands up Eren's thighs as he moved back up the bed  
"I know things are rough at the moment, but once I have my licence, I'm going to change my hours. I want to come home to you and the boys every night"  
"I... I miss you so much when you aren't here"  
Levi's heart ached, his fiancé sounded so lost. Failing to find the words, the alpha moved to work Eren's half hard penis. His mate needed some serious stress relief and needed some serious TLC. Burying his face against the teens soft pubes, Levi began to nuzzle as he pressed kisses to the base of Eren's penis, smirking slightly as he felt the organ twitch in anticipation. Pulling back slightly, he ran his tongue along the side of Eren's now fully erect penis, before wrapping his lips around it and down to the base, causing Eren to let out a long moan of pure pleasure. Their sexual chemistry really was something else. Pushing all other thoughts side, Levi moved to lick and suck until Eren's mews and moans blended together and his mate began to rock into his mouth. Increasing his own rhythm to match Eren's pace, Eren's whole body stiffened as his back arched and he came in thick ribbons down Levi's throat. Unable to catch it all, his mouth filled, but he didn't pull back until Eren had slumped against the bed. Swallowing the mess, Levi let Eren's spent erection slide from his mouth and moved to lap his mate completely clean   
"Mmmm... you taste so good"  
Eren let out a low whine, and Levi knew that meant his mate wanted to be held now. It wasn't often enough that he made that kind of whine, and Levi hurried to move up to lay beside Eren, pulling him into his arms and nuzzling his face   
"Shhh... I'm here. I'm always going to be here"  
He held Eren close until his mates breathing finally turned into small sleepy puffs. Eren was trying so hard in his own way, and he knew the omega appreciated everything done for him, no matter how much it hurt his stubborn pride.


	83. Chapter 83

It felt like Levi had only just got Eren to sleep when his mates phone began to ring. Snuggling against him, his fiancé let out a sleepy groan, obviously not the bit impressed over being disturbed   
"Baby, where's your phone?"  
"'dunno..."  
Well that was helpful. Gently sliding out from under Eren, Levi began his hunt for the ringing device, finally finding it between the bed and the bedside draw. It seemed the call had been from Grandpa Arlert, and Levi's heart sunk. He didn't know why the old man would be calling, but given the fact that Eren had said the man had been sick, his mind went to the worse case scenario  
"Who was it?"  
"Grandpa Arlert"  
Eren shot up almost comically, before letting out a small whimper and slumping back  
"Fuck!"  
Apparently Eren knew what was going on  
"Care to share?"  
"We said we'd come for dinner tonight, it's Tuesday right?"  
"Oh shit... so do I call him back and say we can't come?"  
"What's the time?"  
"Just on 5"  
"Nope, we can still make it"  
Levi really wasn't sure about this... Eren was beyond tired and his mate had had a rough time this morning  
"Eren, you're exhausted. We should just reschedule"  
"No..."  
"He won't be mad, you know he won't"  
"Levi... this is important to me..."  
Dammit  
"Fine, but you need to change and Hannes was supposed to come with us wasn't he?"  
"Yeah... can you call grandpa back and tell him we're just stopping by the shop on the way"  
"First you get pants, and then I'll call"  
"But pants are effort"  
"I don't mind you walking around like Winnie the Pooh, but I don't want to share"  
Eren offered him a pained smile, and Levi moved to rummage through their wardrobe   
"So we feel like sweats, yoga pants, jeans or pyjama bottoms?"  
"Jeans don't fit anymore... sweats are comfy..."  
"Sweats it is"  
"But we're supposed to be going to dinner"  
"You do realise the boys are in their pyjamas. This is fine"  
Snagging Eren another pair of underwear on the way, Levi returned to Eren's side and helped him to edge of the bed, before helping him into his pants   
"I can take it from here, just call grandpa already..."  
"Babe, you have one hand. Just let me do this, it'll be done faster"  
Eren gave him a pout as Levi pulled him to his feet and slid the clothing up over his mates hips. Eren would probably kill him, but he kind of liked the tiny gap between his mates top and the waistband of the sweats. Unfortunately Eren hiked his pants up and the gap disappeared  
"Levi, please go call grandpa before he thinks something is wrong. We'll have to cook at his place..."  
"Ok. But stop freaking out"  
"You're the one freaking out, now please go call him"

Evicted from the bedroom, Levi headed into the living room. Unlocking Eren's phone, he pulled up grandpas number and waited for the old man to finally answer  
"Eren! Still on for tonight, are we?"  
"Hi Mr Arlert, it's actually Levi. We're running a little late, but we're still coming"  
"That's fine, that's fine. I was calling to say Mikasa and Armin are running late too"  
"Oh, Mikasa and Armin are joining us?"  
"Yeah, and that Jean guy"  
Yuck... Jean... Eren didn't deserve to be tortured by a night with the shitty horse face fool... his mate definitely needed someone else on his side tonight, and the old man would know what to say to the others, letting out a small sigh, Levi found his voice again  
"I should probably warn you, the reason we're running late is because Eren slipped in the bathroom this morning and broke his arm. He's ok, but he's a bit tired still"  
"If he's not up for tonight..."  
"No, no, he's really looking forward to it"  
"Ok, can I do anything on my end to help?"  
"No, we'll stop by the shop on the way and make dinner there"  
"I'll see you soon then"  
Hanging up on grandpa Arlert, Levi looked around the space. They needed his wallet, he had Eren's phone... so they needed the car keys... and the kids. Better start with the big kid first.

It took 20 minutes to get the three kids and Eren into the car. Levi was driving, with Eren in the front passenger seat, and Hannes in the back with the boys  
"What do we want to make for dinner? Jean and Mikasa are going to be there too..."  
Eren let out a small groan  
"I know, but we're here... well me and the kids at any rate"  
Hannes kicked his chair   
"Dad, you haven't even started the car"  
"Hannes, you can try as hard as you like, but I'm not going to smack your bum"  
"Muuuum, dad isn't playing fair"  
Eren let out a small snort, and gave Levi a nod. They could totally do this.

Having stopped in at the shop and let Eren totally boss him around, they were now finally pulling into Grandpa's drive  
"There cars not here, I think we beat them"  
Hannes let out an exaggerated "phew!" from the back seat  
"Keep it up and you get no dessert"  
"You bought stuff for dessert?"  
"It's only chocolate mousse, don't get so excited"  
"Aw yeah!"  
"Hannes, you've been spending too much time with the boys. Eren, you take the boys on ahead, and Hannes and I will bring the shopping in. Divide and conquer!"  
His rally cry kind of fell flat, earning himself a pat on the shoulder from Eren... but that had to mean his mate at least felt a little better? Climbing out the Jeep, he jogged around the front of the car and opened Eren's door for him  
"Levi, I can do this myself"  
"Yes, but I wanted a kiss for good luck"  
"I thought we were dividing and conquering?"  
"I'm a man, I can change my mind"  
Eren just shook his head. Levi knew he was trying a bit too hard, but Eren was nervous so if acting like a fool was what Eren needed, he could take a few hits before the gruesome threesome arrived.

 

*  
Armin, Mikasa and Jean arrived about an hour after they did. Dinner was cooking away in the oven, while Hannes's version of chocolate mousse chilled in the fridge. While it was good all the prep work was done, it also meant that Eren was hiding in the kitchen while Levi washed the dishes. The moment Armin's voice had reached them, Eren had begun hovering close to him, as if he was scared to go face his friends. Levi didn't know what to say to ease his mates anxieties, so opted to keep his mouth shut, which worked well until the trio finally made it into the kitchen  
"Hey Eren, wow, you've gotten big"  
Mikasa might have meant no harm, but Eren's good hand came to brush against Levi's thigh  
"Hi guys, dinners still going to be a little while, why don't you relax in the living room"  
Mikasa scowled at him, obviously having her boyfriend by her side given her the impression that he could actually tolerate her. Eren might say things were alright, but his mate had had such a rough day  
"Hey shorty, still looking as sour as ever"  
"Guys, do have to do this right now?"  
Armin placed 4 bottles of wine down on the counter with a loud sigh and Levi swore Jean muttered something under his breath  
"Eren, what happened to your arm?"  
Eren shifted nervously, but lifted his arm up  
"I kind of broke it last night, or it might have been early this morning"  
Jean snorted. The horse faced shit snorted and Levi was itching to punch him. How dare he disrespect Eren!  
"Holy fuck"  
Mikasa rushed over and Levi was jostled out the way so the girl could wrap her arms around him  
"You need to be more careful!"  
"It was an accident... I guess the bones are more brittle or something cause I broke it before..."  
How could the girl not tell she was making Eren uncomfortable   
"You should sit, you shouldn't be standing in such a hot kitchen"  
Eren shot him a pleasing look, but Mikasa was already leading the omega over to sit at the dining table   
"So tell me everything. How have you been? It's been like forever since we talked"  
Turning back to the dishes, Levi angrily began to scrub at the mixing bowl, the pressure so hard he was sure it would shatter in his hold at any moment. These people were supposed to be Eren's friends, shouldn't they know what he's been up to? It wasn't like Eren didn't update his Facebook like 5 times a day  
"Um... Levi and I got engaged..."  
"You did? That's wonderful"  
"Yeah... grandpa and Hannes are going to walk me down the isle"  
"So you and your father still aren't talking?"  
Really? She was going to fucking go there?  
"Mikasa! I told you about that, how could you forget?"  
"I'm sorry! I've been so busy with college, everything's become a total blur"  
"That's because you work so hard. Do you guys want a drink?"  
"Yes please, Armin will have one too. What about you Eren?"  
Jesus Christ. He was surrounded by idiots  
"No, I can't drink. Levi might like one?"  
"Surely one glass won't harm the baby"  
Mikasa sounded almost bored and Levi wondered why he ever thought her intelligent   
"Mikasa, he said he didn't want one"  
"Eren is capable of making up his own mind, he doesn't need you making it up for him. Jean baby, can you please pour one for Eren too"  
Levi shot Jean a glare so cold that the shitty teen stopped  
"Eren can't drink"  
"One won't hurt"  
"Mikasa, I can't because of the medication I'm on"  
"Oh, you could have just said that"  
Suppressing a growl, Levi strode across the short distance and placed his hand on Eren's shoulder  
"Eren, can you help me put things away? I don't know where everything lives here"  
"I can do it, why don't you take a seat Levi"  
Why was Armin not getting it either? He'd always seemed the smartest one... maybe Jean had rubbed off on him... the blonde actually crossed the kitchen and began finishing the dishes he had been doing.

Somehow he ended up sitting besides Eren, and he had a firm hold of his mates hand under the table. From this angle and under the light, he could see how pale Eren looked  
"So what about you Levi?"  
"What about me?"  
"What have you been doing with your time?"  
"I study carpentry and then work back at Ravioli"  
"Oh, so you do the daily drive?"  
"No, I haven't had time to get my licence, so Eren drops me off Thursday mornings and then picks me up Monday afternoons"  
"So you aren't at home full time with him?"  
"No, Levi's working hard to take care of us, and Hannes isn't moving out until the start of next year"  
His princess had snapped. There was a certain coldness in his mates voice, but he seemed to be the only one who noticed   
"So you're a kept omega. Who would have thought?"  
Jean snorted to himself and Levi squeezed Eren's hand harder in an attempt not to lose his cool  
"Levi's been my alpha since I was 12"  
"But you did sleep with Reiner and you seemed pretty comfortable running around in that cheer uniform"  
"That's ancient history. Reiner and Bertholdt are happily married and I'm bonded and engaged to Levi, as well as pregnant with baby 3 and 4"  
Jean looked shocked, while Mikasa looked confused  
"You're having twins... again?"  
"Yeah. We found out not that long after getting back from Marley"  
"Wow. You're going to have your hands full"  
Who were they to judge? He was just about to stand when Eren did. The colour drained from his face even further and Levi leapt to catch him before he could fall   
"Eren!"  
"I'm fine... I just need some air"  
"Of course you do, let's get you outside"  
Mikasa went to move to help, but Levi growled, as far as he was concerned they'd done this  
"Hannes!"  
Hannes, Grandpa Arlert and the twins appeared  
"Levi, what happened?"  
"Can you help me with Eren, he needs a little air"  
Passing his beer to Grandpa Arlert, Hannes slipped through the group and lifted Eren like it was nothing   
"Sorry about this, he had a long night. Let's get you out in the fresh air"  
Following behind Hannes, the man stepped out the way so Levi could open the front door  
"Hannes, put me down"  
"Nope, you can have the down when we get the outside"  
"You've definitely spent too much time watching cartoons"  
"Quiet probably"

Sitting with Eren on the front step, Levi had an arm around his mates waist  
"We could go home?"  
"No, I'm ok. It was just a bit much"  
"If it counts, I wanted to punch Jean"  
"I'm proud you didn't. When did we all become so distant?"  
"I don't know. I'm not too happy about what happened in there"  
"I know. I don't know why I started to panic. I've seen them thousands of times, but it was like... I don't know"  
Reaching up and tucking Eren's fringe behind his ear, Levi then pressed a kiss to his mates temple  
"For Grandpa Arlert's sake, I'll keep my temper. But baby, no matter what happens, I love you"  
"I know... it might have been alright if it was just Armin, but it really does feel like Mikasa hates me"  
"I'm pretty sure she hates me"  
"No one could hate you"  
"I know plenty of people who'd disagree"  
"Then they're idiots"  
"Or are we the idiots?"  
His terrible joke got a tiny smile out his mate   
"Yes, we're total idiots. You, me, Levi and Dave. Complete nutters"  
"I thought we decided to change Dave's name?"  
"We probably did, but I honestly can't remember. I have total baby brain"  
"Then I'll just have to remember everything for you. Your name is Eren Ackerman and you're my husband"  
Eren snorted  
"I think I would remember the wedding... or at least the wedding night"  
"Damn! I knew there was something I forgot"  
"I think we should leave the thinking and remembering to someone else"  
"Probably a good plan. Maybe the boys could?"  
"Levi, we'll be lucky if they remember their own names"  
"Isn't it kid one and kid two"  
"Shit... I thought it was A and B"  
The playful banter had definitely seemed to perk Eren up a little and his colour looked much better. Looking over his shoulder at the door, Levi sighed softly  
"I guess we need to go back in"  
"Yeah. But if it counts, our kids are actually the best behaved ones"  
"Shit. They are too"'  
Moving to nuzzle Eren's face, Levi's lips brushed against Eren's   
"We can do this"  
"Yeah. I can do anything with you by my side"  
God Eren was absolutely adorable. His mate had no idea how a few small words like that could make him feel amazing.

 

*  
Sitting beside Levi, Eren forced himself to smile. His mate had cut up his food for him, which he was secretly grateful for as his arm had begun throbbing in time with the headache he'd had since standing too fast. Across from him was Mikasa and Jean, which meant that he couldn't avoid the pair, though he didn't know if he wanted to or should. It hurt that Mikasa seemed so different now, but he couldn't expect her to be the same girl forever. Going to college and dating Jean were both big things for her, so she was probably having trouble juggling it all... or least that's what he told himself. Nothing she did counted tonight, purely because it was too exhausting to try and keep dealing with it  
"So Eren, do you have any names chosen?"  
This had to be a trap, and he blinked as he looked to Jean   
"No, not really"  
"I thought you'd have them all planned out"  
"No, we decided not to find out"  
"Isn't it going to hurt though?"  
Mikasa elbowed Jean in the ribs, giving him a clear look, which Eren chose to ignore  
"You have no idea, but it's all worth it in the end"  
Jean paled and choked on his broccoli, while Levi nudged Eren's knee with his own, obviously approving   
"Jean, it's alright. We have drugs now, he won't feel much of anything"  
Hannes grinned and winked at Eren, clearly happy to join in on teasing Jean  
"Hannes... how does the baby come out?"  
Oh god. It was like Eli knew what was going on. Around the table there were coughs as they choked thanks to the boys words  
"I think that's enough baby talk"  
Eren nodded at Grandpa Arlert's words  
"Eat you dinner"  
"But I don't want to. I want to know!"  
"Eli, you need to eat your dinner or you won't get dessert"  
His son let out a huge sigh as if not knowing was the worse dilemma of his young life   
"But it would have to hurt"  
Jean just couldn't keep his mouth shut   
"Jean, did we not just say no more baby talk"  
"I can't help it. I can't get my brain around it"  
Levi leant in close, whispering into his ear  
"That's because he doesn't have one"  
"Oi, stop talking about me"  
"Calm down, who said we were?"  
"You were looking at me"  
"That's because you are sitting right across from us"  
Jean could try his luck against Levi, but he'd never win.

The rest of dinner passed in small talk. Mikasa loved her classes, she loved living in Trost. She still caught up with Sasha and Connie, and she'd taken up kick boxing. Armin loved his classes, but everyone was taller than him. He too loved the convenience of living in Trost, but was nice enough to say "he missed everyone in Shinganshima", so that was something. Jean. Jean was Jean. His bromance with Connie was just as strong as ever and he still didn't know when to shut up. It wasn't the most comfortable for Eren, but Grandpa seemed happy and that was what was most important. The only real thing that stood out to him was how bad Hannes's mousse was. It bordered on inedible as it was way too rich, but the boys wolfed it down happily enough. 

Given they'd arrived late, Mikasa, Armin and Jean offered to do the dishes and Eren was pretty sure it was their polite way of getting rid of them. It wasn't like he could stay awake much longer anyway, and pain in his wrist and head had only gotten worse. Stumbling into the living room, he practically collapsed down into the sofa  
"Eren?"  
"I'm alright. Just a bit sore"  
"I forgot to drug you before we left"  
Hannes always sounded so happy about the prospect of drugging him that Eren had to wonder if the man ever remembered there were other people around  
"If you aren't feeling well you should head on home"  
"No, I'm ok... oh, before I forget, Hannes, do you know what happened to that ultrasound photo? I wanted to show Grandpa Arlert"  
"I think Levi had it"  
That meant it could be anywhere... instead his alpha started patting down his pockets, before pulling out the slightly crumpled print  
"I forgot I put it in my pocket"  
Eren was too tired to be bothered, and watched Levi pass the print to the old man  
"Would you look at that. They look big and healthy"  
"They are. Good strong vitals, a bit bigger than expected, but they are wolf bloods"  
"I think they're alpha's again... I'm bigger than last time... I think. I don't really remember..."  
Ending a sentence with a yawn, Eren scrubbed at his face  
"A house full of alpha's..."  
"I know... I'm completely outnumbered, but it's hard being a male omega..."  
"Luckily I never had any of that drama. I knew my wife was the one for me the moment I laid eyes on her"  
Eren smiled softly. Grandpa Arlert very rarely mentioned her these days, but it was clear how in love with her he still was  
"When I first met Levi, I wanted him to like me so badly that he probably thought I was a freak"  
"I kind of did. You just showed up"  
"You were... in my spot"  
His sentence was interrupted by another yawn and he jumped when Hannes placed a hand on his shoulder  
"I know you want to stay, but you're exhausted"  
"But..."  
"Eren, it's alright. Now you make sure you call me if you need anything at all. I know how much of a handful little boys can be"  
"Thanks, I might just take you up on that. It wouldn't be the first time you've have to look after them while I've been down a hand"  
"And I'd do again in a heartbeat"  
The man's words left a warm feeling in his chest. The world would definitely be a better place with more people like Grandpa Arlert.

 

*  
Eren fell asleep in the car, and when they arrived home Hannes carried him from the car to the bedroom. The omega didn't stir in the slightest and Levi was so relieved the night was finally over. Some how it had hit 11 without him even realising and they boys were definitely going to be cranky tomorrow. Leaving Eren to sleep, Hannes helped him put the twins to sleep, before heading off to get ready to head into work. Hannes was kind of amazing. It wasn't a new revelation, but the man really was. He seemed just as comfortable sitting on the sofa watching cartoons with a beer, as he did bossing everyone at the hospital around. Waiting until Hannes was ready, Levi walked him to the door and locked it properly, he was so ready for bed, but he was also feeling frustrated. His alpha had been on its bed behaviour, despite its roaring protests and want to tear Eren's friends to shreds.

Padding through to the bedroom, he stripped completely, before moving to strip Eren down for bed. His mate didn't even seem to notice that either, and Levi was kind of impressed how deeply he could sleep. Given there was nothing he could do, he climbed into bed and spooned around Eren. It was some kind of torture. Eren was so warm and fitted so perfectly in his hold, but no matter how horny he was, he wasn't about to take advantage of his mate while he was in such a vulnerable state. Or so he thought.

Despite his agitation and arousal, exhaustion had won out. He knew he was dreaming, but it was such a nice dream. It was just him and Eren, his mate was smiling down at him so perfectly as he rose and fell rhythmically in his lap. Every new, every moan, it was just so perfect as it fell from Eren's parted pouty lips. Everything about it felt so real, and naturally his body responded. Losing himself in the dream, he let himself fall apart completely, surrendering to the pleasure and cuming with a howl... which woke him. Waking up so suddenly was kind of a shock, but to find Eren squirming against him and panting hard... that was hot. Pushing forward, his erection slid further into his mate, causing Eren to moan   
"Princess?"  
"Don't stop"  
Ok... so it seemed he'd been enjoying Eren in both his dreams and reality... it was totally his mates fault for being so desirable. Lifting Eren's leg, Levi pushed in hard, knowing he couldn't last. From how warm and wet Eren was inside, he was sure he'd already cum in his mate, but obviously he didn't knot him and that's what Eren wanted. Taking Eren's right breast into his hand, he massaged as hard as he could until Eren was gasping for breath and his mate clenched around him so deliciously, drawing his own orgasm from him. Dreams were nice, but this was definitely much better. 

Pressing kissed to Eren's shoulder, he nuzzled against the smooth skin  
"I love you baby"  
Instead of getting an "I love you too", he got a deep and nasally snore. His boyfriend really was a dork.


	84. Chapter 84

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not dead... but close. I nearly got into a car accident because I stalled pulling out of a petrol station and the other guy didn't even slow... have I mentioned before that I only like driving automatics... because I do.
> 
>  
> 
> Also, I apologise if this chapters a little choppy. It was surprisingly hard to find time to write porn while on holiday and my charge cable didn't want to work... 
> 
>  
> 
> Forgive me... or yell at me... your comments give me life

Letting out a long yawn, Levi snuggled closer against Eren, the alpha didn't want to particularly get out of bed, buuuuuut today was finally the open day at the institute and he couldn't wait to show his omega off... oh, and show him the two cots. He'd thrown everything he could into the project and managed to get them complete for the most part. The only thing left was either staining or painting them, but was for his mate to decide. Pressing small kisses to Eren's nape, his mate wriggled back against him and moved to lace their fingers together against the swell of Eren's stomach  
"Hey baby, hey babies... how'd you sleep"  
"Mmmm, good. How long before we have to adult?"  
"I just woke up... so I think we can have a little mummy and daddy time before we wake the kids"  
"Good... I definitely didn't get enough of you last night"  
Rolling over in his hold, Eren smiled up him so brilliantly   
"You're so perfect baby"  
"You're just saying that because you're about to get some"  
Levi snorted as he nodded   
"Totally, but I am just a normal teenager, rampant hormones and all that"  
"Mhmm, something like that"

The day was going almost too well. Eren seemed happy enough, they'd had sex both in bed and in the shower, and now his mate looked simply sinful. Levi had to admit he was actually pretty proud of himself, he'd remembered Eren mentioning nothing fitted properly anymore, so he'd bought his mate a deep forest green hooded dress and new pair of leggings for today. The plan was to take the omega shopping after the open day, but fuck... the dress fitted in all the right places, accentuating all his curves and bump, basically turning him into sex on legs... Completing the look, his mate had pulled his hair into a high ponytail, and gold hoop earrings swung from his earlobes. He really didn't want to let his fiancé out in public like this, but Eren was so excited to be finally seeing what he'd been keeping a secret for so long.

Coming out the bathroom, he smirked again at his mate. Eren was attempting to get Eli's hair to cooperate, but like his mothers, Eli's hair had a mind of its own  
"Babe, its fine. People expect kids to be a little messy"  
"But you have to put up with these people for another few months"  
"And they can go suck my left nut if they think I give two shits about their shitty opinions"  
Despite how proud he was of his articulation, Eren shot him look  
"Sorry. Have you see the ute keys?"  
"I thought we were taking the Jeep..."  
"Hannes has the Jeep. We have the ute"  
"I don't think I can drive the ute..."  
"You don't have to, I got my licence yesterday, so I'm all legal now baby"  
Eren took a minute, and then he let out a squeal, rushing from the chair before letting out a hiss. Levi snorted as he crossed to him and wrapped his arms around his excited mate  
"Take it careful baby"  
Eren shook his head, his eyes wide and sparkling   
"Why didn't you tell me?! I thought you and Hannes were taking way too long for just going to the shop!"  
"Because I wanted to surprise you, now come on my lady, your chariot awaits"  
"Your lady?"  
"Well... my perfect, gorgeous, smart, sexy and wonderful omega didn't fit"  
"But I'm a boy"  
"Oh... I was wondering why you looked the same down there as I do"  
"It took you this long to notice?"  
"Maybe. I keep getting lost in your eyes"  
Eren groaned and pulled away  
"I feel like that whole thing was a set up. Smooth Ackerman, smooth"  
Levi shrugged and moved to lift Ren onto his hip. He pressed a small kiss to his sons cheek and the boy wrinkled his face  
"Dad! No"  
"Don't dad no me. Anyway, doesn't mum look pretty?"  
"Yeah... but can we go now. I don't want my hair brushed"  
"Nope, you my feral child are getting your hair brushed"  
"But it's like effffffort"  
"How is it effort? You just have to sit there"  
"It just is"  
Eren stepped back and grabbed the brush off the sofa arm  
"You hold him still"  
Despite how much Ren protested, Eren still managed to tame the boys hair, and the pout Levi was given at the end of it was adorable   
"I know, I'm terrible. But are you guys ready to go see daddy's school?"  
"You put us through all of this, and now you ask?"  
"Levi, I just need to pee, so I'll meet you guys at the car"  
"But mum, you just went!"  
"I know, but it's one of those secret joys of pregnancy"  
Eren's sarcasm was wasted on the boys and they both just looked confused.

Having finally made it out the house and into the ute, the boys were seated between them. Ren and Eli seemed happy enough as they whispered away to each other, while Eren had fallen asleep almost immediately, sleeping through until Levi pulled up at the rest stop on the outskirts of Trost  
"Eli, wake your mum up"  
"But we aren't there"  
"Just trust me"  
Eli poked his finger up Eren's nose and Levi rolled his eyes, he'd kind of hoped the boy would just gently shake Eren   
"What the..."  
"Princess"  
Eren blinked before sitting up and then giving him a small smile  
"Best alpha... thanks Levi"  
At first the whole peeing thing had had him worried, especially seeing it seemed to happen pretty much hourly, but Hannes had assured him it was normal. It didn't take his mate long to return, obviously happily relieved  
"Mum, you have to stop peeing"  
"Then tell your dad not to get me pregnant"  
"Dad, don't get mum pregnant any more"  
Oh god. His kids were definitely their mothers boys. While Eren sat in his corner laughing, Levi did his best to look solemn as he nodded, but the appeal of Eren looking so swollen and full of their pups, meant he was silently agreeing to something he really couldn't promise.

Pulling into the parking closer to his building, Levi let out a groan as he stretched. Technically that was the furtherest he'd ever driven, and his body was totally not used to it  
"Well done"  
"Of course it was well done. I couldn't risk damaging the precious cargo"  
"What yourself?"  
"That too. Now boys, you've got to listen to me carefully. You need to stay with me and mum. This place is so big that even I get lost"  
"We will..."  
"Do you promise?"  
Holding out his pinky, Ren and Eli hooked it, while Eren pursed his lips as if thinking  
"Princess?"  
"I was just thinking I might like to get lost"  
"Don't you dare"  
"But Dave has wood"  
Letting out another groan, Levi shook his hand and then made to climb from the ute, first helping the boys out and then finally Eren   
"I was thinking we could do the workshop first? That way if you're too tired, you've at least seen that"  
"I'll be fine. I'm so excited"  
"You were excited before we left, but somehow you still managed to fall asleep"  
"Better me than you"  
He couldn't win. Taking Eren's cast hand, Eren held Eli's hand with his good one, while he took Ren's.

The workshop was a buzz of activity. The shitty people from his class had brought their partners and one of the older guys had brought his kid by the seems of it  
"So where do we start?"  
"I don't know..."  
Eren hadn't seemed to notice, but more than a few of the shit brained alpha's in his class were watching the omegas every move while whispering among themselves  
"Why don't you show us what you've been working on?"  
"Or I could show you everyone else's work first"  
"Why do I feel like I'm about to get a lesson on bookcases"  
The fact that there were 9 half made bookcases on display totally meant nothing   
"No idea, but Dave's coming this way"  
"Oh, is someone jealous?"  
Eren failed at his own joke, his face wrinkling as the words came from his mouth  
"I don't think I need to be... Hi Dave!"  
"Hi Levi, this must be your mate you told me about?"  
Eren smiled brilliantly, as if he'd been doing this all his life  
"I'm Eren Yeager, this is Ren, and Eli"  
"Holy shit! It is him! Dude, I told you I was right!"  
Apparently the idiots had migrated closer and didn't even seem to care that Eren was talking to Dave now  
"You used to go to Trost right?! You were that male cheerleader! Damn Ackerman! How'd you land a hot piece of arse like that?! And you gone and knocked him up!"  
Levi's hand tightened on Eren's, but his mate just smiled  
"I'm so glad you used to support Trost, and yes, I'm Levi's mate. These are our sons, biological of course and as for how he landed me, with time, patience and the ability not to seem like a total idiot. Sorry Dave, I guess I was more popular than I remember being"  
Dave looked completely shocked, before a smile came over the man's face  
"I like you, I can see why Levi's so hung up on you"  
"Given we're bonded and engaged, I'd hope he was"  
Holy fucking shit. Sassy Eren was so damn hot...  
"Well... I'll leave Levi to show you around. If you have any questions, feel free to ask him"  
Dave scurried away and took Levi's idiot classmates with him  
"Princess!"  
"Sorry, did I go too far?"  
"No baby, I just thought you'd be a bit nervous"  
"No, well yes... but I wanted to seem like I till have all my crap together"  
"Well you did. Did you see the look on Dave's face. I don't think he saw that one coming at all"  
"I don't either. I'm sorry about what they said... I already know I was masturbation fodder to more than one teenage idiot back in my cheer days"  
"See, I want to say they have good taste. But I also want to chemically castrate them"  
"Guys can you stop being weird..."  
Eli's tugging on his hand told him son was tired of waiting  
"I think we just got told..."  
"Maybe"

Walking through the bookcases, Levi delighted in pointing out the flaws, while Eren nodded as he did. Given his project was actually finished, the twin cots sat at the back of the workshop near the service entry  
"Soooo, what did you make?"  
"Do you promise not to freak out?"  
"Nope"  
"Then I can't show you"  
Eren pouted, but Levi shook his head, causing his mate to let out an exaggerated "fiiiiiiiiiine". Leading his mate past the lathe and benches, Eren came to a sudden stop and Levi nodded  
"Yeah... I mean, they're not that great"  
"They're... they're perfect... how..."  
Letting go of his hand, Eren stumbled forward, before looking back to him  
"Did you really?"  
"Yeah baby. They're made to safe regulations too and..."  
His sentence was cut short by Eren throwing himself at him, the omegas lips smashing against his and his mate claimed his mate with a long and deep kiss  
"You guys are being embarrassing!"  
Eren laughed as he pulled back. Silent tears were rolling down his face and Levi's heart swelled with pride. This made it all worth it  
"You like?"  
"They're perfect... can we?"  
"Of course"  
Leading Eren over to the cots, his words were lost on his mate as Eren's fingertips glided along the top of the wood  
"How did you...?"  
"With a bit of time, patience and some help from Dave"  
"You even put the wolves in..."  
"Yeah, we had to demonstrate all our skills in one piece, but I couldn't just make one"  
"They're so amazing"  
"It was hard keeping it from you, and I know how worried you were..."  
"No... no... I don't know what to say... thank you Levi..."  
His mate started crying harder, and Levi moved to pull him against him  
"It's ok baby. You deserve nice things and so do our pups"  
"I never had anything like this with the twins... we shared a bed for most of it... or I'd sleep on the floor..."  
That's because Grisha was a total arsehole, he could imagine that Carla would have wanted nice things, but Grisha would have said no  
"I didn't stain them or paint them, I wanted you to choose"  
"But... I don't know... they're amazing..."  
"We can think about it. I love you Eren and I love our boys and our pups"  
Eren sniffled and nodded, moving back   
"I love you too... so much... god, I must look like a wreck"  
"You do, but you're my wreck"  
Eren nodded at him again  
"I'm just... so thankful. Thank you for loving me Levi"  
"Aw baby, any time and every time"  
While Eren tried to calm himself back down, Levi squatted down in front of Eli and Ren  
"What do you guys think? Do you think the babies will like them?"  
"They're cool and all... but you didn't make anything for us"  
"That's because we really needed to get these first. But I'm open to taking orders..."  
"Can we have swing then?!"  
"A swing?"  
"Yep! Each!"  
"What does mum say?"  
Eren nodded, still trying to settle down  
"I think we can manage that"  
"Yes! And then a cubby house! Where you guys can't come!"  
Snorting lightly, Levi nodded, he'd opened Pandora's box here  
"One step at at time"  
"Here that Eli! We get a cubby too!"  
In his head, Levi was now planning the ultimate cubby and there were two great pines they could build it between out the back of the house... or maybe he could buy a wooden one, put it together and then just customise it... so many plans, but it'd all have to wait until after the pups were born. Moving back to gather Eren back into his arms, he rocked his mates lightly  
"What about you? Do you have any requests?"  
Eren shook his head, gesturing towards the cot as he started to cry again  
"No... this is just..."  
Eren was just too adorable, the omega buried his face against Levi's neck and his balled hands were clutching Levi's shirt  
"I know baby"

 

*  
With the cots loaded on the back of the ute... with the help of Dave, Ren and Eli were now both complaining that they were hungry, and Eren probably needed to pee, so Levi was now guiding them through the grounds to the campus cafe. He hadn't set foot in there since being flirted with again, but the day was nice and making memories there with Eren was even nicer. Besides, hopefully the word would get around that he had a family... lifting Ren and Eli up on to his hips, he lent in and whispered into Eren's ear where the toilets were. His mate gave him a small kiss on the cheek and a nod  
"I'll meet you back here?"  
Levi looked around the grassed area, a few couples were lounging on the grass and making the most of it  
"Sure, do you feel like anything in particular?"  
"A banana milkshake... and I don't know, did we want to have a proper lunch or just a snack"  
"Let's just have a proper lunch, that way we can just go home if you get too tired"  
"Mmm, ok..."  
Giving him another kiss on the cheek, Eren left and Levi made his way over and into the cafe.

It was just his luck that despite how busy the cafe was, he still ended up being served by the same girl that insisted on flirting with him. Her eyes practically shone as he approached the bench, but her smile dropped a little when she saw the boys  
"Hi there, what can I get you for you?"  
Eli tugged on his sleeve until he leant in so the boy could whisper  
"Can we have fries?"  
"Of course you can... do you want a milkshake like mum?"  
"Chocolate?"  
Levi nodded and looked to Ren   
"Do you want a chocolate milkshake too?"  
"And fries?"  
"Yes, and fries"  
Looking back to the girl, Levi gave a tight smile  
"Can I grab two fries, 2 chocolate milkshakes, a black tea and a toasted Italian Turkish bread"  
"Is that all for you? What about your brothers?"  
She sounded almost desperate as she said "brothers"  
"My sons are fine"  
Her face dropped and she mumbled something illegible under her breath  
"Dad... where's mum?"  
"He'll meet us outside"  
If she didn't get it before, she did now  
"That's $27.80"  
Paying for their order, Levi moved aside so he wouldn't be in the way  
"Dad, do you get to come here all the time?"  
"Nah, not really. This is only the second time"  
"I'd come here all the time"  
"But if you came here all the time, you'd never have mum's cooking again"  
Ren let out a sigh as if he was now torn, before leaning close  
"Mum doesn't cook much any more"  
"Is that your way of saying you don't like my cooking"  
Ren nodded, and Levi wished he could tickle the boy into saying he was a good cook... sometimes in life you definitely needed a third hand.

With the boys carefully carrying the food and drinks, Levi made his way back out the cafe and over to where Eren was sitting on the lawn. Kneeling down to place the boys down, before crawling around behind Eren and cuddling his mate from behind  
"How's your back feeling?"  
"Sore, but this sun feels amazing"  
"I wasn't asking about the sun"  
"I know. Soooo where's my food?"  
Eli passed Eren his milkshake and Levi snagged their toasted sandwich from Ren  
"I didn't know how hungry you were"  
"Not very. My stomach feels gross from crying"  
Unwrapping their lunch on Eren's stomach, his mate let out an annoyed sigh  
"My stomachs not a table"  
"I know baby, but this is easier"  
"You're just lucky I love you"  
"I know. So I was thinking we could check out the hospitality building after this. We made planter boxes for down there"  
"We should do that at home, mum used to have a Vegie garden"  
Ooooh, something his mate wanted  
"Yeah we can do, but I'll make you even better ones"  
"Good and then even when we're poor, we can live on tomatoes"  
"I don't know about that"  
"Tomatoes like grow everywhere... if you're killing tomatoes off, you're doing something wrong"  
"Can we at least have something else with them?"  
"If you're a good alpha"

With his mate finished eating, Eren was now laying against him while the boys chased each other around them in a wide circle  
"Are you ok baby?"  
"Mmm..."  
"Is that a good "Mmm"? Or a bad "Mmm"?"  
"I feel nauseous... I don't think my stomach liked the milk"  
"We can go home if you want to?"  
"No, this is nice and you're comfy"  
"I'm glad I have my uses"  
Dropping a kiss on the top of Eren's head, while rubbing his back in large gentle circles  
"Is there anything I can do?  
"No, but thanks for asking"  
"Anytime princess"  
Eren let out a few deep breaths, before wriggling out of his hold and Levi frowned at his fiancé in confusion  
"I thought you just said I was comfy"  
"You are, but I need to use the bathroom again"  
"You know baby, you don't look very well at all. The suns probably not helping"  
"But I like the sun"  
"And I like you"  
Brushing Eren's fridge back from his face, Levi felt the heat radiating off his mate  
"I know you're happy and all, but you're sun burnt"  
"But..."  
"We can come back another time. You're more important than the open day"  
"I don't think the staff here would agree"  
"That's because they're idiots"  
Pushing himself up, Levi brushed himself off before moving to help Eren rise. His mate immediately clamped a hand a over his mouth and Levi was surprised when Eren shot off towards the toilets without him  
"Ren, Eli, its time to go"  
"But we don't want to"  
"Mum's sick, so we need to take him home, but we can totally go something when we get back home"  
The boys both pouted, and Levi wasn't sure what exactly to bribe them with   
"You can pick..."  
"Can we play soccer? It's been ages..."  
"If you really want to..."  
"We do"  
He had no idea how the boys had so much energy, but they started chasing each other again as Levi began walking towards the toilets after Eren. At least the main goal of this day had been achieved and his mate had been so happy about the cots, though it would have been nicer if Eren hadn't come down feeling so sick.

 

*  
Having made it home, and been sent to bed, Eren was curled up alone and finding it impossible to get comfortable. He'd been perfectly comfortable at the campus, but now he could actually rest, well, he was fast becoming frustrated. It wasn't just the size of his stomach, it was also the fact that his whole chest burned from reflux and the pups were moving like crazy. Levi had also been right about him being burnt, not that he'd admit it. He'd had such an amazing morning, and had never thought Levi would make their pups their own cots. He really hoped they'd be able to keep them for when the boys had their own kids, or the pups... feeling tears filling his eyes again, the omega buried his face against Levi's pillow. No other omega in the world could be as lucky as he was to have Levi. Everything about the cots still seemed like a dream. It only took one look at them to tell they were made with love and he'd so wished he could have had something so personal for the twins. He'd tried his best, but even now he wondered if he could have been a better mum... maybe he could have fought harder for the things the boys needed... but of course he knew he was kidding himself. Thanks to his father he had scars that would never heal, both emotionally and physically.

After what seemed like forever, Eren pushed himself up. Sleep wasn't happening apparently, and laying in bed was just.... boring. Sliding from under the blankets, the omega padded out to the living room and sank down on the sofa. Technically he was still resting like Levi wanted, but now he could watch TV and at least pretend to be a functional human. Settling back and pulling the blanket over his feet, he was just reaching for the remote when Captain decided Eren needed him more than TV. Leaping off the cat tree with a solid thud, the fat feline stretched before walking over and letting out a loud "raawr" and clawing at his knees  
"Is that so?"  
The fat cat sat back, before spring up onto the sofa and head butting him in the face  
"You're going to get me in trouble"  
Captain nuzzled his face against Eren's, before beginning to kneed at the chest as he drooled over the place  
"Cap, can you at least sit down. I can't see anything over your fur"  
Trying to convince the beast of a cat to lay down didn't work at all, instead all he got was scratched at and covered in fur, before Captain swept the TV remote off the arm of the sofa and leapt down, the tom stalked away, throwing a look of disgust back over his shoulder as he went  
"Don't give me that, you're more of an arsehole than I am!"  
With the remote now beyond his reach, it was way too much bother to retrieve it  
"Baby, are you talking to yourself again"  
Eren hadn't heard Levi come back in and jumped, slightly embarrassed at being caught  
"No, Captain knocked the remote off the sofa. I thought you were playing with the boys"  
"That was until they shifted and decided it was much more fun chasing each other around than "beating" me at soccer"  
"So you left them unsupervised?"  
"I was getting a drink, I didn't expect you to be sitting here talking to yourself"  
"I was talking to Captain"  
"Yet he's not in sight and you are. Can I get you anything while I'm up?"  
"The TV remote, a new body and a bottle of water?"  
Levi crossed and snatched up the remote, before passing it over  
"One remote. As for the new body, I like this one... and the water... so much effort"  
"Well you don't have to"  
"Princess, I was only joking"  
He'd been too, but apparently his tone hadn't been as whiny and clingy as he'd intended it to be   
"Levi, I know"  
His alpha stared at him a moment before moving in and lightly pressing a kiss to the top of his head  
"I love you"  
"I know"

Unfortunately for Eren, it seemed the water didn't want to stay down. He was forced to abandon the sofa to throw up yet again. It was kind of funny how he'd felt so good in the morning, but now just wanted to crawl up and die  
"Mum...?"  
Great. Ren. He totally wanted an audience as he threw his guts up. Swallowing hard, he wiped his face before looking to his son  
"Hey baby, what's up?"  
Ren wrinkled his face and shook his head  
"Did you need to use that bathroom?"  
"Oh... that was it"  
Eren really didn't feel like moving, but Ren came first. Awkwardly climbing off the floor, he nearly threw up all over again. Ren walked over to him and let out a dramatic sigh  
"Mum, I'm trying to use the toilet here"  
Biting down a snappy remark, Eren padded out the bathroom and to the bedroom to grab the "in case of emergency bucket", before heading back to the living room with the intention of becoming one with the sofa... only to find Captain had taken over his spot and he was forced down to the other end. Why was it so hard to find 10 minutes to himself? Kids... that right. They had kids... and soon they'd have 2 more... god... they'd never have alone time again.

When Ren came out the bathroom, the boy didn't head back outside, instead he crawled up on the sofa and grabbed up Mr Kitty, the cat flopping back into the boys arms as if he was relieved to have been saved from Eren   
"Mum?"  
"Ren?"  
"Having a baby seems like too much work"  
"Well I had you guys, are you saying you guys are hard work?"  
His son looked confused for a second, before shaking his head  
"No, I was never hard work. Eli was though"  
"Was he now?"  
"Yep! But I'm the good one"  
"I think you're both pretty good"  
"That's because you have to love us"  
If that was the case, Grisha "had to" love him too. Snorting lightly, he shook his head  
"I think I'd love you guys anyway"  
"Do you love the baby?"  
"Of course I do"  
"Even if it makes you sick?"  
"Yeah, but I love you guys too"  
"How can you love so much?"  
"Because I'm magical"  
"Mum. No"  
"Don't you know all mum have magical powers. That's how come we give the best hugs"  
Ren hummed   
"... they are pretty good"  
"See. Now why aren't you playing with your brother and your father?"  
"Because then you'd be alone"  
Which was kind of what he wanted... but he couldn't say that with Ren being so adorable  
"It's ok baby, you can go play"  
Ren shook his head and clambered over to lay against his thigh  
"Mum, I don't have to have babies do I?"  
"No baby, you're like your father. You're an alpha"  
"Is Eli an alpha?"  
"Yeah, that's why you guys are so big as wolves... normal people have to wait to find out what they are"  
"I don't want to be normal"  
Smiling down at his son, Eren nodded  
"You most definitely aren't baby"  
"Good"  
Most people in this world would kill to feel normal, his boys were definitely weirdos  
"Mum?"  
"Mmm?"  
"I didn't wash my hands"  
His son whispered it like it was a secret he was proud of  
"Get off me you feral child..."  
Ren just grinned up at him happily   
"You still love me"  
"Do I?"  
Ren's face fell slightly, but Eren slid his hand down and started tickling the boys back. Ren squealed and pulled away, shooting Eren a happy, gap toothed grin.

"Having fun without us?"  
Running over to them, Eli threw himself onto Eren, causing Eren's stomach to roll in discomfort   
"Mum! Can we watch movies tonight? Dad said we could"  
"You guys have school tomorrow and dad has school too"  
"But muuuuuuum"  
"Buuuuuuuut Eli"  
"You're no fun"  
Letting go of him, Eli ran back over to Levi and latched onto his leg  
"Dad, mum said no"  
"He didn't say no, he just said we aren't allowed to stay up late. Pick a movie and we can start it now"  
What... no... that was a no. He was having TV time... sure it'd been interrupted by Ren, but now Eli was there and so was Levi and they'd want popcorn and there'd be the smell and his stomach was definitely like nope  
"Sorry but I need to sit this one out, I'm still not feeling great"  
"That just means you need family time"  
"I'm having family time with the bucket, Ren already walked in on me throwing up"  
Eli completely ignored the conversation, grabbing Frozen from the DVD rack   
"This one!"  
Ren sighed and pushed himself up  
"Noooo, not Frozen again. You always pick Frozen"  
"And you always pick Beast!"  
"That's because it's better"  
"Is not!"  
"Is too!"  
"Boys, enough"  
Rubbing at his temples, Eren shot a glare at Levi, only to have his alpha shrug. Levi was obviously in a good mood  
"But mum! Ren got to choose last time!"  
"I don't care who chose last time, but do you two have to fight over it right now?"  
"It's not fair!"  
"Then why doesn't mum chose?"  
"Because mum is going back to bed. Mum is feeling sick and mum has a headache, or can we all not see the bucket"  
"Ok princess, no need to get so mad. I just thought it would be nice to spend some family time together before I have to go back to Trost"  
Didn't they have family time earlier? And Levi knew he wasn't feeling great... clambering off the sofa, Eren took the bucket with him and began towards the bedroom, only to have Levi grab his arm  
"Why don't we just cuddle on the sofa? I can make dinner tonight..."  
Eren didn't understand why Levi was turning this into a big thing. He just wanted a bit of time alone and to relax. Even Levi should understand that  
"Levi, I don't feel well. You told me to rest, I am going to rest"  
"But..."  
Yanking his arm away from Levi, Eren stumbled before straightening back up  
"I just want to be alone, ok?"  
Not waiting for a reply, the omega made his escape into their room and sunk down on the edge of the bed. A small sob escaped it didn't take long before he was clutching the bucket against him as he sobbed his heart out. Normally Levi just understood what he needed... so why not now?


	85. Chapter 85

"Princess, I'm going now"  
Looking down at Eren, Levi sighed. His mate was off in his own head again and had been since the open day over a week prior. He didn't know what he'd done, but Eren didn't even want to be touched and that fucking hurt... yes he might have been a little inconsiderate by pushing for watching a movie with him and the boys, but that was only because he was overcompensating for not being able to do anything to make Eren actually feel better  
"I'll be back after work... try and get some more sleep"  
Again his mate didn't reply. Biting down a snarl of annoyance, Levi stalked from their room and around the corner to Hannes's. Knocking lightly, Levi cracked the door open and stuck his head in  
"Hannes, I'm off. I'll be back after work"  
Hannes looked up from the book he'd been reading and nodded  
"Ok. Stay safe and have fun"  
"Will do... well, I'm not sure about the having fun bit"  
Biting his lip, he paused a moment longer  
"Let me guess, Eren still isn't talking to you?"  
"Pretty much. I thought he'd be happy"  
"Yeah, to be honest, I don't know what's going on with him either"  
"I thought he'd tell you"  
"Nope. He just says he feels sick and wants to be alone"  
"How can he still feel sick? Even if it was food poisoning, shouldn't he be over it by now"  
"It wasn't food poisoning though... do you want me to make him talk? I can drug him..."  
"You are not drugging my fiancé"  
"Then you'll have to deal with him being like this for now. I'm sorry, but I don't really know what to say"  
"That makes 2 of us. I got chicken down for dinner, but do you want me to bring something back instead?"  
"Levi, are you actually offering to save me from cooking?"  
"I take that as a yes then. Ok. Message me if you decided on something in particular, otherwise it'll be Italian"  
"Italians fine. Now go to work or you'll be late"  
Grumbling to himself about "if only Eren would be this nice", Levi closed the door and moved to check in with the twins  
"Boys, I'm going now. I need hugs"  
Ren and Eli were colouring on the floor and both boys reached up without moving. Walking over, Levi leant down and gave them both awkward hugs  
"Now don't go disturbing mum, he's still not feeling great"  
"We won't"  
"And I'll see you guys after work"  
"Yep. Love you dad"  
"Love you too"  
Walking to the kitchen, Levi grabbed his keys. Even if Eren wasn't talking to him, and even if he did have to drive all the way into Trost after getting home from Trost a little after two that morning, it was sooooooo much nicer coming home instead of crashing at Farlan and Izzy's. 

The drive to Trost was about as interesting as normal. There was a certain kind of freedom about being able to legally jump in the ute and jut go wherever he wanted. It also meant he could go pick up things for dinner if they didn't have it or go pick up things when Hannes was sleeping as Eren still couldn't drive. Pulling up in the parklot for Ravioli, Levi double checked he had everything before climbing out. The rosters for September would be drawn up today, so he was fully intending on asking if he could drop Sunday altogether and pick up hours on Tuesday and Wednesday... but that also meant facing Rico... and she was still cranky at him, but that was because he kept covering for Izzy's mistakes.

Walking into Ravioli, he barely made it through the front door when Hanji was on him  
"Levi! You're coming tonight right?"  
"What are you about shitty glasses and why are you hugging me?"  
"Today's Saturday right... now what happens in 4 days?"  
"You grow a brain?"  
"Noooo... I already have one of those. Come on, we talked about this the other day... we couldn't go out on Wednesday because it's a week night"  
Fuck. He'd totally forgotten. It was shitty Hanji's birthday...  
"I don't know, Eren's sick"  
Hanji let out a sigh  
"You know, mum missed him. But he hasn't called and she doesn't want to be all unprofessional"  
"And you're not supposed to be talking about this"  
"But I miss him toooooooo! It's been like nearly two months"  
"And it's up to Eren if and when he goes back"  
But he could definitely use someone to talk to... anyone... just as long as they actually got him talking...  
"What? You're thinking something aren't you?"  
"I'm thinking I need to go talk to Rico"  
"I'll come with you and hold your hand if you'll come out with us tonight..."  
"Hanji, go pretend to be busy and I might think about it"  
"Yes!"  
Pressing a wet kiss to his cheek, Hanji ran off happily and Levi grimaced as he wiped his cheek off. He didn't need this shit so early in the morning.

Rico was pouring over the documents on the her desk when Levi knocked and the woman's stern look had him almost regretting knocking in the first place  
"Levi"  
"Rico"  
"Well, what do you want?"  
"I was hoping we could talk about my hours"  
Rico let out a sigh, but gestured to the chair in front of her desk and Levi ducked over to sit as fast as he dared  
"Let me guess, you want less hours now your mates so tired and blah..."  
"Not less, but maybe not so late?"  
"How long until he's due?"  
"Start of November"  
Moving her laptop in front of her, the woman typed away on it  
"So what do you want me to do about this?"  
"I was hoping I could work Tuesdays and Wednesdays... and maybe have Sunday off..."  
"No dice. I can knock your Sunday hours back, but we really do need you"  
It was nice to be needed, but he'd be dead if he didn't get more sleep  
"Can I have tomorrow off? Or the afternoon shift?"  
"Is this to do with Hanji's birthday thing?"  
"I might have forgotten about it..."  
"2 until 10 tomorrow... and I can give you... Monday afternoon, and let's see... 10 until 5 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays"  
"And what about dropping my late hours down?"  
"That depends on how long clean up takes"  
"I need to be getting home to help my mate"  
"And I need you working"  
Levi bit down his growl. This was the only income their family had and he didn't want to risk losing it all together  
"11. I can work until 11..."  
Rico looked up over the laptop screen, the angle of the woman's glasses made her scowl all the more severe   
"So you want from 5 until 11, Monday, Thursday and Friday. 10 until 5 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. And what? 12 until 11 on Saturday and Sundays?"  
"I can't stay that late on Sundays. I've got class Monday morning"  
"And I've got a business to run"  
"Then give me until 9"  
Rico started typing away on her laptop again  
"That gives you too many hours a week... by two hours... you're lucky. Fine you get your 9 pm on Sundays. But you do know you don't have any days off now"  
"I know. But babies aren't cheap, neither are kids and omegas"  
"50 hour work week, we'll give it a two week trial, but if you let me down..."  
He was toast  
"I understand. Thank you"  
"Whatever. Go clock on already"  
Rico was probably already planning on docking his pay for wasting her time on this... but at least he'd be making a nice sum and they should have a decent amount of savings before November. Now all he had to do was tell Eren and Hannes...

Walking out of Rico's office, he was pounced on again by Hanji  
"And?!"  
"I have from 12 until 11 tomorrow..."  
"Yes!!!! You, me and Erwin are gonna get fucked up!"  
"You didn't invite anyone else?"  
"I did, but they're all busy tomorrow!"  
"I feel like this is a terrible idea"  
"Well, I would have invited Eren if he wasn't pregnant, and you can totally crash at mine tonight"  
"Fuck... I forgot I was supposed to be on dinner duty. I told Hannes I would bring dinner home tonight. Sorry, maybe next time?"  
"Nope, you don't get out of it that easily..."  
Hanji released him and Levi didn't like the mischievous look that lit up her whole face.

He was right to he worried. The teen had barely closed his work locker when his phone started ringing and he was forced to find it out. Hannes's name was on the screen and his heart was racing as he answered the phone... he was sure this had to do with Eren   
"Hannes?"  
"I hear you've got a birthday to go to tonight"  
Groaning in both annoyance and relief, he nodded even though the man couldn't see him  
"Yeah. I take it Hanji tracked you down..."  
"She's certainly a weird one. Levi, its fine if you want to go"  
"But we agreed I'd bring dinner home"  
"And you have a right to have time with your friends. You won't have much time once the twins are born"  
"Pups. If you say twins I think of the boys"  
"It's not my fault you wolf bloods can't just have one baby. Now, I'll take care of things here, but tomorrow I expect Italian"  
"Did she tell you my hours?"  
"No..."  
"From 12 until 11. I've got hours on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays now to, well for the next two weeks"  
Hannes let out a sigh   
"Fine. I'll tell Eren, but you're the one who has to deal with any fall out"  
"He should be happy. He isn't talking me anyway"  
"Don't be such a childish fool. Even if he's being weird, he still wants you around"  
Yeah. Sure. That's why the only time his mate had let him touch him had been while they were sleeping...  
"Ok... I've got to go to work now, but I'll see you Monday morning"  
"Yep! I'll call if anything comes up"  
"Thanks, please don't let him break his arm again"  
"Pffft. Eren does what Eren wants"  
"I noticed"  
Ending the call, Levi turned his phone off. He'd need it tomorrow to call Eren... or at least text.

 

*  
Going out with Hanji was... well... Levi didn't know what to make of it. After leaving Ravioli, they'd driven back to girls house only to quietly sneak in because her parent were already a sleep. If Levi had a choice, he'd happily be asleep too, but Hanji was too damn excited and that's how he found himself high and doing shot for shot with Erwin, because under the man's mammoth face consuming eyebrows, he wasn't a total wanker... or that's how it seemed. It wasn't that he didn't like Erwin, it's just the guy was waaaaay tooo tall... like creepily tall... it wasn't fair. He was sick of tall people and the tequila only made Erwin seem taller! Eren was tall, but he liked Eren, and Eren was sexy, but Eren wasn't talking to him and he was as salty about it as the salt on his hand was. Eren was supposed to be his mate, but now he was all pregnant and moody over something and wouldn't tell him and it wasn't fair because he would totally tell his mate if he'd done something wrong, but Eren was just so gorgeous and perfect and his arse was so warm and wet and fuck... it had been ages since they'd had sex and he had needed and oh dear lord Hanji was pouring out more tequila.

Yeah... he was slightly off his head.

"Levi. You're making weird faces"  
Hanji snorted like a pig as she laughed and then laughed because she'd snorted. The work Hanji he was so used to was so tame compared to the girl sitting across from him, but the tequila helped  
"I am not. Your face is just weird"  
"Noooo, Erwin's face is weird. You know, he won't even let me pluck his eyebrows"  
"But they're so big"  
"Guys, they're rugged and manly"  
Even Erwin couldn't stop from laughing at that. He'd actually really needed this. Tonight he wasn't dad or daddy or alpha or mate, he was just Levi, the soon to be 19 year old who needed to do something other than work and school and dad and mate... downing another tequila shot, Levi nodded  
"They really are, but what happens if they run away?"  
"Then we can glue them back on"  
Hanji proceeded to poke at Erwin's eyebrow until her finger slipped and jabbed him in the eye  
"Ooooooopsies..."  
"How could you miss them?"  
"Well I'm seeing two, no three of Erwin"  
"Are they all that tall?"  
"Yep! And Levi, you're really short"  
"I know. I fucking hate it. When it rains, I'm the last to know!"  
Hanji roared with laughter, causing people around them to move away  
"Itty bitty Levi! Levi, when you get hard, do you become a tripod"  
"What do you think?"  
"I think I don't want to know..."  
"I totally do..."  
What the fuck was coming out his mouth? And how did he make it stop?  
"Maybe I should ask Eren?"  
"You stay away from Eren"  
"But he'd tell me"  
"I doubt it, he's not talking to anyone"  
"Why?! How can he no talk?"  
"He no talk?"  
"Close enough!"  
"Omegas need to come with a warning. Pregnant omega may drive alpha crazy"  
Hanji giggled  
"But you looooove him!"  
"That I do, gonna marry him one day"  
"Mhmmm, hey, so do we like know those people? I think I do? But they're like all blurry..."  
Looking in the direction of where Hanji was now pointing, Levi let out a groan   
"We do. That short girls Mikasa and the blonde ones Armin and the one that looks like a horse is Jean..."  
"Oooh! Let's ask them to join!"  
"Or we could..."  
Given Hanji was boxed in by Erwin, the girl didn't think twice before climbing over the table and jogging over to them. Great. He needed more tequila if he was expected to endure this shit storm. Sliding around to Hanji's vacated seat, Levi looked up at Erwin   
"How the fuck did you get so tall?"  
"Milk"  
"Really?"  
"Nope. No idea"  
"Fuck you"  
Erwin snorted, before elbowing him  
"Your friends are coming over"  
"Hanji probably bullied them into it"  
"She wouldn't say bullied"  
"No, but we both know it's true"

"Hey guys! These are my new friends, we have Mikasa, Armin and Jean! You know, they know Eren..."  
"Of course I know they know Eren, I told you who they were"  
"Don't listen to him, he's drunk!"  
Sliding into the spot next to him, Hanji wrapped her arms around, while Armin slid in next to Hanji and then Mikasa and finally Jean  
"I didn't think we'd see you out?"  
"Of course Levi came out! Eren's at home all pregnant and Levi needed a break because it's my birthday!"  
"Your birthdays on Wednesday"  
"Close enough! But how do you guys know Eren? Isn't he such a hottie?! Even pregnant he's still pretty hot!"  
Levi let out a low warning growl, but Hanji paid no attention to it  
"We went to school with him, I've known him since we were little... so has Mikasa"  
"Oooooh, what was little Eren like?"  
"You guys do know we've had dinner before, as a group. This isn't the first time you've met"  
"Shut up Levi!"  
"I know, but Hanji seems to be off in her own world. How much tequila have you had?"  
"Noooooo where neeear enough!"  
"What she said"  
Glancing across the table, he found Mikasa scowling at him  
"So why aren't you home with Eren? Does he know you're out?"  
"Yep, he does"  
"And he doesn't mind his alpha being drunk?"  
"Nope. He's fine, he's not talking to anyone again, so it wouldn't matter if I was home"  
Mikasa's voice became frosty  
"What do you mean he's not talking to anyone? What did you do?"  
"Me?! I didn't fucking do anything. You're the one!"  
"And what's that supposed to mean?"  
"Do you not remember dinner? You treated him like shit!"  
"I'm not the one who treats him like shit! You are!"  
"How fucking dare you? Do you know how upset he was when you and Armin both stopped talking to him? No, you don't! You didn't even know we got engaged! Some fucking friend you are"  
"At least I'm not smothering him like you are! Eren was happy before he met you! But now he's miserable all the fucking time and has no time for us because you're always there!"  
"Excuse me? I do not fucking smothering him! I would love if he wanted to go out! I would love if you would visit him! Because he's been going throw hell and you haven't given two shits about him!"  
"How am I supposed to when you won't leave him alone?"  
"In his fucking mate! And his fiancé and the father of his kids and our pups! Excuse me for fucking loving him!"  
"You love him? So what's his favourite colour?"  
"He loves bright colours because you can't be sad when looking at them!"  
"What's his favourite food?"  
"Pretty much anything his mum used to make, but he can't handle a lot of food at the moment and he can't use a knife either"  
"Mikasa... maybe you should drop this..."  
"Stay out of this Jean"  
"What else do you want to know about my mate? Did you know he wants to get married at our spot? Or that he named the boys from letters in our names? Or that whenever he makes cookies, he always makes extra because the boys always get so so excited over seeing the huge pile? I know I haven't know him as long as you have, but he's my world!"  
"You lied to him! And you hurt him! And he still choose you over us!"  
"There's no me versus you! Why can't you get that? I love him and want to protect him, but I have no right to say who he can and can't be friends with. You're the one who's acting like a spoilt little bitch! What, did you confess and get..."  
Mikasa's drink being thrown in his face brought his words to a stop  
"I hate you! You took Eren away from us! And you let him get hurt! I'd never let him get hurt!"  
Jean grabbed Mikasa by the hand and pulled her away, while Armin let out a huge sigh  
"That was a long time coming... yes, Mikasa loved Eren and it broke her heart when he chose you. She just needs to cool off, sorry, I need to go"  
Armin gave a nod and slid from the bench, leaving them in an awkward silence. So that had happened... he really shouldn't have lost his shit, but he wasn't going to have Eren crying over the girl when she didn't even care.

With the mood ruined, and Levi simmering with anger, they decided to call it a night before Mikasa came back for round two. Climbing into the back of the taxi, the alpha fished his phone out and turned it back on. He had one new message from Hannes  
Hannes: Eren had a bit of a breakdown, he forgot I told him you weren't going to be back tonight. He had it in his head that you were going to leave, so that's why he's been all moody and quiet. He's all settled now, and he's actually been feeling sick too and embarrassed because he's lactating. So now he's drugged :D  
Where the hell did Eren get the idea he was leaving from and where was he supposed to be leaving to? And didn't lactation come after the baby was born? And why the fuck was his screen so blurry and making him want to puke?   
Levi: stop drugging terebinth. And where wasi suppoaed to be foung? Tell hims I lhbes him.  
Shitty keyboard, these words weren't even words... fucking effort.   
Hannes: go to bed you drunk. He knows you love him and leave my magical drugs alone  
Levi: in thetaxi. Got into a fightwith Mikasa. She was in live wit ern so she's beif mean abohrd it  
This was going from bad to worse. He couldn't even guess what he was trying to tell the man   
"Are you texting Eren?"  
"Nope. He's asleep"  
"Oooooh"  
"It's Hannes"  
"That's not exciting"  
"He got Eren talking. He thought I was going to leave... I wanna go home"  
"Tomorrow you can!"  
His phone vibrated again  
Hannes: I think we all knew Mikasa had a thing for Eren, but Eren turned her down. He's been in love you with remember. Now go to sleep or I'm going to Facebook this  
Levi: I thought we were fsmoly. Traitoe   
Hannes: I wish I could see your face in the morning. Make sure you have glass of water before you fall asleep, it will help with dehydration  
Levi: Alcohols a liquid dummy  
Turning his phone off and feeling pretty proud of his reply, Levi let him himself smirk out the window at the world passing by.

 

*  
If someone could shoot him right now, that would be muchly appreciated. Levi had absolutely no idea why he was dressed in a pink fluffy bathrobe and pair of Hanji's shorts, but he really didn't like it, and he like the fact that he was sandwiched between his two friends even less... as far as he could remember, they'd gotten into the taxi... and nope... that was it...

Letting out a groan, Levi tried to wriggled out of his predicament. His head was throbbing and his throat felt like he'd chain smoked his full pack cigarettes. Alcohol was baaaaaaad  
"Levi, come back to bed..."  
Hanji's voice was thick with sleep, but her whining tone had his head ears feeling like they were going to bleed  
"Need water"  
"Fiiiiiine"  
He did need water, but that meant walking around Hanji's house dressed like this... he could only pray the girl's parents weren't home.

Having made it down the stairs Levi thought he was home clear. He could see the kitchen counter through the doorway ahead and failed to notice Hanji's mum standing near the living room door. Creeping across the house, he made it to the kitchen, poured a glass of tap water, downed it and then had the shit scared out of him  
"Hi Levi! Love the look"  
"I blame Hanji"  
"Well she did throw up on you, but your clothes should be in the dryer, though pink is a good colour for you"  
Well that explained the strange outfit... shitty tequila   
"Awesome... um... no. Can I have my clothes?"  
Hanji's mother laughed with a nod, causing Levi to wince. Never again...  
"Sure, you just wait here"  
Where else was he going to wait? He wasn't going to head back upstairs and be squashed in bed again with shitty brows and shitty glasses.

Being reunited with his clothes was a wonderful thing. Hanji's mum had shown him into the living room and Levi was now trying to figure out how to fit a nap in before work, but Hanji's mum was ruining his plans. She'd disappeared while he'd dressed and was now back with panadol and juice, but something about the look in her face that told him she wanted to ask about Eren, but was too busy being professional. Downing the pills of pain easing goodness, Levi drained the juice and curled into the sofa corner  
"Thanks Mrs Zoe"  
"Please. Zoe is fine"  
The woman waved her hand as if to wave it off   
"Um... if you want to ask about Eren, you can... though I can't have really tell you much. He's been sick and somehow got it into his head that I was leaving"  
"Oh... I'm sorry, it's just... he was very upset the last time I saw him"  
"That's because his father's an arsehole. He's had his ups and down, but him and the babies are alright now"  
"That's good to hear. Hanji had kind of been keeping me in the loop, but you know what she's like"  
"Do you want me to see if he'll come back? I think it would do him so good, but I know he was really embarrassed over what happened"  
"It's up to Eren when or if he wants to, but I'm more than happy if he wants to. He's such a sweet kid... and he has no reason to be embarrassed..."  
"Yeah, but this is Eren"  
Mrs Zoe nodded and Levi didn't know what to say next, instead he just let the conversation drop and after a few moments, Mrs Zoe excused herself.

Having nothing to do, Levi let himself drift back to sleep on the sofa, it'd be alright if he knew where his phone had got to, but wasn't game to check Hanji's room in case he was pulled back into bed. Still the pair tracked him down and he was awoken by Hanji after what seemed like only seconds since he'd closed his eyes   
"Leeeeeeevi... it's time to human"  
"Fuck off, sleeping"  
"It's 11, you've still got to eat and then we have work"  
"Rico can go jump"  
"Ooooh, can I tell her that?"  
Levi shot her a glare as he sat up   
"I hate you, you know that right?"  
"Yep! Your phones been going off"  
Hanji passed him the device and Levi groaned at the 39 new messages from the girl  
"You spammed my phone?"  
"You didn't answer"  
"That's because I was having an awesome nap down here and away from you"  
"I don't think you needed to send that many..."  
"I do! Now, what do you want for food?"  
Food... nope. That wasn't happening, he still felt like death warmed up  
"Don't look like that!"  
"Hanji, no food"  
"It'll make you feel better"  
"I'd feel better if you just went away"  
"Hi Levi! You're finally awake?"  
Great, now he had Erwin to. Fuck...  
"If you can't remember last night, you can't come in"  
"It's a good thing I remember everything. Have you checked in with Eren yet?"  
"No... why?"  
"Because you got into the fight with Mikasa"  
"And?"  
"Don't you think you should make sure she didn't tell him about it?"  
"Nope, I'll see him tonight anyway"  
Hanji snatched his phone from him  
"No need to be so tough, let's see how he is"  
"Hanji give me my phone"  
He sooooo didn't have the patience for this  
"Erwin, tell her to give my phone back"  
"Nope. You were all upset last night because he'd forgotten you were going out, now call your boyfriend"  
Rising from the sofa, Levi tried too grab his phone, but Hanji passed the device to Erwin and the phone was now completely out of his reach. Holding the device up, Erwin frowned at the screen  
"Hanji, its locked"  
"Try Eren's birthday! 3003 or 0330"  
"I'm in! Do I call him or do I text him?"  
"Call, definitely call!"  
"Guys don't, he could be asleep"  
"And he could be awake waiting to hear from you"  
Erwin nodded and his thumb slid across the screen before throwing the device at him. Levi looked down and found he was indeed calling Eren   
"I hate both of you"  
"We know"

It took a few rings before Eren's voice came through  
"Levi?"  
"Hey princess"  
His mate had been asleep and the alpha glared up at his friends  
"What's wrong?"  
"Can't I just call to see how you're doing?"  
"I'm fine"  
Eren sounded more sleepy than fine...  
"I'm sorry for waking you, just wanted to tell you I love you and I'll be home tonight"  
"Ok. I'm going back to sleep now"  
The little shit hung up on him. No "I love you too" just and ended call  
"And?"  
Hanji seemed confused about how fast the call ended  
"He was asleep. Hannes gave him something last night, so he's probably still sleeping it off"  
"Well that's boring!"  
"He's been sick Hanji, and he's pregnant. He's more than entitled to sleep"  
"But I wanted you to be all lovey"  
"Did you not hear me tell him I love him?"  
"Yep. So cute, but my fan girl side was hoping for something like "I can't wait to see you" or "I miss you and I'll be home to screw you senseless tonight"  
Groaning at the girl, Levi shook his head   
"You should know by now that shit doesn't happen in real life"  
"A girl can dream"

 

*  
By the end of his shift, Levi could hardly keep his eyes open. His head was still throbbing and the smell of food made him want to vomit. All he wanted was to make it home to Eren and sleep. It seemed like forever since he'd seen him and he felt something akin to "sooky". He wanted him omega and he wanted cuddles and sleep. Sliding into the ute, he made sure the food containers were safely stacked at the other end of the seat and turned his phone back on, before opening messages and then clicking on Eren's. His mate had sent him a new message while he'd been working and Levi scrubbed his face with his free hand  
Eren: Hannes is at work, the boys are asleep in our bed so try not to wake them.  
If the boys were asleep in there bed, then did that mean Eren was sleeping there or sleeping in the twins room...  
Levi: Ok princess. Leaving Trost soon, can't wait to see you and I love you  
Sliding his phone into his pocket, Levi started the ute and let out a sigh. He should definitely just play sick tomorrow... who's stupid idea was it to take Monday hours? That's right. His.

The drive back to Trost was a blur. He literally couldn't remember any of it and pulling into the gravel clearing was a much welcome relief. He grabbed the food while turning the car off. He just wanted to get inside and sleep... climbing from the car, he jogged over to the front door and let himself in. The kitchen light was on, and a small smile finally graced his lips. He was home. Heading into the kitchen, Levi placed the food on the counter and looked over at the sofa, Eren was asleep in Hannes's corner, and his mate didn't look comfortable at all. Practically chucking the bags into the fridge, Levi crossed to the living room and grabbed the TV remote, turning the TV off before gently shaking Eren awake  
"I'm home baby"  
Eren's eyes filled with tears and his mate grabbed for him  
"Hey, what's all this?"  
"I didn't think you were coming home..."  
"Of course I was... I couldn't leave you all alone"  
Wrapping his arms around Eren, he let his omega nuzzle at his neck   
"Hannes said you haven't been feeling too great. Did you manage to get some sleep?"  
Eren nodded against him  
"That's good. Do you want me to kick the kids out of our bed?"  
Apparently his mate didn't want to talk anymore, instead Eren shook his head  
"Ok baby, let's get you settled in the twins room"  
Levi tried to pull Eren up, but his mate didn't move  
"Baby, I need you to work with me. How am I supposed to cuddle you if you don't come to bed"  
Eren sniffled and this time when Levi tried to pull him up, his mate let him. Stumbling across to the hallway, Levi a paused   
"Go use the bathroom, and then we can sleep"  
Eren looked at him with wide eyes before nodding, and his mate pulled away, visibly shaking as he did. So Eren needed to cling... he could blow off class tomorrow... Eren actually wanted him close and he didn't want his mate stressing over stupid things like whether or not he was coming back. When Eren returned, he promptly grabbed onto Levi's shirt and wouldn't let him go again. Slinging his arm over Eren's shoulder, Levi offered him a small smile  
"Hey, I'm here. You don't need to be scared baby. I love you"  
Eren didn't reply, he just looked down and Levi bit down a sigh. The omega probably didn't even know what to say. He still smelt upset after all.

Ren's single bed definitely wasn't made for a very pregnant omega and his alpha, but even though he was right up against the wall, he wasn't about to complain or move. Eren was curled up with his head on his chest, and Levi was gently rubbing his swollen stomach, while pressing small kisses to the top of Eren's head every so often. He was so close to sleep, but he wanted to wait until Eren fell asleep first... he'd have to tell Eren about what happened with Mikasa, but that could wait until he felt vaguely human again.


	86. Chapter 86

Crying softly against Levi's shoulder, Eren was embarrassed. Thanks to his mates firm hold on him, and the nightmare he'd had, he'd wet the bed and now Levi was trying to assure him everything was alright. He wanted the ground to swallow him whole, but instead he was stuck crying against Levi in the shower while his mate rubbed the small of his back and hushed him  
"Baby, it's ok"  
It totally wasn't ok. Levi had come back just that morning and now he was dealing with this...  
"You don't need to cry, it's alright. Ren's sheets are in the wash already"  
"It-its... humiliating..."  
"It's not humiliating. You couldn't help it"  
Shaking his head sadly, Eren let out a choked whine. He'd been sure Levi was going to leave and now he wouldn't blame him if he would... sliding his face up, Eren moved to find Levi's lips. He didn't want Levi to leave him again  
"Princess?"  
Shaking his head lightly, Eren moved to claim Levi's lips again until the alpha finally responded by deepening the kiss. A few hungry moments were shared between them and Eren felt himself almost gushing with slick... only Levi could turn him from a simpering wreck into this with a kiss.

With his hands against the wall, Eren's eyes were rolled back with pleasure as Levi pounded against his sweet spot mercilessly, his mate was obviously pent up, like he'd been, but the firm hold Levi had made it impossible for him to cum and Eren felt like he was falling to pieces. Each time he thought the alpha was close, Levi would pull back and Eren would whimper at the loss. He needed Levi's knot... he needed to feel his alpha cum for him... instead all he was getting was the sounds of wet skins against wet skin and Levi's moans and growls mixing in with his own. Sliding his free hand back, Eren let out a whine as Levi gripped his inter thigh and tried to push his leg up. There was no way he could hold the position himself, but the alpha didn't seem to care. With one leg raised and his knee against the tile, Levi drove hard into him over and over, until finally giving him what he needed and releasing his erection as he did. Over stimulated, Eren couldn't stand any longer and Levi was forced to the floor beneath him. The alpha properly began peppering his shoulders with kisses, while Eren just whined. Shower sex was scary when your that pregnant that you can't keep your balance, but Levi wasn't even going to let him catch his breath, his mates hands already massaging his swollen stomach  
"You keep squeezing me so hard like your trying to drain me"  
And that equated to toying with him... how?  
"L-Levi... en-enough..."  
His words came out as a breathy moan, while tears started rolling down his face again  
"Shhh, just let me take care of you"  
Sitting in Levi's lap while warm water showered down on them wasn't Eren's idea of being taken care of, but when his mates hands moved to fondle and grope at his breasts, Eren was in heaven  
"Mhmm, so big"  
Moving onto his nipples, Eren's face burnt as his mate stimulated them until they began to leak. They felt so heavy and painful, but Levi didn't let up. Falling apart further in his arms Eren sobbed out what he'd been feeling until Levi's hands left his breasts  
"Baby, you should know I'm never going to leave you"  
"I-I don't... I don't know anything..."  
"Eren, you know lots of things, I promise"  
Shaking his head, the omega had no real idea what he was on about, but then again, he felt that way about most things now. Levi's hands slid back to his stomach, the alpha rocking his hips again as he did. A small mew escaped his lips and Levi guided him onto to his hands and knees. The shower tiles hurt, and his breasts hung without support, but Levi showered praise on him while fucking him slowly until he came  
"My perfect omega. Come back here and let me clean you"

Sitting in Levi's lap, Eren was sure he must be crushing his mate, but he was so exhausted now that he couldn't keep his eyes open. Levi had grabbed the puff and was now cleaning him down properly while the water over head turned colder by the second. By the time Levi was done cleaning and pressing kisses across his back, Eren was dozing in his arms. The amount of love Levi was showering him with should have been a warning given what was to come, but he was just too relaxed.

Having been supported out of the bathroom and into the living room, Levi settled him down on the sofa  
"New record. Two hours in the shower. Good job"  
Levi jumped at the sound of Hannes's voice, but Eren couldn't find the energy to care  
"Don't tease him"  
"Me? I would never, ever tease Eren"  
"Mhmm. You keep telling yourself that. Can you get his pills for him while I get him some clothes"  
"Maybe, it depends. Did you remember to wrap his cast?"  
"Nope, he forgot, but I wrapped it before"  
"Baby brain strikes again"  
"Pretty much"  
Pressing a kiss to his lips, Levi gently cupped his face  
"Princess, I'll get your clothes for you. Is there anything else you need?"  
"My phone?"  
"Ok"

With Levi gone from the room, Hannes brought his tablets over to him   
"Open wide"  
Making aeroplane noises, the man nudged his lips with the edge of his hand. Opening his mouth was so much effort, but he had to yawn and Hannes made the most of it  
"And now the juice"  
Swallowing down the pills, he yawned again  
"Good boy"  
Letting out a huff, Eren snuggled down against the corner of the sofa  
"You can't stay there all day"  
"He can if he really wants to"  
"Nope, the twins we supposed to be having their bath right now"  
"They've both got snotty noses, I checked on them while I was in there. No school for them today"  
Great. He'd put them to bed with slight fevers, and apparently they were sick   
"What about you? Are you going?"  
"Yeah, but I need to talk to Eren first"  
Talking was effort, and the boys would need his attention...  
"No... you get ready..."  
His words were mumbled and interrupted by a yawn   
"Sorry baby, but if we don't, you'll freak out and you aren't to blame"  
Completely clueless, Eren nodded   
"I'll let you get him dressed, Eren, I'm going to check the boys and go to bed. Wake me if you need me"  
Hannes was talking at him like he was slow and annunciating each word  
"Oh kay"  
It was the best he could manage, but it got the man to leave and Levi moved to finish drying him down  
"Don't get mad, but when I grabbed your phone, I checked your Facebook"  
Why would he be mad? Levi already knew he didn't have anything to hide, so didn't mind  
"You know how I went out with Hanji on Saturday night..."  
Yeah... he's acted like an idiot because he was sure the alpha wouldn't be back  
"I ran into Mikasa and Jean... and Armin, but he's alright"  
Eren had the feeling he really didn't want to know where this was going  
"Mikasa and Jean have defriended and blocked you, and it's my fault. Mikasa and I got into a fight over you, apparently I stole you from them and I'm always hurting you or letting you get hurt. I wasn't going to tell you until you were more awake. But I didn't want you checking and having no idea why"  
For fucks sake. Couldn't Levi just leave things the fuck alone. No wonder his alpha was being so nice, he knew he was in the fucking dog house. Pushing weakly at Levi, Eren tried to struggle up  
"Baby. I'm sorry. We'd done a lot of tequila..."  
"Shut up!"  
"Eren"  
"No. Go away. I don't even want to look at you"  
"Hey! Not cool! I was trying to..."  
"Trying to what? Drive her away further? Do you have any idea how much I miss them? You don't do you. Now go get ready for school"  
"Eren"  
"Levi. Go!"  
He felt used... Levi had known this, but hadn't told him right away, only waiting until after they'd had sex and that was probably what hurt the most.

Wiping at his face, Eren sucked up every ounce of courage he had and found Mikasa's details in his phone. Hitting call, it wasn't long before the call was cut short  
"The number you have called is not in service..."  
She'd either blocked him or changed her number... How was he supposed to say sorry now? Or ask if she was alright? Levi could be brutal when provoked... but so could Mikasa and he doubted the girl would have taken anything Levi had said lightly. Fumbling to get dressed, the omega left his phone on the sofa. He didn't particularly want to talk to anyone or log into to Facebook now. He just wanted to crawl into a ball with his boys.

 

*  
Despite the fact he was exhausted, by lunch time both boys were coughing and crying because they felt sick. Panadol hadn't seemed to help and Eren was miserable from not being able to help them. He wasn't even allowed to move from the bed, having been trapped by two small coughing bodies, which didn't exactly make anything easy. The only "good" thing about this situation was that Mikasa and Jean were far from his thoughts.

A light knock landed on the bedroom door and Hannes popped his head in  
"Eren?"  
Holding a finger to his lips, Eren nodded  
"Sorry. How are they?"  
"Sick. Both coughing and both cranky"  
"And you?"  
"Not coughing... did you need something?"  
"Just checking in on my patients. But if they're coughing now, I want to take a look"  
Ren was closest to the door, the boy was also the sicker one of the pair and Eren hated gently waking his son  
"Baby, Hannes wants to take a look at you"  
Coughing and nodding, Ren looked up at him with red rimmed eyes  
"Hey Ren, sorry buddy"  
Hannes moved to sit on the bed and Ren tried to wriggle closer to Eren   
"It's ok. Hannes can make everything better"  
The man was gentle as he examined Ren, but Ren still whimpered. The examination ended with Hannes using his phone to check out the boy's mouth   
"So what is it?"  
"Tonsillitis. He's not going to be happy for a few days at least"  
Fuck...   
"Warm liquids, plenty of rest and keep them home"  
"What about pain killers?"  
"Get children's nurofen, Levi could probably pick some up on the way home. It's cheaper in Trost"  
Levi... great. He didn't want to have to talk to his mate, not when he still didn't know what to say  
"Um, can you pick some up? He's got class"  
"And work after. Do you need anything?"  
"Yeah, but I can't move..."  
Lifting Ren into his hold, Hannes gave him a look  
"Thanks... they haven't eat. Would soup be alright?"  
"Is soup not a warm liquid?"  
He really wasn't in the mood to joke about his kids health and shot the man a glare while sliding out from under Eli. His sons small hands grabbed at him and Eren gently lowered the boy back down  
"It's ok baby, go back to sleep"  
Eli started crying again and Eren's heart hurt with each small sob. There really wasn't anything that felt worse than this, not even the shit Levi pulled.

Warming up the soup, Eren hated the fact his stupid hand was in a cast, the bowls were warm and he really wasn't confident about carrying the bowls to his room, but Hannes was keeping the boys busy... yeah, this wasn't going to end well. The first bowl made it in fine, so did the second, but the third he'd done for himself... he'd been feeling too confident and ended up with 3 burnt finger tips and soup all over his feet. Starting to cry, Eren sank down on the stop, his hands clutched at his hair. Two sick kids, and idiot for a mate and uncomfortably pregnant. Why did he even bother trying? Nothing was getting better...  
"Oh Eren, what have you done to yourself?"  
"I'm sorry..."  
"To who? The bowl or the soup?"  
"You..."  
Hannes sighed  
"Eren, let's get you up and cleaned up"  
"Why? It doesn't matter"  
Hannes grabbed him by the arm and pulled him up, guiding him away from the mess and pushed him down on to the sofa   
"Stay put"  
Wasn't like he was going anywhere anyway. He wasn't even allowed to drive until Hannes said so...

Hannes returned with a bucket and a towel  
"Feet go in the bucket"  
Hannes moved his feet into the cool water, before beginning to rub them down  
"Do you want to tell me what's going on?"  
"I'm just worried about the boys"  
"And the fact that you started ignoring Levi again before he left, has nothing to do with this mood"  
"It doesn't matter"  
"Eren"  
Hiding his face in his hands, Eren shook his head  
"Ok, but if you want to talk"  
"The person I want to talk to hates me because of Levi..."  
"No one could hate you"  
"Mikasa does... she blocked me on Facebook... and she won't answer her phone..."  
Hannes sighed   
"I knew something else had to be going on. Just give her some time to calm down"  
"But how can you know that"  
"Because I do. How do your feet feel?"  
"They're alright... I need to get back to the boys"  
"They'll be fine. They're eating and then they'll nap. You need to eat"  
"I'll be fine... it was only what was left over"  
"You're pregnant, you really should know by now that you need to eat better"  
As far as he was concerned he did, but some days the reflux was too bad, or he slept through the day...  
"Don't give me that look. Now, do you think you can handle toast?"  
Nodding silently, Eren pulled his feet out the bucket and Hannes wrapped them in the towel. 

Leaving him alone on the sofa, Eren grabbed his discarded phone, and sighed. Mikasa might now get his calls, but she might get his text, if not, as least he'd tried  
Eren: Hi Mikasa. I know you probably don't want to talk to me, but I just want to know you're ok. You've been my friends so long, and now... I don't want things to be like this. I miss you and I'm sorry for whatever Levi said to you to upset you. He's a good guy, but sometimes he doesn't think. Please let me know if you're ok.  
He read and reread his message before hitting send. Quickly locking his phone, he let out a sigh. His heart was racing and he felt sick to his stomach. He really didn't want to lose Mikasa as a friend, not after so many years  
"Try not to think about it. You've got to think about yourself and your babies"  
"It's just..."  
Cutting his sentence short, Eren just shook his head. 

Having finished both slices of toast, under Hannes watchful eyes, Eren went back to his room. The boys were both awake, the soup finished and they were curled against each other  
"Hey babies, how do you feel?"  
"It hurts..."  
Eli gave a weak cough and Eren nodded  
"I know baby, but Hannes is going to get you some medicine to help"  
"But it hurts right now"  
"I know, do you guys want to take a nap?"  
"Noooo"  
Eli was getting all teary and Eren sighed to himself. He wished he could take the pain away, his boys didn't deserve this...  
"Mum... can we watch movies?"  
"Yeah baby, do you want me to find my laptop? Or do you want to sit on the sofa?"  
"Wanna stay in bed and watch TV"  
Eli's voice was verging on a whine, and Eren once again nodded. They were totally going to walk all over him now they were sick  
"Ok. How about we drag the mattress into the living room?"  
Eli nodded and reached for him. It wasn't the easiest thing to try and lift the boy, but Eli didn't seem to care.

This was a horrible plan. His whole body screamed at him as he tried to drag the mattress into the living room. By the time he'd got the stupid thing to the doorway, he wanted to crawl into a ball. But the boys were relying on him, and he pushed himself to drag it down the hall and let it drop to the floor  
"Job done..."  
Wincing at the pain in his back and stomach, Eren rubbed at it gently   
"I know pups, I know"  
Both boys coughed hard and Eren awkwardly lowered himself to the mattress and looked up at the pair on the sofa  
"Can you guys pass me the blankets and pillows?"  
That was a no. Pulling them down off the sofa, the boys waited until he done before climbing down to join him, both trying to cuddle up against him  
"Mum... I don't feel good"  
"I know, Hannes will be back soon"  
Biting back his own pained whimpers, Eren snagged the TV remote and settled down with the boys. They weren't actually going to be able to watch anything as they both had their faces hidden, but he turned the TV on low and left it playing for background noise, until the boys finally cried themselves to sleep.

*  
By the time Levi got home that night, the boys had thrown up twice, screamed at each other because they felt silk and then fallen asleep in their wolf forms. Eren was completely exhausted, but cocooned between the wolf forms of sleeping boys, it helped to ease the pain of Mikasa snobbing him still. He hadn't expected a text back right away, but it would have been nice... 

Pretending to be asleep, Eren listened to Levi moving around the house. The TV was turned off, blankets shaken and placed over them and then finally there was a quiet "I love you" as the light in the living room turned off and the one in the bathroom came on. It was super cowardly, but he just didn't know what to say or how to feel. Eren tried so hard to fall asleep, but in the end he couldn't. He didn't even know why he felt for guilty for not talking to Levi. Levi was the one who'd cost him his friendship with Mikasa... fuck. He needed his mate. Today has been complete and total shit, but now Levi was home and he wasn't alone anymore. Crawling out from between the boys, neither stirred and Eren bit hard on his lip as he tried to stand  
"Levi!"  
This was embarrassing... he actually needed his mate to come rescue him  
"Levi!"  
Whisper yelling for the alpha, it was a long moment before he heard footsteps and his alpha appeared  
"What are you doing?"  
"Coming to talk to you, but I got stuck"  
"Stuck stuck? Or stuck as an excuse to talk to me?"  
"Stuck stuck. I can't get off the mattress"  
Taking him by the arm, Levi pulled him up from the floor and Eren stumbled into the alpha's hold  
"Sorry"  
"It's ok. Do you need something?"  
Levi sounded slightly annoyed, but Eren was desperate all over again  
"Look. I am still mad at you. She won't answer me at all, but today's been fucking shit and I was trying to pretend to be asleep, but I couldn't do it. The boys are sick with tonsillitis, and it's so hard to watch them be in pain. I'm tired, I'm exhausted, stupid braxton hicks decided to start and I've just had enough. I felt used the morning, but right now, I can't deal and need..."  
Eren waved his hand and Levi raised an eyebrow   
"You felt used?"  
"Why do you only listen to those bits and how was I supposed to feel, we had sex and then you told me... its like you knew I'd be mad"  
"I did know you were mad, but I was never using you"  
His mate sounded pained and Eren looked down to his stomach. He missed seeing his feet  
"I'm sorry... I guess I'm being a bad mate by not listening to my alpha"  
"Eren, no. Don't even start that. If you want to go to bed, we can"  
"What do you want to do?"  
"Sleep"  
Not quiet what he wanted, but Eren nodded   
"Can I sleep with you?"  
"What about the boys?"  
"Hannes gave them nurofen, they'll be out of a while"  
"Then I'll sleep out here and you can sleep in the boys room"  
Levi pressed a kiss to Eren's cheek, before moving past him and Eren was confused. The idea was to sleep next to his mate, but now Levi was climbing in with the twins and their was no space for him on the mattress. What the hell had just happened?


	87. Chapter 87

Sitting on the sofa with the boys, Eren had his laptop perched on his stomach so the three of them could watch the screen. Levi was at work, as was Hannes and the boys were bored, hence why they were now picking things out for the pups. Given with how sore and fat he was feeling, there was no way he'd be able to spend hours walking around choosing items, as it was he felt like he could go into labor at any moment, even though he still had like 8 weeks. Double checking the mattresses he was adding to the cart were the ones that had the plastic covering, he nodded to himself. He'd seen too many horror stories about people letting their kids take bottles to bed and then finding the mattresses full of mould  
"Mum... what will the babies like? Do you know?"  
"They're too small to tell me, but I know what you guys used to love"  
"You do?"  
"Of course I do. Ren, you used to like sleeping on your stomach, but you always had to sleep with Eli or you'd cry. You two would hold hands while you sleep, and you both used to sleep next to me"  
"We did?"  
"Yep. I felt all special because my two babies were with me"  
"Muuuum, you're getting embarrassing"  
"You wanted to know. Eli, you used to pull faces every time your grandmother gave you pumpkin, but you'd eat it... only for her though"  
"What was grandma like?"  
"Kind... beautiful, she adored you boys, you were her whole world. She tried to teach you to call her Carla, but you called her "Lala", she loved it"  
"Why isn't she here?"  
"She died baby"  
Eren sniffled and wiped his face, he still missed her so damn much  
"Mum do you miss her?"  
"Every day..."  
"What about grandpa?"  
"What about him?"  
"Grandpa Arlert doesn't have our last name"  
"No, he doesn't. But he loves you guys like crazy too and when you're all better, we'll go see him"  
"I miss dad"  
Well that was a left turn   
"I know baby, but he'll be home after work and then we can have dinner together"  
Eli let out a huff   
"I know you're not happy, but we're supposed to be picking things out for the babies"  
"Dad should be heeeeeeeeere"  
"He can't be. But he's going to see all your great choices"  
"He will?"  
"Yep..."  
Given it would all be delivered here, that was a definite yes, and Levi was paying for it all... though the alpha didn't know yet. Ren coughed against him, burying his face against his side as he did  
"Do you want some more medicine baby?"  
Ren shook his head and Eren had to reposition so he could work around his hiding son.

Adding the blue baby bath to the cart, Eren let out a low groan, he was truly over this whole false contraction thing. If the pups wanted out, they could at least follow through with their plans for a jail break, if not he'd very much like a break from it  
"Mum, do we need anything else?"  
"Not for now baby"  
Nappies, towels, bibs, wipes, baby powder, clothes, baby shampoo, blankets, a night light, monitor, mattresses... oh dummies, and bottles and formulae for Wolfbloods... they didn't need a change table, but a set of draws for between the cribs would be nice... he added a cheap set to the cart. All the nice wooden ones that were from the same online store were like a few hundred and that was pretty much Levi's paycheque.

Scrolling through the cart, Eren read and reread each item  
"Boys, do you know where my wallet is? And my phone?"  
"Eli had your phone before"  
"Eli, do you know where it is?"  
"It's in the bathroom"  
He wasn't sure he wanted to know why  
"Do you think you can go get it for me? That way we can message daddy"  
"Can we call him?"  
"Daddy's at work"  
"But I want to talk to him"  
Eli climbed up, pushing down on Eren's stomach and Eren practically whimpered. He needed to pee badly as it was  
"How about this. Eli, you can hold the laptop and I'll get my phone, then we can send dad a video?"  
Ren nodded and Eren had to pry Eli off so he could escape to the bathroom.

Coming back with his phone, his laptop was now down on the mattress on the floor. Stepping around the device carefully, the omega made his way back to his original position   
"Who wants to go first?"  
Ren grinned up at him and Eren took that as a "me first"  
"Ok baby, gimme a second"  
Eli had nearly drained his battery, so this was going to have to be a short video, turning so he could film his son, he smiled and nodded  
"What do you want to tell daddy?"  
"Daddy! We miss you, but we got stuff for the baby"  
Well that was to the point...  
"In other words, mums feeling too pregnant and heavy to walk around shops, the boys are sick and bored so we picked out baby things online and are now telling dad about it"  
"Mum, dad's smart"  
"I didn't say he wasn't"  
"But you said what we did"  
Moving the camera to Eli, the boy pulled a face  
"Do you want to say something to dad?"  
Shaking his head, Eli kept the same look on his face as Eren ended the video   
"Ok, I'm sending it to dad now, is there anything else you want me to say?"  
The boys shook their heads and Eren sent the video through  
Eren: video_1073  
Eren: The boys wanted to call, this was the compromise. Haven't paid for the order so you can look at it when you get home x  
They hadn't really talked much with the whole Mikasa thing still unresolved, but he'd messaged her and at least tried to do the right thing...  
"Muuuuum, I'm hungry!"  
Eli ended his statement with a cough and Eren nodded, it was about that time of day now  
"What do you want to eat?"  
"Mashed potato!"  
Really? Something he had to try and use both hands for and cut up the potatoes   
"What else to you want with it?"  
"Sketti!"  
Because that was healthy... but it was easy.

An hour later the boys were sitting down and eating, while Eren was sitting on the sofa. He'd been forced to use a knife, and his nerves were on edge, but he'd made it through unscathed... and was kind of proud of himself. Rubbing his stomach with one hand, Eren reached for his phone with the other. Apparently Levi had replied, and his thumb slid across the screen as he opened the message  
Levi: Buy whatever you like  
Biting his lip, Eren didn't know how Levi meant for him to take that. If the alpha was mad, it could be an annoyed "Buy whatever you like", or he could he be happy and be all like "you know what's best babe, buy whatever you like"... why did his mind have to do this to him?  
Eren: Sorry... I'll wait until you get home. I didn't mean to make you mad...  
He really didn't. Even when he was mad at Levi, he still loved him like crazy. Almost immediately Levi replied  
Levi: Just buy it already  
Ok... to him Levi definitely seemed agitated, but... he could be overreacting... it wouldn't be the first time  
"Eli, can you grab my laptop for me?"  
The boy climbed off the dining chair and retrieved the device handing it over to Eren and leaving spaghetti sauce across the device as he did. Opening up the shopping cart, Eren double checked everything carefully before proceeding to check out. Opting for home delivery, it said 9-12 days, which wasn't horrible and gave him time to make space. The order was $900 and most was the two mattresses, so it wasn't completely horrible and there was the free postage factor to ease the pain further. Supposing he should clue Levi in, he picked up his phone again  
Eren: Paid for the order... nearly $900 because I stocked up on nappies, wipes and the two mattresses for the cots. Is there anything in particular you want for dinner?  
Levi: I'll just grab something at work  
How was he supposed to have dinner waiting as a surprise... fuck it. Pushing himself off the sofa, he left his phone next to the laptop and padded into the kitchen. His goal was the freezer.

The second time handling the knife had him shaking, but he kept telling himself he couldn't cut his hand because of the cast and he was really determined to do this. It wasn't complex, just lamb chops, potatoes, carrots and corn with gravy. He did extra for Hannes, but stuck to cold mashed potato for his own dinner. He didn't matter as much they did, so they deserved a good meal. Wrapping both plates the best he could, Eren was really proud of himself, maybe it was because he'd only had to cut vegetables, but he hadn't been haunted by the thought of "how does it feel to slice through and stab into flesh". 

Leaving the boys watching cartoons, Eren headed into the bathroom and ran himself a bath. He ached in all sorts of ungodly places, but now left to his own devices, he soon found himself sitting in the warm bubbly water and crying, convinced that Levi was mad at him. He was still sitting there as the water began to cool, completely exhausted from sobbing and the stupid false contractions that wouldn't leave him alone  
"Muuuuuum! Uncle Armin's on the phone!"  
Oh for fucks sake! He really couldn't handle this right now  
"Bring it here!"  
Awkwardly sliding forward to add more hot water to the bath, Eren tried his best not to look so miserable when Ren came running with his phone   
"He's in the bath"  
Handing the device over, Eren sighed to himself. Armin totally didn't need to know he was in the bath  
"Hey Armin"  
"Hey Eren, sorry to disturb you"  
"No, it's alright"  
Armin sounded happy enough... but maybe this was a trap. Now the water was almost too hot, Eren fumbled the tap off and slid back to lean against the edge  
"Are you alright?"  
"Yeah. Sorry, was adjusting the water"  
"Not about that, I swear I just heard you sniffle... did something happen?"  
"I don't want to bore you..."  
"Eren, we're friends remember. This might have been a little weird, but I'm here for you... well you're there and I'm here, but you get what I mean"  
"I didn't think you'd be talking to me..."  
"Oh. That. Nah, Mikasa started it all"  
Sniffling at the sound of the girl's name, Eren longed to see here though he was also confused  
"She did?"  
"Yeah, she blew her lid at Levi saying he took you away and all that kind of thing and how we can't see you anymore because Levi won't let you"  
"Wait... what? Levi wouldn't stop you guys coming over... I just thought you all hated me..."  
"No... I think we've both felt weird not having you here with us. I know I've gone to talk to you and found you not there and trying to fit in at a new school isn't fun... I don't hate you. Also yeah, Levi was all like "I'd love for you guys to come visit Eren" and then Mikasa tried to blame him for you getting hurt and being upset and it was basically two alpha's fighting over who loved you more. But Levi totally stood up for you"  
Fuck... he hadn't even given his mate a chance to explain... letting out a frustrated groan, he smacked his cast hand down on the bathtub and enjoyed the small amount of pain. He deserved it after all   
"Eren?"  
"Sorry... I didn't really talk this through with Levi... I kind of went straight to blaming him"  
"Well don't and now that that's sorted, I need a tiny favour"  
"What's up?"  
"Do you think Levi can pick me up on Friday and bring me down to Shinagshima?"  
"Don't you usually drive Mikasa's car?"  
"She's all pouty over what happened still, even Jean's over hearing about it so he's taking her to Stohess for the weekend"  
"I can't see why that will be a problem, but he does finish pretty late"  
"That's fine. I tried to call him before but didn't get through"  
"He's probably driving home or just about to get home. I'll get him to call you when he does, but yeah, I can't see it being an issue"  
"Thank you!!! You're the best"  
"It's ok"  
"I'll let you get back to your bath now, bye Eren"  
"Bye Armin"  
Ending the call, Eren slid his phone across the bathroom floor and started crying all over again. If he hadn't been so angry and actually listened to his mate... knocking his cast against the bathtub again, pain flared again. Levi was too good to him, he deserved to hurt for hurting his alpha.

"Daddy!"  
Lost in a misery of his own making, the twins happy cries were barely registered. He was too exhausted to do anything but lay in the bathtub, with his elbow on the side for support, as he smacked his arm against the wall over and over. Why did Levi even bother putting up with him? He didn't even register the light knock against the open bathroom door, and flinched away as strong hands grabbed his wrists  
"Princess! Stop!"  
Looking up to Levi with unfocused eyes, he'd expected rage, not sadness and confusion   
"I'm... sorry..."  
"Let's get you out the bath"  
Levi tried to help him out, but his body was too exhausted and in the end the alpha had to lift his wet form and carry him into their room, before setting him down on the base of their bed  
"I'm sorry"  
"There's no need to be sorry"  
Levi left his side and returned a few moments later, the alpha starting to towel him down  
"I can do it"  
"It's fine"  
"I'm sorry"  
Levi stopped and tilted his face so Eren was forced to look him in the eyes   
"Baby, what's going on with you?"  
"You're mad at me... I do everything wrong and I let you down..."  
"I'm not mad at you"  
"Yes you are! You don't need to lie"  
His alpha let out a groan  
"Eren, I am not mad at you"  
"But you sounded mad"  
"What? When?"  
"When I messaged you"  
"Oh, no, I was in a hurry because work was swamped. That's all"  
"Then why aren't you mad?"  
Taking the towel from Levi's slack grip, Eren began to dry himself pitifully. He couldn't even muster the effort to hold the stupid thing properly   
"Princess, stop"  
When he ignored his mates words, Levi took the towel back  
"Tell me why you think I'd be mad you"  
"Because of Mikasa..."  
"What? Because I had a fight with her?"  
"Armin told me what you said..."  
"Well Armin's got a big mouth"  
"Why didn't you tell me you were standing up for me?"  
"Because you didn't give me the chance"  
"So you are mad?"  
Levi groaned again, causing Eren to wince as he tried to pull away  
"I was. It fucking hurt when you said I was using you. Do you have any idea how much I love you?"  
Eren shook his head, he didn't know why the alpha would  
"More than all the stars in the sky and then some. Is this why you were hurting yourself?"  
The teens gaze flicked down to his hand, blood was smeared across his cast and over his fingers, he hadn't felt it all  
"I deserved it..."  
The snarl Levi gave left him feeling cold and his heart was racing  
"No. Don't even say that"  
"But I hurt you... I deserve to hurt too"  
"No you don't. That's stupid. We would have worked things out, you don't need to punish yourself"  
Hanging his head in shame, he couldn't even come up with a reply   
"What did Armin want?"  
"He asked if you could pick him up after work on Friday"  
"Why?"  
"Because we talked and Mikasa isn't going to be in town"  
"Fine, but I'm only doing this because you said you talked"  
"We did"  
"Good"  
Letting the conversation drop, Levi dried him down and dressed him in his underwear and a singlet, before supporting him out to the mattress and helping him into the bed  
"Boys, I think it's your bed time and it's time to get mum to sleep"  
"But you just got home!"  
"And I'll read until you fall asleep, as many stories as you want"  
Ren and Eli were skeptical, but finally nodded  
"Cuddles and a kiss before you go"  
Both boys obliged, Eli even telling him he loved him before they chased off after Levi. Left alone again, Eren didn't know what he felt anymore. Everything was just kind of a jumbled numbness.

By the time Levi finally came back, Eren was nearly asleep, he would have been if his mind would just shut up and give him a moments rest  
"The boys are finally asleep. Neither of them wanted to go to bed, it took a whole 6 stories for them to finally nod off"  
Eren nodded silently  
"I have the first aid kit, so I can do your hand now  
"'t's fine"  
"Baby, you know I'm not going to take that for an answer"  
Levi look his hand and Eren tried to pull it back  
"Just stay still"  
"Sorry"  
Levi sighed and climbed down to sit right next to him, his thigh right against Eren's face  
"I wish you wouldn't let things get this bad before you talked to me"  
"I'm sorry"  
"I'm sorry too, I didn't mean to sound cranky"  
Hissing as Levi wiped his hand over, Eren closed his eyes again  
"Do you want to look at the baby things with me?"  
"The orders still up..."  
"Really? Did the boys like picking things?"  
"Yeah... are you sure you aren't mad that we did it without you"  
"No, I know how hard it's been you getting around, I was looking forward to shopping with you, but you know what we need better than I do"  
Nuzzling Levi's leg, Eren shook as the smell engulfed him. Levi didn't smell mad, his mate wasn't lying to him, he was home and he was happy  
"You alright there princess?"  
"I... I missed you..."  
Laying Eren's hand back down, his alpha forced him to look to at him  
"I missed you too baby, it's really lonely when we aren't talking"  
"I'm sorry... it just hurt. I wanted you and her to get along and I thought you were..."  
"We were, but the way she was treating you wasn't acceptable. I know you have it in your head that you don't deserve to be loved or wanted and whatever other shit, but you do. And you deserve to be respected, even if Mikasa has been your friend for years, she shouldn't have let her jealousy get in the way. I'm sorry, but I'm not sorry for sticking up for you"  
"It just really sucks"  
"I know, and I probably could have found a better time to tell you, but Eren, I never ever want you to feel like I'm using you"  
"You're too good to me"  
"Nah, I'm really not, I'm never here to be good to you"  
"That's because you're working hard and while I miss you, you come back, even when I don't think you will"  
"Of course I'm going to come home. Do you really think I can give up on that perfect arse of yours"  
Laughing slightly, Eren sniffled and shook his head  
"You really like my arse"  
"I do, I like all of you, but that arse..."  
Squeaking from the unexpected grope he received, Levi nodded  
"This is mine"  
"Levi... is tonight alright?"  
"Alright for... ooooh. Are you up for it? You look really sleepy"  
"I am... but... I want you...."  
He'd definitely had enough of today, and wanted to fall asleep and pretend it never happened, but his mate wasn't mad at him and his omega demanding comfort from the alpha. Letting out a small needy whine, Eren moved to push himself up  
"It's alright princess, just let me take care of you"

With his hands gripping onto the edge of the sofa, Levi was slamming into him recklessly, his stomach and breasts bounced almost painfully with each thrust, but the mews pouring from his mouth didn't give that away  
"My precious mate, so full of my pups... god... you're so good to me, letting me breed you... feels too good"  
Nodding limply, Eren groaned as his mate groped his arse cheeks harder   
"A-alpha..."  
"Yeah omega, you want my knot don't you"  
Eren nodded quickly and Levi pulled him back into his lap, shoving up harder as he did. The omega came so hard he didn't know if peed, only that he didn't seem to stop cumming until Levi finally knotted and he couldn't move  
"Mmmm, you came so much for me"  
Stroking Eren's hair, the omega whined softly. He was so beyond tired now. Levi's hands moved to rub his stomach, fingers splaying protectively across the massive swell  
"I love this tummy of yours. I'm so proud of you, and our pups, it feels like it could be any day now"  
The pups were kicking hard against the alpha's hands  
"Don't say that..."  
"But it's true, it makes me want to breed you all over again"  
Levi rocked his hips beneath him, drawing out a small gasping moan  
"Alpha..."  
"Shhhh, just lay against me"  
The false contractions rolling through his stomach had him almost whimpering when combined with the alpha's knot and tears rolled down his face. Letting his head lol back against Levi's shoulder, he buried his face against the alpha's hair  
"I'm sorry, when I think about you being mad at me or hating me, I can't take it"  
His words were soft and mumbled, but Levi crooned gently trying to soothe him   
"I know, but I'm here and I'll always love you"  
"Even when I'm a mess?"  
"You've been a mess since I met you, a gorgeous perfect mess of an omega"  
He wasn't entirely sure that was a compliment, but Levi had put up with so much shit from him since even before he fell pregnant   
"My alpha's so good to me, he's so perfect and I'm just me"  
"I'm definitely not perfect baby, but I want to be for you and our children"  
Levi's hands slid up his stomach and cupped his breasts, the alpha rolling his perked nipples between the pads of thumb and finger. Eren clenched harder around Levi's knot and Levi growled in appreciation   
"That's it baby, you don't need to hide in front of me"  
The lewd noises spilling from his mouth had Eren blushing, but what Levi was doing felt so good and his penis was twitching again in anticipation   
"Levi... I love you"  
"And I love you Eren, and one day I'm going to put a ring on that perfect finger of yours"  
"I don't wanna wait... I want to be yours"  
"You are mine and only mine. I won't let anyone take you away from me"  
"I'm sorry I get so scared"  
"It's not your fault Eren, I get scared too"  
Levi tweaked his nipples harder and Eren's legs began to shake in response, his mate was going to make him cum if he kept it up  
"You do?"  
"When you're home alone, I wonder what you're doing, and if you're alright. I miss you every second I'm not with you"  
Letting out a small sob, Eren nuzzled harder against Levi, his lips coming to bite against the tip of the alpha's ear, Levi moaned so perfectly that Eren's racing heart skipped a beat.

When the alpha's knot finally lessened enough, Levi guided him down and pulled the blankets up to cover them, before pushing back into his wet twitching opening. It wasn't exactly coordinated, but each time Levi thrust him, he hit Eren's sweet spot until the rush of pleasure combing with Levi working the head of his erection had him feeling like he was cumming and peeing again  
"Fuck princess, what's gotten into you today, you've cum so much"  
"Don't... know"  
His words came out sounding like sobs and his whole body was throbbing from pleasure, letting out a cry, a second lesser wave rushed over him as his limp erection dribbled cum across his thigh and Levi knotted him  
"Get some sleep now baby"  
Levi began to nuzzle against their bonding mark, pressing kisses to the spot and Eren couldn't keep his eyes open any longer.


	88. Chapter 88

"Eren! Have you been shopping online again?!"  
Pushing Eren down, Levi was kind of torn what the hell he should do. He'd only just finished pounding his omega into the mattress, and now Hannes was walking the down the hallway. For Eren's part, the omega so wasn't helping as he wriggled in an attempt to grab the blanket that was just out of reach  
"Hannes! Don't come in!"  
The footsteps in the hall came to an abrupt stop  
"Really? Didn't you guys just drop the kids off?"  
"We didn't think you'd be home so soon"  
"So it's my fault you've been fucking like bunnies for the last week?"  
"Hannes, you're not helping"  
Eren now had tears in his eyes and his mate looked scared. Stroking Eren's face with the pad of his thumb. Levi tried his best to wipe them away  
"Fine! I'll leave the boxes here, but the mattresses are in the Jeep... closing my eyes now"  
Watching Hannes emerge from the hall, the man stumbled past them and up the other hall, Levi attention was soon back on his mate as Eren let out a sad whine  
"Shhh, it's ok baby"  
"No it's not... that's twice he's caught us now..."  
"I know, but we didn't know he was coming home. Come on baby, don't cry"  
"But it's embarrassing"  
"You're embarrassed from taking my knot?"  
"No... just... being caught with my arse in the air and slick covering my thighs... he could probably smell it"  
Levi snarled unintentionally, his alpha on edge at the thought of another alpha seeing his omega in such a high state of arousal, though Hannes had been right, almost all week now they'd been going at it every time they got some time to themselves and Levi felt like the only time he wasn't in a rut was when he buried deeply inside his mates perfect arse. Sliding his hands from Eren's hips, he moved to massage his mates lower back  
"Are you still feeling them?"  
Eren nodded and Levi sighed. His mate said he'd been having false contractions more and more often, and more than once he'd been awoken by Eren crying because of them, but for some stupid reason Levi found himself turned on by the idea and Eren didn't protest... they were stupid horny dorks in love, or at least that's what Eren's would tell him  
"How about we get you laying back down? I have to leave for work soon"  
He really did, he was pushing it to make it on time as it was  
"I don't want you to go"  
Eren sounded so brittle and Levi's throat tightened, he didn't want to go either   
"I..."  
The alpha gave a small cough to clear his throat  
"I don't want to either, but just think, 2 more weeks and holidays start"  
"But you'll still be working..."  
"Only the first week remember, Hannes will be away for the second"  
"I... I know..."  
Eren sounded confused, which seemed to also be happening more and more often. His mate completely forgot he wasn't supposed to be doing anything with his right hand the other night, given hitting his hand repeatedly against the wall had meant he'd need to stay in the cast an extra week. Hannes had actually snapped at Eren, over hanging out the washing and carrying the basket around, and scared the shit out of him. Which may be why his fiancé was feeling extra guilty about being caught like this  
"Levi..."  
Eren was shaking now, and small sniffles filled the air  
"You don't need to cry, it's ok"  
"It's not ok... I'm not ready to the pups..."  
"Shhh, we've got 6 weeks and by the sounds of it all the things you ordered have arrived"  
"That's not what I mean... I don't know if I'll be a good mum"  
This again...   
"Baby, you'll be a great mum. My knots loosening, let me hold you until you fall asleep"  
When Eren nodded, Levi slid out with a wet "plop", he'd really done a number on Eren's arse, and was aroused all over again watching cum and slick rush from the gaping hole  
"You're so fucking hot"  
"I don't feel it"  
Coaxing his mate down slowly, Levi settled Eren against him, stroking his fiancés hair as he did  
"I'll be home at 6 tonight"  
"I know..."  
"That means 9 hours, so if you sleep for like 5. Have lunch, and get dressed, you can pick the boys up at 3 and then you have just 3 hours until I'll walk through that hall"  
"I know... I'm not 5"  
Levi snorted lightly  
"I know you aren't. Do you think we can look at the baby things when I get home?"  
Eren nodded against him   
"I'd like that... and I want to wash everything"  
"Ok princess, we'll open the boxes together when I get back"  
Casting a glance to the clock, it was now 9:20. It was an hours drive to Trost, and he was so going to be late to work  
"You need to go don't you"  
"Yeah, but I don't want to let you go"  
"I'll be ok... I love you"  
"I love you too"  
Leaning in to kiss his mates soft pouty lips, Levi was loath to untangle himself from the comfortable mess he'd just put them in. He seriously didn't want to leave, not when Eren was looking so innocent and alone. Stealing another kiss he nuzzled his mates face  
"I love you so much"  
Eren nodded and closed his eyes, tears rolled down his mates cheeks silently and Levi finally pushed himself away and moved to get ready. Thanks to Hannes being away, he managed to get from the 1st until the 8th of October off, and intended on spending every waking second by Eren's side, it just sucked he had to wait for it and that he'd promised to work full time for the first week of school holidays. After that, he'd have to wait until the pups were born in November before he could take anymore time off.

 

*  
Rico hadn't been happy he'd been late and he'd been forced to stay and work the half hour he'd missed. Which in his opinion was completely unfair. The woman didn't seem to understand how much love and attention Eren needed especially now. Hanji had been outraged as well, even asking if she needed to go slap their boss silly. He knew it would never happen, but he still appreciated the sentiment. Pulling into the gravel clearing in front of the house, the first thing he noticed was that Hannes's sedan had finally been removed, he'd actually grown used to the site of it and now it just seemed weird. Pulling up close to the house, Levi let out a long sigh. 

"Daddy! Hurry up!"  
With Eli on one arm, and Ren on the other, he'd only just made it into the house when they boys were at him  
"Whoa! What's the hurry?"  
"Mum said we couldn't open them until you got home! Do you know how long we've been waiting?"  
"Aaaaaaages and aaaaaaages!"  
Snorting as he shook his head, Levi let himself be pulled into the living room  
"Sorry I'm late, Rico made me work the half hour I missed"  
Eren smiled as he looked towards them  
"It's not me you have to apologise, they've been anxious to open up the order since they got home. I let them open the Marley stuff though"  
"Wow, that actually showed up?"  
"Apparently Hannes had all our mail forward to the hospital and the box got packed away at the hospital"  
"I thought it was gone forever"  
"So did I. Go check the bedroom before you open anything and your dinners in the over"  
"You cooked again?"  
"Don't tell Hannes"  
Dragging the boys across with him, Levi pressed a kiss to Eren's lips  
"I love you baby"  
"Mmm"  
"Dad! Hurry up!"  
"I'm coming, I'm coming!"  
Dragging the boys down to their bedroom first, Levi flicked the lights on and groaned in disgust. That stupid fucking giraffe could have stayed lost forever as far as he was concerned, but now the stupid thing was staring at him  
"Congratulations boys, you got yourself a giraffe"  
"We can have it?"  
"Yep!"  
He couldn't bin the stupid thing now that the boys knew it was here. Letting go of his arms, the twins rushed to grab at the ridiculous stuffed toy and Levi just shook his head as he walked back out to the living room  
"I fucking hate that thing"  
"I know. But the boys love it"  
"I told them they could have it"  
"Don't you think they have enough things?"  
"One more won't hurt"

Walking into the kitchen, Levi slid his dinner out the oven   
"Soooo, what is it?"  
"You have to take the al-foil off"  
"But that's like work"  
"My poor alpha, don't worry, I'll take care of all your pains tonight"  
Grinning across the space at Eren, he nodded  
"I think I could get behind that"  
"Or you could get my behind"  
"That too"  
"There's just one tiny thing you need to do first?"  
Uncovering the plate, his stomach rumbled at the sight of the pork ribs and rice  
"What's that?"  
"Can we please put the mattress back in our room? It was only supposed to be out because the boys were sick"  
"You just don't want to be caught again"  
"There's that too, no, its too hard for me to get up safely"  
Levi's heart dropped slightly, he hadn't thought of that  
"Sure... I'll do it after dinner"  
"Thanks. I'm sooo looking forward to sleeping in our room again"  
"Me too"  
Grabbing out a knife and fork, Levi moved to sit next to him fiancé   
"Thank you baby, I'm so proud of you"  
"Because I made dinner?"  
"Because you faced your fears, but dinner isn't going without a reward. Kissing Eren gently, it didn't take long for them to both be moaning into each other's mouth.

"Dad! Stop kissing mum!"  
Pulling back, Levi stared into Eren's wide eyes  
"That one doesn't count, we were only kissing"  
"Fine... but eat your dinner"  
"Can't we open the boxes now? Pleeeeeease"  
Eli drew the "please" out in to an an annoying whine  
"Let dad eat his dinner, but if you really want to help, you can move the boxes over here"  
The boys gave huffs, and stomped over to grab the boxes off the table  
"I think they're excited"  
"No way? What gives you that idea?"  
Elbowing Eren gently, his omega sighed  
"I've been listening to it for the last 3 hours, no offence, but your boss sucks"  
"She does, but I'm home now"

When Levi finished his dinner, Ren practically snatched the plate from his lap and carried it away, while Eli placed the biggest box into his lap  
"You ready?"  
Eren gave him a nod and Levi moved to place the box between his legs so he could actually open the damn thing. Why they put a box inside another box, he had no clue, but sliding the blue baby bath out, he had to admit it was rather cute  
"Just don't forget the boys did help choose, so it's mostly blues, browns and greens"  
"That's alright, but shit... this is tiny"  
"Babies generally are"  
Eren wrapped an arm around him and Eli and Ren slid the box away from him  
"Boys, can you place this on top of the box"  
"Fiiiine, but open up the rest of them!"  
"I'm getting there, but I can't until this is out the way"  
Eli grabbed one side while Ren grabbed the other, moving the baby bath out the way.

The next box was nappies, wipes, bottles and dummies. The fox and ducks on the bottles were adorable, but the dummies were cuter with both being rabbits  
"Are they alright"  
"Yeah baby..."  
It all felt so real now and his voice was thick with emotion. Eren nuzzled at his neck, pressing kisses as he did  
"I love you"  
"I love you too"  
"Guys!"  
"You can wait a minute"  
"No we can't!"  
"We better keep them happy, then I'll let you make me very happy"  
Fuck his fiancé wasn't playing fair and with Eren so close, he was drowning in the omegas scent. Placing the items back in the box, Eli slid it away and Ren pulled the next one in.

This box had him tearing up. Lifting each tiny item of clothing, he couldn't believe how small and delicate they were, and two babies were supposed to fit in them... burying his face against a white onesie, he took a few deep breaths  
"Hey, it's ok"  
"It's just so tiny"  
"I know..."  
Moving to nuzzle Eren's cheek Levi let out a small sob  
"Oh babe, come here"  
Eren wrapped his arms around him, they probably looked like idiots to the boys, but they had no idea how scared he was now  
"I feel like this is usually the other way around"  
Eren's gently joke had him nodding   
"Sorry, but fuck... how am I supposed to hold something so pure and innocent?"  
"Carefully, and making sure you support their heads. But you know, by 4 months, they're going to be up and causing trouble"  
"That seems too young"  
"It's the wolf blood, there going to be physically sturdier than a normal baby"  
"That's probably for the best..."  
Pulling back from his mate, Levi nodded  
"I'm alright now"  
Eren took the tiny onesie from him and held it up, before laying it across his stomach   
"What's next?"  
His mate offered him a small smile and Levi wiped his face, before turning to pull the next few items into his lap. They were all just as tiny and his hands seemed huge in comparison   
"You guys did a good job"  
The boys grinned toothy grins up at him, but the Eli looked confused  
"Mum, will the baby really fit in them?"  
"Yep. You guys would have too..."  
Eren didn't need to continue his sentence for Levi to know what came next "if Grisha would have let me buy you nicer things". Passing the items carefully to Eren, he delved further into the box, pulling out tiny printed towels  
"Oh wow..."  
"I know right, I couldn't help myself"  
Once again they were printed with cute little animals, and the one with a lion on it definitely had to have been chosen by Ren  
"Can we see?"  
"Sure, just be gentle"  
Eren passed the boys the clothing and Ren blew a raspberry   
"There's no way they'll fit in here!"  
"Wanna bet?"  
"How much!?"  
"I bet you a whole tray of cookies they will"  
"Deal!"

By the end of the boxes, Levi wanted to climb into bed and curl up with Eren, it had been an emotional overload for the alpha. Eren had detagged everything, ready for it all to be washed, but Levi found himself holding a onesie and unable to let it go  
"Levi, I'm going to put these in the machine before the cats get on them. There's a cupboard in a box in the hall that needs to be put together. Do you think you're up to that?"  
"Y-yeah..."  
Eren gave him a small kiss, before shuffling to the edge of the sofa and pushing himself up with a groan  
"Princess?"  
"It's fine... just the usual. Ren, do you and Eli wanna get that box for dad? Maybe you guys can help him put it together?"  
The boys nodded quickly, grabbing his hands and pulling him up and down the hall while Eren waddled off away from them.

 

*  
With the kids in bed, and their own bed remade, Levi retuned to the bathroom to help Eren out the bath, smiling at the sight of the omega rubbing his stomach and talking to it. Eren was completely oblivious to how adorable he could be, and the teen blushed beautifully as he realised he wasn't alone anymore   
"Sorry"  
"No, its cute. Are you ready to get out?"  
"Can I stay in a little longer?"  
"Of course you can, but I'm going to take a shower then"  
Eren nodded and looked back to his stomach  
"Are they kicking again?"  
"When are they not?"  
"Don't be like that, I know you love being pregnant"  
"I do, I just don't love everything that comes with it... but this is nice"  
Eren hands moved to begin rubbing his stomach again  
"Yeah, you look so beautiful baby"  
"You don't have to sweet talk me"  
"I'm just stating the truth"  
Stripping down, Levi moved to turn the shower on. The hot water felt amazing against his exhausted body. 4 kids... they were going to have 4 kids soon... god. That's insane... so why did he want Eren to hurry up and give birth already? He wanted to meet their pups, but at the same it was fucking terrifying. All he could think was how lucky they were that Hannes was going to be there to deliver them. He didn't think he could trust having any other person near his mate in such a vulnerable state.

Finishing his shower, he hummed to himself  
"Humming?"  
"Yep. I love you, so are you ready to get out?"  
"Yes please"  
Wrapping a towel around his waist, he threw Eren's over his shoulder and moved to help his mate from the bath. He barely had the omega standing before Eren was claiming his mouth  
"Bedroom?"  
Eren nodded, resuming the deep and hungry kisses. It wasn't the most thought threw plan, but they made it to their room and onto the bed without any major dramas. With Eren beneath him, Levi shook. He was so unbelievably lucky to be loved by this gorgeous creature   
"Levi?"  
Reaching one hand up, Eren cupped his face  
"Sorry... it's just"  
"It's a lot at once, I know, but you're doing so well"  
"I don't feel like I am"  
"That's because you're wrong. Now come up here and let me show you my appreciation?"  
"Mmm, I like the way you think"

Moaning and panting, Levi was a squirming wreck as Eren's tongue delved inside of him. His omegas firm hold on his legs meant that he wasn't able to move from sitting on Eren's face, but he really didn't want to. It felt so amazing, and his alpha didn't even seem to mind. Rising a little, he used his hold on his mates stomach to building a slow rhythm  
"Is this alright"  
"Mmm"  
Eren seemed to be enjoying eating him out as much as he was enjoying being eaten. His mates musky scent was growing heavier, and the sweetness robbing him of articulate thought. Letting out a low growl, he ground down against Eren's lips  
"Baby, I'm close"  
Eren's fingertips dug deeper into his thighs, and Levi's hand moved to toy with the head of his leaking erection. The wet sounds of Eren licks and sucking mixed in with the the wet sounds of him working his erection, it'd been so long since he'd touched himself like this and it didn't take long before he came across his mates breasts and chest. His legs wouldn't stop shaking and he basically flopped off of Eren, sucking in deep breaths  
"Wow..."  
Eren snorted  
"Good?"  
"Very good. Your mouth is so perfect"  
"I thought you already knew that"  
"I did... but fuck"  
His whole arse was throbbing from pleasure   
"Baby, you can say no, but can we do something?"  
Eren turned to look at him, one hand moving to support his stomach as he did  
"Depends on what it is?"  
"Can I film you?"  
"You want to film me?"  
"Yeah... I want you to see how beautiful you are"  
Eren blushed beet red  
"It doesn't have to be tonight"  
"M-maybe... but for now... can we have sex, I'm so horny I think I'm going to explode"

Returning the favour, Levi moved to kneel on the floor and pulled Eren over to the edge, his fiancés thighs were so incredibly wet and the alpha let out a groan of need   
"Fuck you smell amazing"  
But Eren definitely tasted even better. Burying his face between his lovers legs, his mate mewed as he started sucking and licking at the gushing slick  
"Levi... I'm not going to last"  
"Don't hold back"  
"But I need you in me"  
Shit. Now he was torn. Thinking with his dick instead of his head, he slid Eren's legs down and moved to rise, taking Eren by the hips  
"Wrapped your legs around me"  
Eren nodded, his feet sliding up Levi's thighs and locking around his waist. Watching himself slide in and out of his mate was even more erotic from this angle and once again his eyes filled with tears as his eyes landed on the scar across his mates stomach. It had started out so small in comparison to now. How could anyone hurt the one good thing in his world?   
"Levi?"  
Wiping at his face, Levi nodded  
"I love you"  
Eren mewed in reply, his lovers lips parted as he drew in small sharp breaths. When Eren came, Levi's chest was covered by the thick liquid. His legs turned to mush and he knotted his mate with a deep gravelly possessive growl  
"God"  
Breaking down, he rested his forehead against Eren's stomach as he continued to cry. Eren's hands came to rest on his hair, stroking and fingering it gently  
"Hey, it's alright"  
Levi shook his head, keeping his face hidden  
"Did I do something?"  
Levi's head shot up  
"No... never you"  
"Then do you want to tell me?"  
"I've done a lot of messed up things and our pups, they're going to be so small and so innocent... what if I'm no good to them?"  
"Levi, I feel like we had this conversation not so long ago, about me being a good mother. It's going to take some time, but I know you'll be a good father. You're amazing with the boys, I've seen you with them, I've heard you listen to them tell you the same story over and over, we're a team right?"  
"I guess... I just want don't want to taint them"  
"You won't, if anyone will, it'll be me"  
"No..."  
"Levi, my own father tried to kill me. My headspace is a fucking mess and I'm a little lot crazy..."  
"You're not that crazy"  
Eren snorted, his hands moving to slide down Levi's neck and shoulders before sliding up and cupping his face  
"I love you so much"  
"Me too princess"

 

*  
Leaving Eren to sleep, Levi was grateful the washing machine had a "baby" setting. Placing the clothes into the machine, he sighed softly and closed the lid. November was so frighteningly close now. Padding back through the house, he paused to check on the boys, both fast asleep with the cats held close. Shit. They were so perfect... would their pups be this happy and healthy?   
"Levi?"  
Jumping at Eren's voice, his mate was standing in their doorway rubbing sleep from his eyes  
"I thought I left you sleeping"  
"You did, but I needed the bathroom"  
Eren yawned and stumbled as he walked into the bathroom, how was it he kept falling deeper in love with the teen when he didn't think it was possible to love him any more than he did?

Remaining where he was, Eren came waddling back and wrapped his arms around him the best he could  
"Hey, you still freaking out?"  
"Yeah, but I'll be ok. Aren't you cold?"  
"Mmm, a little, but you feel nice"  
"I put the baby clothes on, so they'll be ready to hang out once the boys have been dropped at school"  
"Ok... but we can go back to bed for now right?"  
"Mmm, if I get a kiss we can"  
Eren snorted before leaning in to kiss him. It was just a simple press of his lips to Levi's, but his mate smirked as he pulled back  
"That means you've got to come back to bed right?"  
"I guess, but you're going back to sleep"  
"Or we could have sex"  
He didn't particularly feel like having sex, but cuddles were definitely on his mind. Taking his hand, he let Eren lead him back to their room. The omega climbed in first, giving Levi a great view of his fiancés arse he did... sex might not be so bad after all.


	89. Chapter 89

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell my week was crazy busy but now I can actually write?
> 
> Friday - busy all day and then a 5 hour drive  
> Saturday - family reunion   
> Sunday - shopping, 5 hour drive   
> Monday - vocational school   
> Tuesday - physio, haircut shopping   
> Wednesday - possum trapping   
> Thursday - possum trapping, site monitoring, shopping, picked up my rabies shot...
> 
> This is the last of the three updates for today...
> 
> Also guys, I'm sorry you're all mad at me. I have had people unbookmark this story and I feel like I've failed you all... please forgive me :(  
> I love the fact you all comment and show support and I read all your suggestions... you guys are the reason I write. Without you all, I'd have nothing.

Folding the baby onesies, Eren carefully placed them in the top draw. He'd already rearranged the draws like a hundred times and Levi would be telling him off if he knew. Letting out a happy sigh, the omega slid the door shut and looked down at the closer crib. They'd both been painted white, and now were neatly made. He knew it was way too soon, but he wanted to dress them up before posting photos on Facebook. They really were so beautiful, he was so lucky to have Levi  
"Hey babies, 6 and bit more weeks to go"  
The pups kicked hard as if they understood   
"I know you want out and to start causing all kinds of mischief, but can we hold off for at least 6 more weeks?"  
The kicking died down, and Eren sighed, he had a feeling these two were going to be even more trouble than the boys.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Eren opened up Facebook. He had new comments on his uploaded photo, and opened the link. As expected they were all on the cots  
Hanji Zoe: OMG! So cute! Did Levi really make these?  
Armin Arlert: Wow! They look great! Some ones ready  
Reiner Braun: Don't got having them before we get there!  
Snorting to himself, Eren locked his phone. He could deal with all that later, but for now he wanted a nap.

It felt like his eyes had just shut when he was groaning and pushing himself as his phone was ringing. Reaching blindly for the device, he got it just as the call ended and after a few moments the missed call and one new voice message notifications came up. He didn't know the number... and out of curiosity he opened the message  
"Hello, this is a cursory call for Eren Yeager from Trost Penitentiary..."  
His heart dropped and the phone nearly slipped from his hold  
"Grisha Yeager was transported to Trost General this morning during an altercation with a fellow inmate..."  
What the fuck... his father was out of prison? How... why? But... he was there for attempted murder... closing the message, he pulled out up Levi's number and called him. His mate was at work, but he needed him. Gripping his stomach, he tried to remember how to breathe, as expected he reached his mates voicemail   
"Le-Levi... dads in hospital... they let him out... how could they let him out?"  
Breaking into sobs, he ended the call and the device fell to the floor. Before sliding off the bed with a solid thud  
"Eren?"  
Hannes's voice sounded so far away, but the man rushed to his side, pulling him into his arms  
"What happened?"  
"D-dad's i-in h-hospital"  
"What?"  
Grasping Hannes's shirt, Eren sobbed against him. The pups were kicking hard against his ribs and his whole stomach hurt, letting out a pained whimper caused Hannes to push him back  
"Eren, you need to calm down for me. He can't get you"  
"B-but t-they let him o-out"  
"And he'll be under guard and strapped down. He can't get you"  
Shaking his head, his hands gripped his stomach   
"Eren?"  
"It hurts"  
"Ok, let's get you to hospital?"  
"I do-don't want to g-go"  
"I know, but your pups aren't happy. I can feel how hard they're kicking"  
"W-want Levi..."  
"I'll call Levi's boss, but only if you come to hospital with me"  
"N-no... p-please don't make me... I'll be good"  
He tried to push Hannes away, but Hannes grabbed his arms  
"Eren, no, you need to calm down"  
"D-don't hurt me..."  
When dark spots began to dance across his blurred vision, he realised that maybe Hannes would have been right. The man catching him easily as he slumped forward.

 

*  
"Levi! You have a personal call!"  
Jumping at the sound of Rico's voice, Levi scowled down at the tray in his hands  
"I need a minute"  
Carrying the tray over, he placed it down on the pass, before heading over to where Rico was waiting by the phone   
"I'd appreciate if you didn't have your personal calls directed here"  
"Sorry, I don't know who this could be"  
"He said his names Hannes"  
Why the fuck would Hannes be calling him. Wiping his hands on his pants, he picked the receiver up  
"Hello?"  
"Levi! Sorry to call you at work"  
"Well you got me in the shit. What's going on?"  
"It's Eren, he had a panic attack and collapsed. He was asking for you"  
"Are you fucking serious? What set him off?"  
"He got a call from the prison, Grisha got into a fight or something and was transferred to Trost General. Eren of course freaked, thinking that his father was coming to him"  
"How the fuck did this happen?"  
"I don't know, probably because Eren is listed as his next of kin"  
"But he tried to fucking kill him!"  
"Levi, Grisha will be under guard and strapped down. He can't get Eren, he can't hurt him"  
"Bullshit! I wouldn't put it past him!"  
"You need to calm down. Eren went into labor, but we stopped it, he's resting fine and we're monitoring him, but when you get here, come to the hospital"  
"Ok... I'm leaving now"  
"I'll call you if anything changes"  
Hanging up the phone, Levi crumpled to the floor, his face hidden in his hands  
"Levi?"  
"Not now Hanji"  
"Are you ok?"  
Letting out a dry laugh, he shook his head  
"I need to go..."  
"Levi, you have 5 hours left of your shift"  
Looking up towards Rico, he fixed the woman with the best glare he could   
"I have to go. It's emergency"  
"Levi, what happened?"  
Hanji went to help him up, but he slapped his hand away. He wanted to fucking scream. Was it safe to stop Eren's labor? What about the pups? Was it alright for them?  
"Sorry... Eren went into labor and now he's in hospital. They stopped the labor, but he's not in a good way"  
"Oh my gosh, is there anything I can do?"  
"No, but I do need to go"  
"Of course! I only just liked his photo earlier"  
So his mate had had a good morning... at least that was something... looking to his boss, the woman didn't look happy. Biting down his growl, he turned and began walking away  
"Levi, you can't just leave mid-shift"  
Oh fuck no. Spinning back around he glared at the woman   
"Excuse me! My fucking heavily pregnant mate had a panic attack because the piece of shit that tried to murder him is in hospital and not in jail! He was so panicked he went into labor 6 weeks early. I don't give two fucks about the restaurant right now"  
Rico wasn't impressed at all, but didn't try and stop him again.

Grabbing his shit from his locker, the first thing he grabbed was his phone, immediately opening the voice mail from Eren   
"Le-Levi... dads in hospital... they let him out... how could they let him out?"  
He could almost smell the fear of his mate as he listened to Eren's words. His blood was pounding in his ears and he swore the whole world went red. Why the fuck would they call Eren? His mate didn't need this. Closing his shitty locker, the door opened again. Blinded by anger, he punched the shitty thing as hard as he could. He wanted to tear Grisha's fucking throat out, he didn't care at all about how badly the shitty alpha had been hurt. It would have been better if they'd just let the man die.

Given the alpha's agitation, he really shouldn't have been driving, and sped more than a little in his rush to get to Eren. Pulling into the hospital, he'd knocked the hour long drive down to 40 minutes and didn't even both grabbing the keys out the ignition as he leapt from the cab of the ute. Storming into the hospital, the woman behind the reception desk flinched the moment she saw him, still he marched over  
"Where's Eren?"  
Everyone knew Eren by now, his mate had been here way too often  
"He's in his usual room"  
His usual room. What a fucking joke. If he'd been a better alpha, he wouldn't need to have a usual room. Jogging down the hallway, he couldn't reach Eren's room soon enough, but a sick feeling filled his stomach when he reached the door. What was he supposed to say? He hadn't been there again... No. He hadn't. But he could be there for Eren now.

Opening the door, he nearly gagged on the smell of sadness and pain rolling off his mate. Eren was sitting up and staring at the wall, he didn't even seem to realise he was there. Crossing to the bed, Levi sank down on the edge and pulled Eren into his arms  
"Le..."  
"Shhh, Hannes called me. You're alright, I'm here now"  
"Dad..."  
"He can't get you. He'll never touch you again, even if I have to break the rules, I will protect you"  
"I'm so scared"  
He could feel the tremors running through Eren's body and his mate was as cold as ice   
"The pups..."  
"They're fine. Hannes told me everything, you're just fine baby, and so are they"  
Brushing Eren's hair back from his face, he tried to smile, but he couldn't. He was so angry and now so scared. Eren's eyes were so pained, completely devoid of their usual brightness. It was enough to make him irate all over again  
"How are you feeling?"  
"It hurts..."  
"Ok, hang on"  
Kicking his shoes off, Levi climbed onto the bed properly and moved one hand to his mates stomach, rubbing wide and soft circles as he did. With Eren cradled in his free arm, his mate nuzzled at his neck   
"Shhhh, just breathe baby"  
"I don't want to die"  
Fuck...  
"You're not going to"  
"You can't stop him"  
"Baby, he's not going to get you"  
Eren fell silent apart from his sniffles, and Levi rocked him gently until he finally fell asleep against him. What a cluster fuck of fuckery. Someone at the prison was going to cop an earful from him once Eren was alright.

"Levi, how is he?"  
Hannes's voice was barely above a whisper as the man came up behind him and Levi couldn't stop himself from growling in warning   
"I just need to know how he's doing physically"  
"He's exhausted, in pain and asleep. He's fucking terrified he's going to die"  
"I've called the prison. Grisha is still in hospital. He had his nose broke and 4 ribs"  
"He fucking deserved it"  
"I'm not saying he didn't, but he's under guard and there is no way he can get to Eren"  
"Because we both know how rational Eren can be"  
Hannes walked around the side of the bed and fiddled with Eren's IV  
"This should help with any pain he's feeling, but he'll definitely be out of it for a while"  
"Where are the twins?"  
"At school, I'll pick them up and take them home"  
"No, bring them here. He'll need to see them to know Grisha hasn't hurt them"  
"Ok..."  
"Hannes, is it really alright to stop the labor?"  
"Its quiet a common thing, but we are monitoring him and when he's back at home, he's on bed rest. I know it didn't work well the last time, but this is for both him and the pups, and no sex. His body can't handle it right now"  
How was he going to tell Eren no without sounding like he was rejecting him  
"I'll talk to him when he wakes up, and he's not going to like being on sedatives too much, but even a few more weeks can save the pups from needing serious medical attention after their birth"  
"So if he rests, he'll be ok"  
"That's the plan... I'm sorry for calling you at work. He didn't want to come in and wanted you"  
"Rico can stick her fucking job. I'm sick of her shit. Bitch tried to get me to finish my shift"  
Eren let out a shaky whine and Levi fell silent, his mate however didn't open his eyes  
"I'll be back when I pick the twins up"  
"Thanks"  
His tone didn't sound very thankful, but he was just too on edge.

 

*  
Hannes looked worried as he lead the twins in and the boys didn't look too happy. Eren was still asleep in his hold, and even though his arm had long since gone numb, he didn't dare move. Leading Ren and Eli over to the bed, Hannes lifted them both up  
"Levi, we should talk"  
"I can't move"  
"Eren's out of it, he won't feel it if you want to lay him down properly"  
Tell that to his alpha  
"Levi"  
"Can't you just say it?"  
"It's better we talk outside"  
What the fuck... he definitely wasn't going to like this...

Standing outside in the hall, Levi couldn't help but lash out and kick the shitty wall as hard as he could. He didn't think he could get any angrier  
"Levi!"  
Snarling he bared his teeth at Hannes  
"You said he was being fucking guarded!"  
"He was, they don't know how he got his hands on a phone"  
"Because they're all fucking incompetent! What do I tell Eren when the boys tell him they got a call from "Grandpa Grisha?" and how the hell could the school let the call through!"  
"The boys and Eren both call Mr Arlert "Grandpa""  
"Isn't there a thing against personal calls at school or do they let all the strangers call up and talk to kids?"  
"He said it was an emergency..."  
"And that makes it alright"  
Kicking the wall again, this time something crunched and he snarled at the pain   
"No. It fucking doesn't. But we can use this. He has a restraining order, he's not allowed to contact Eren or the boys"  
"Look. I'm sorry, but I don't want to fucking hear it. I am so fucking beyond pissed off right now and if Eren was truly alright, I would have driven to Trost by now and ripped Grisha's throat out with my own teeth"  
Hannes pinched the bridge of his nose  
"I understand. I feel the same, but Eren wouldn't want you being a murderer for him"  
Unable to deal with this any longer, Levi left the man standing there as he stalked back into Eren's room. The boys were curled up against Eren's side, both looking miserable. He needed to swallow down his hatred and be there for them.

Retaking his spot, he pulled Eren back up against him  
"Mum's going to be alright"  
"But grandpa said he wasn't"  
"That man wasn't your grandpa. It was a very bad man who hurt mum"  
"But he knew about us"  
"Ren, I promise you, that man is not something worth mentioning..."  
"He said he'd see us soon"  
The police needed to hear this, though the testimony of a five year old probably didn't mean much   
"Hannes!"  
He knew the man would still be standing there, and wasn't surprised by the sound of the man's squeaky steps  
"What is it?"  
"Call the police. He said to the boys he'd see them soon"  
"I already have. They'll be here soon"  
"Good"

Unfortunately Eren has roused by the time the police finally got there and both boys were scared they were in trouble and were acting uncharacteristically shy  
"Hi Ren, Hi Eli. I hear you got a phone call today at school?"  
The boys looked to him, and Levi nodded  
"It's ok to tell the police"  
"He said he was our grandpa..."  
Eli elbowed Ren and Ren's eyes filled with tears  
"Dad said..."  
"But"  
"Eli, it's ok to tell him"  
Eren's voice held no trace of emotion and Levi hated hearing it  
"He said mum was really sick"  
Eren's weak hold on his hand tightened  
"Really? What else did he say?"  
"That he knew about us, and that we were going to see him really soon and that mummy did bad things and so did daddy"  
Eren let out a whine that broke his heart. Fucking Grisha Yeager. He couldn't curse the man enough. Both boys looked to him  
"Mum did nothing wrong"  
"But he was right. Mum's here again"  
Looking to the officer, the man nodded  
"Did he say anything else?"  
Ren scrunched his face up and shook his head  
"I can't remember"  
"What about you Eli?"  
"No..."  
"You two did very well telling us"  
"So we aren't in trouble"  
"Not at all. We'll look into this, but I don't imagine it's going to look too good for Grisha's case"  
Levi bit down on his tongue hard enough to taste blood. Now was not the time to bring up the incompetence of the police force when they had an officer who actually seemed to want to help  
"You take care of yourself Eren. I'll call you, Hannes, if anything happens"  
"Thanks, I appreciate you coming out and talking with the boys"  
"Well we all want him behind bars, should have locked the door and thrown away the key if you ask me anything about it. There was always something off about him"  
Hannes took the officer by the arm and lead him from the room, while Levi started stroking Eren's hair  
"Baby, it'll be ok"  
Eren shook his head   
"You heard what the boys said"  
His mate let out another whine  
"Baby, you need to stay calm. The pups had a big shock today, you all did, and it's important you stay calm"  
Ren and Eli both looked at him with wide fearful eyes   
"It's ok to give mum lots of hugs. He didn't do anything wrong, you should know your mum wouldn't"  
Ren was the first to cave, the boy wrapping his arms around Eren's chest while Eli took a moment before cuddling up to Eren's stomach, his head on Ren's leg as he did. Why was it every time things started looking up, Grisha would rear his ugly head and fucking ruin Eren like it was all a big joke?


	90. Chapter 90

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys! I Love you!!!! You all make me so happy...
> 
> Now I have a question.  
> You all know I have art commissioned for this, but do you all want the chapter before or after the art. The art won't be done until November 1...

So much for no sex, but in his defence, Eren was to blame. His mate had been clingy since finally being discharged from hospital, and Levi knew Eren desperately needed to be comforted, what he hadn't expect was to wake up from a nap with a very naked and very horny omega sliding into his lap. His mate had even stealthily stolen his underwear, but that might have been because he was dead asleep from drinking, in celebration of Grisha's return to jail, with Hannes the previous night and wouldn't have noticed it happening  
"Princess?"  
"Shhh"  
Ok... rising up to sink down on his aching erection, Eren let out a sinful mew as he took him completely in one fluid motion. His mate was always so hot and wet, rippling and clenching around him, sucking him in so deeply   
"Shit baby... we aren't supposed to be having sex"  
Looking down at him, Eren's lips were already parted and his pupils were completely lust blown, Levi could only swallow hard as his mate began rocking against him  
"Eren..."  
"I... I need this..."  
Eren's hands moved to caress his own stomach and Levi moaned at how good it felt to be back inside his mate. Eren had spent 3 days in hospital, simply clinging to him nonstop, this was his mates first afternoon back home and this definitely wasn't how he'd seen things going.

The sight above him was beautiful, Eren bouncing and fucking himself so hungrily on Levi's throbbing erection. The wetness of his mates erection trapped between Eren's ever increasingly swollen stomach and his own firm abs, the way Eren's foreskin rolled with each roll of his hips and the ever increasing stickiness of the omegas precum. How was he supposed to deny Eren, when Eren was everything he could ever want or need? Sliding his hands up Eren's stomach, his mate let out a lewd moan and Levi finally started thrusting up when Eren dropped down  
"Need more..."  
Letting his head loll back, Eren's hands moved to grab fistfuls of his own hair, while Levi's hands moved up to massage and work Eren's swollen and heavy breasts. With a possessive snarl, Levi's hand slid from Eren's wet leaking left breast and up to his mates mouth, the omega immediately moved to suck in his fingers and Levi let his last thread of restraint snap  
"Cum for me baby"  
Nodding his head, Eren didn't break his rhythm, and a warm wetness filled the space between them. It honestly felt like his mate had pissed himself, the puddle growing large enough to run down his hip and soak into his already sopping crotch. Not pausing to give Eren a break, Levi thrust up harder and harder as mate shivered and mewed. Letting out a growl, he drove his flaring knot as deeply as he could as his erection rushed to swell and lock them in place. Eren's long breaths whine told him that his mate was finally satisfied now he was filled with the warmth of Levi's cum  
"So good to me baby"  
Sliding his fingers free from Eren's mouth with a wet pop, his mate was still panting hard as he moved to slump against him.

Supporting Eren by his shoulders, Levi alternated hands as he tried to brush his fiancés long hair back from his beautiful face. His precious omega had a dopey sated smile on his lips and drool running down his chin, yet it was arousing than unpleasant. It'd been days since he'd last seen Eren's smile and wanted to engrave every tiny piece of it into his memory, but instead his mate struggled up and reached past him, pulling his phone off the bedside table  
"Eren?"  
Moving the device in front of him, his mate stared down at him, Levi was almost hesitant to ask  
"Are you filming?"  
Giving him a nod, Levi didn't know what to do or say, instead he reached up and took the phone from Eren's hold and moved to start recording the sight in front of him  
"My precious omega"  
Eren offered him a sweet smile, and recording him no longer seemed as important as it did a second ago. Letting the phone drop to the floor, he moved to take Eren's face in his hands again  
"I love you baby"  
Tears filled Eren's eyes as he nodded  
"Shhhh, I'm here. You're safe and I'm here"  
Given Eren's stomach, Levi couldn't pull him down and hold him against his chest like he wanted, he couldn't even pull him down and kiss him, but he did take Eren's hands in his, intertwining their fingers   
"You and me baby, always"  
"I..."  
"It's ok. You don't have to talk princess. I know you love me and I know you're still terrified, but he's back in jail and he's never ever going to hurt you"  
"H-he is?"  
Fuck. Eren must have forgotten again... Hannes's drugs were great at keeping Eren calm, but he was so forgetful and so tired, Levi had to wonder if it was worth is  
"Yeah baby. They locked him back up yesterday"  
Eren bit his lip, and Levi moved his hand up so he gently pull it free  
"Really?"  
"I swear to you"  
Eren covered his face with both his hands, his whole body shaking as he started to cry. Sex with an emotional omega who hadn't taken his pills yet really wasn't the best idea...

When Levi's knot lessen, he immediately moved to spoon up against Eren, nuzzling and kissing at his mates neck and shoulders  
"What's the time?"  
"It's time you relaxed. Hannes is going to pick the boys up"  
"Oh... ok... when do you go back to work again?"  
"Tomorrow baby, I'm working the whole week, but I'll be home the one after that"  
Eren nodded slightly   
"I feel stupid. I can't remember..."  
"You're not stupid. You know what Hannes and his drugs are like"  
"He likes them too much"  
"Probably. Try not worry about it"  
Eren sniffled and Levi pulled him impossibly closer  
"I'm still scared and I can't remember... what if something happens to the boys?"  
"Nothing's going to happen to the boys"  
"But..."  
"Nope, no buts. Expect for yours, because your butt is perfect"  
He failed to get even a snort from his mate  
"Just get some sleep"  
"Ok..."  
Holding his mate close, Levi sighed to himself. Maybe Hannes would have some idea what to do about this whole Eren not remembering anything issue. They could probably leave notes and messages, but that would be no good if his mate forgot to check them.

 

*  
"Levi, the kids are home"  
"Thanks Hannes, I'll be out in a minute"  
Slowly shifting away from Eren, his mate was too out of it to notice he was gone and Levi moved to climb from the bed, stepping straight on Eren's dropped phone. The crunch beneath his foot told him the device wasn't coming out of this unscathed and he cursed himself for not putting Eren's phone back on the bedside table.

Having wiped himself off, Levi dressed in loose sweats and one of Eren's shirt, before retrieving his mates phone and laptop. Hopefully he'd be able to recover everything off of it, or... he didn't even want to think about what it would do to Eren if he couldn't.

Heading into the living room, both boys beamed up at him from the sofa, Hannes already had the cartoons on and both boys had fruit boxes  
"Hey kids, have a good day?"  
"Yes! They said we get a whole two weeks off!"  
"You do? That's funny, I do too!"  
"Really?!"  
"I have to work during the first week, but I'll be home a lot more"  
Ren and Eli looked to each other before high fiving. Kids were weird creatures. Setting Eren's laptop down, Levi went about connecting his mates phone to the thing. It seemed like maybe only the screen was damaged as the top right and bottom left were black semi circles, but the rest lit up. Besides him, Hannes pulled a seat up  
"Didn't I tell you no sex?"  
"He crawled into my lap"  
"You couldn't have said no?"  
"You have met Eren right. Besides he needed comforting, he couldn't remember Grisha was back in prison"  
Hannes frowned as Levi nodded, logging in on the laptop  
"Yeah, he couldn't remember about me going back to work either"  
"Does this have something to do with why you're on his laptop?"  
"I stepped on his phone. I wanted to make sure I could salvage everything off of it"  
"So he needs a new phone"  
"Yeah, but he'd say all his photos and videos are more important"  
"That he would. I haven't asked you guys, but what do you want for a baby present?"  
"We don't need anything..."  
"I said want, not need"  
"Um, I don't know and even if I asked Eren, he wouldn't remember..."  
"That I can help with, I'll steal... relocate a whiteboard from the hospital. We can write everyone's schedules on it, that should help, but you need to tell me what I should give you. I can buy Eren a new phone..."  
Levi shook his head   
"I broke it, I'll pay for it"  
"What about the photos on it, I can pay to get those printed"  
Levi's head shot up  
"That might work. Eren's obsessed with photos, and we have heaps that haven't been printed"  
"I'll let you order them, I don't need to see more of each of you than I need"  
"You've seen us both naked before"  
"Doesn't mean I need to see it again"  
"How do you expect to deliver a baby or two if you won't look at Eren?"  
"With my eyes closed, Dah!"  
"Sometimes I feel like I'm the only normal one in this house"  
"Levi, no. Don't even think like that. You are just as weird as the rest of us. Let me know when you need my card, I have cartoons I need to catch up on"

After the first hundred or so photos Levi gave up  
"Hannes, I can't tell what's what anymore. All these photos are becoming a blur"  
"Print the lot"  
"There's like thousands"  
"And I like make thousands"  
Raising an eyebrow Levi shot Hannes a look  
"Over the year I do. Just print them all and we'll deal with the fall out when they get here"  
"Oh, I can pick them up and save on postage"  
"If you get them done in Trost, I can bring them back with me as a surprise for Eren"  
"If you want to..."  
"It's fine"  
Opening the store page for the most common department store in Trost, Levi clicked on the link to their photo centre   
"Any particular store I should have them printed at?"  
"Nope"  
Clicking the drop down menu, he found Trost in the list and then was able to select the store Eren used to frequent. When the uploaded appeared, Levi selected all the albums from Eren's phone and the system went into melt down. Not wanting to undo his hand work, his thoughts turned to dinner  
"What do you guys want for dinner?"  
"Mashed potato!"  
"Again? Aren't you guys sick of it by now?"  
"Nope!"  
"What about you Hannes?"  
"I'm easy"  
"We know, but what do you want to eat?"  
Hannes shot him a humoured look  
"Whatever the good chef feels like murdering in the kitchen"  
"That doesn't help me in the slightest"  
Giving up on Hannes, Levi rose and headed into the kitchen, before making a beeline to the freezer. After rummaging around he found a pack of steak and pulled it out. That would do and maybe a salad on the side  
"Steak, potato and salad"  
"Sounds good"  
"I know, I'm going to check on Eren while those photos upload, you three aren't going to get into trouble are you?"  
"Of course we are!"  
Hannes looked to Ren and Eli, but the boys just scowled at him  
"You're interrupting our 'toons"  
"Sorry!"  
Hannes whispered the word and both boys gave an exaggerated sigh.

Eren was whimpering in his sleep, and Levi could make out the word Grisha mixed in. Leaning into shake Eren awake, the omega bolted upright, well the best he could, before looking to Levi with wide green eyes   
"Nightmare"  
Eren nodded quickly, reaching for him  
"Dad killed me and you moved on"  
Fuck that  
"Baby, I could never move on. You're the only one for me"  
"It... it felt so real"  
Eren sniffled against him and Levi's heart was breaking for his mate   
"Babe, I think it's time for your meds now"  
Eren nodded against him. A compliant Eren was never a good sign, or at least not lately  
"Let's get you showered, and then you can settle down with the boys while I make dinner"  
"Ok..."

Standing in the shower with Eren, Levi made sure to clean his mates body thoroughly. Eren was practically falling asleep again in his hold, and Levi was grateful that horrible cast had been removed during Eren's hospital stay. When Eren started to sway slightly, Levi knew it was definitely time to get his omega out. Leading Eren over to sit on the toilet, the alpha went back into the shower and gave his own body a quick scrub before turning the taps off and letting out a sigh. They really should have bought a shower mat by now, especially given how slippery the bathroom tiles got, he'd have to remember to pick one up before work tomorrow and Eren was definitely banned from showering on his own until after the pups were born.

With Eren dressed in a loose dress, and Levi back in the same sweats and shirt, he helped his mate through to the living room. Hannes rose immediately so Eren could take his place on the sofa  
"I'll grab his medication"  
"Thanks, that was the plan"  
Giving him a nod, Hannes stood out the way until Eren was sitting on the sofa   
"Here we go princess, you just relax"  
Ren moved to lean against Eren's side and Levi had to bite down scolding the boy for doing so. It was shit that his alpha was on edge over their own kids hugging Eren. Then again, his secondary dynamic had never really been rational when it came to Eren.

By the time dinner was done, Eren was snoring on the sofa. Leaving him to sleep, Levi served up dinner for himself, Hannes and the boys  
"You did a good job"  
"You can thank Eren for that"  
"I would, but that would mean waking him up and he still looks exhausted"  
"He had a nightmare that Grisha killed him and I'd moved on"  
"Ouch"  
"Pretty much. Have you heard anything from you police friend?"  
"They're talking about adding time to his sentence, but it's tricky as they still don't know how he got his hands on a phone or what happened to the device"  
"So what? You think he had help?"  
"I don't know what to think. But if they do take it before a judge, you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be testifying on Eren's behalf"  
"Good. Locking him away isn't enough. Look at Eren, it's been months since the incident and he's been trying so hard, but he keep getting sent back to the start"  
"I know..."  
Eli tugged on his shirt and Levi leant towards the boy  
"What's up?"  
"Can we draw mum pictures? Will that make him feel better?"  
"I think that will certainly help. Do you want me to help?"  
Eli shook his head   
"You're too old"  
Thanks kid. Just... thanks. Hannes snorted and Levi shot him a glare  
"If I'm old, how old does that make Hannes?"  
"Ancient"  
Hannes choked on his potato and Levi smirked  
"Who's cooler? Me or dad?"  
Eli looked to Ren and Ren looked to Levi   
"Dad"  
"In your face old man!"  
"I'll remember this!"  
Eli and Ren didn't seem to care about the whisper argument they were having   
"I can't believe the boys think you're cooler, I watch cartoons with them! I but them lollies!"  
"But I'm the dad, the cool dad"  
"It's gone to your head hasn't it?"  
"Just a little"

Hannes gathered the dishes, while Levi cut Eren's dinner into bite sized pieces   
"Right boys, go get your drawing things. You can do that while I take care of mum"  
"Ok"  
Moving to sit on the sofa, Levi pulled Eren against him  
"Princess, food time"  
Eren let out a sleepy groan, before trying to nuzzle into him  
"You need to eat"  
"Nooo"  
"Yeeeees"  
Positioning Eren better between his legs, his mate totally tried to fall back to sleep  
"I'll make aeroplane noises if you don't start eating"  
"Maybe I want you too"  
"Really?"  
"Nooooo, let me sleep"  
By the time he finally got Eren eating, the boys were well into their drawing. Eli seemed to be drawing a wolf while Ren was drawing something that only he knew what it was  
"Open wide for the Choo-choo"  
"Levi, I'm not a baby!"  
Struggling out of his hold, Eren pushed himself off the sofa and stormed off towards the bedroom   
"Dad?"  
"It's ok, he's not mad at you guys"  
Taking the plate to the kitchen, Levi then headed into the bedroom.

Eren was laying on the edge of their bed, his face buried against his pillow. Squatting down next to the bed, Levi moved Eren's hair back behind his ear  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you"  
Eren shook his head  
"No... I didn't mean to snap"  
"Hey, it's ok. I know you're stressing out"  
"It's not ok to snap at you!"  
Letting out a frustrated groan, Eren nuzzled against the pillow   
"You're too cute"  
"I'm not cute"  
"Yeah you are. You going to come back out?"  
"No... I'm going to sleep"  
"Ok baby, the boys are drawing you some pictures, so don't be surprised when they give them to you"  
"Something new for the fridge"  
"That's the spirit"  
Pressing a kiss to Eren's temple, Levi moved to pull the blankets up over Eren's shoulder.

 

*  
After being stuck at work all day, it was 3 am and Levi was just getting home. Izzy was supposed to be working, but she was throwing her guts up at home, so Levi had taken had stayed to cover for her and he was fucking exhausted. Unlocking the front door, he let out a happy groan. Yawning as he walked into the kitchen, he was greeted with the sound of smashing china   
"Eren?"  
His mates face was filled with guilt and fear, the omega backing away from him  
"Eren, it's ok baby"  
"S-sorry..."  
Wrapping his arms around his stomach, Eren backed up until he his back hit kitchen counter and he let out a low whine, calling for him to help. Stepping past the broken bowl, Levi held his hands up  
"It's ok omega, your alpha's here"  
Eren's eyes flicked from the mess on the floor back to him  
"It's ok, we can clean it up, but let me help you first"  
He totally didn't have the energy to deal with this, but Eren couldn't exactly help it. Reaching out one hand, Eren flinched as his fingertips came to rest on his arm  
"See, it's just me. I'm not going to hurt you baby"  
Taking a chance, he took a larger step forward and gathered Eren against him, his mate collapsing against him as he did  
"I've got you"  
"L-Levi?"  
"Who else?"  
"I... I thought you were dad..."  
Closing his eyes, Levi counted to 5 mentally before opening them again  
"I'm not, and I'm not going to hurt you. Let's get you out the kitchen"  
His mate was shaking like a leaf and Levi didn't want to risk Eren stepping on any shards across the floor. Awkwardly hefting Eren into his arms, he carried his mate over to the sofa and sank down with him in his lap   
"Deep breaths for me baby"  
Eren buried his face against Levi's neck, but the alpha could feel his mate making the effort to calm back down  
"Good, just like that"  
"S-sorry..."  
"It's ok, you're doing well"  
A few moments passed and Eren's breathing finally returned to normal  
"Better?"  
"Yeah... sorry"  
"It's ok"  
It wasn't really and he knew he was going to sound like an arsehole with his next question  
"Babe, did you take your pills last night?"  
Eren shook his head against him and Levi let out a sigh  
"Baby, you need to take them. Hannes says that stress could send you back into labor"  
"It's just... I can't think. I don't feel like myself and everything seems so foggy when I take them... even you smell different"  
"Then we'll talk to Hannes about it, but you need to tell me these things"  
"I didn't want to worry you"  
"I'm going to worry more about you if you try and do this on your own"  
"You've been working so much, and you've been so busy with the boys"  
"And you've been just as busy, I know you've been teaching the boys their letters and their names"  
"That's because they want me to"  
"That's because they love spending time with you. And you've been growing our pups"  
Eren let out a small yawn   
"And I know you're exhausted"  
"I wanted ice cream"  
"Do you still want ice cream?"  
"No, can we go to bed?"  
"I need to clean the floor up first, or we'll have two even fatter cats"  
Eren snorted and then sniffled against them  
"They get pampered too much"  
"I don't think that's possible. The boys really love them"  
"Yeah..."  
Eren let out a shaky breath as he nuzzled against him  
"Can you walk? I don't know if I trust myself to carry you"  
"I can walk... thank you for coming home"  
"Where else would I be? I'm just sorry I got home so late"  
"Better late than never"  
A warm wet tear rolled down his collar bone  
"Ok, bed time"  
Eren slid from his grasp, swaying alarmingly as he did. Levi rushed to grab him and pull him close. They could do this, just one step at the time.

Having cleaned the ice cream up, Levi organised Eren's tablets and poured his mate a glass of water. Surely Hannes had to have noticed by now that Eren wasn't going as ok as he'd been putting on. Carrying the water and pills into the bedroom, Eren was already asleep. He hated waking him up, but Eren had suffered enough and deserved a nightmare free sleep  
"Levi...."  
"Yeah?"  
"Will you shift for me?"  
"Sure baby"  
Eren wriggled backwards on their bed and Levi stripped down before shifting and climbing up on the bed. His fiancé immediately buried his face against his fur, his hands grabbing fistfuls   
"I'm so scared"  
Rubbing the top of Eren's head with his muzzle, he let out a small whine to tell Eren he didn't need to be anymore. Despite the fact the alpha was practically running on fumes, he didn't fall asleep until long after Eren had.


	91. Chapter 91

"Now are you sure you'll be alright?"  
"Yes Hannes"  
"And the boys?"  
"They're going to stay with Grandpa Arlert for the week"  
"And he'll be alright with them?"  
"I'm picking Armin up after work, he's staying for the whole week"  
"Ok, ok, I'm just making sure. You know I'm off on Wednesday"  
"Today is Sunday. You have a whole Monday and Tuesday to be nagging us, you don't need to right now"  
"I know, but I want to make sure you guys will be ok"  
"Hannes, we'll be fine. You are going to be literally a phone call away, and you changed Eren's meds. Things will be fine. Eren, please tell this idiot to calm down"  
Both Levi and Hannes looked to Eren and Eren nodded  
"It's true. We'll be just fine... and the boys will be alright"  
"See, so the only one who doesn't know what to do with himself is you. Just enjoy your time in Trost"  
"Because medical conferences are so much fun"  
"Didn't you say they were running an open bar"  
The man's face brightened a little  
"That's true... and those women from the pharmaceutical brands are always so hot"  
"There you go. You'll be just fine without us for a few days"  
His tone was as if he was talking to the kids   
"Yes dad..."  
"Good, now you're picking up dinner tonight right?"  
"Pizzas already ordered"  
"Then off you go"  
Hannes rolled his eyes, but still grabbed his keys  
"Do you two want to come for a drive?"  
Both boys were curled up on the sofa with Eren, and Eli had to lean past the omegas stomach to shake his head  
"We want mum"  
"I feel so unloved right now"  
"We still love you, you're our favourite big kid"  
Levi bit his lip to prevent himself from laughing at Eren's comment. His mate had only been on the new pills for three days now, but his mood was significantly better  
"At least Eren loves me. Ok, I'm off, be back soon"  
Looking to Eren, Levi smiled slightly. He needed to tell his mate about the phone call he'd made yesterday morning, but his mood was too good to ruin.

Unable to take not knowing anything about what was going on with Grisha, he might have, kind of, called the prison pretending to be Eren. They wouldn't tell him anything if he wasn't on the preapproved list. Basically because they couldn't show a clear timeline of Grisha getting his hands on a phone, or prove definitively he'd been the one to talk to the boys, nothing was going to fucking change. Pretending to be alright was hard, but tomorrow was his last shift before he was officially on holidays. After calling the prison, he'd called the Arlert's and asked if the boys could stay there for the week. Naturally Mr Arlert said yes, though he had been scolded for not bringing everyone back around for dinner, and he'd promised that once Hannes was back from Trost they'd all come over and invade his house.

"Levi?"  
"Oh. I was off in my head"  
"That was obvious"  
"I was just making a mental list of what to pack for the boys"  
"Clothes. They've got books and toys... are you sure we should send them for the whole week?"  
His mate looked down to his boys  
"I know its selfish, but I want to spend some proper time with you before the pups come"  
"Yeah... me too... I'm just worried something's going to happen to them"  
"Eren, how much trouble can they get into with both Arlert's watching over them?"  
"I feel like you haven't met them at all"  
"I can live in hope"  
Eren nodded and looked back down to Ren   
"Hear that boys, you have to behave"  
"But that's soooooooo hard"  
"I know, but when you get home, we can totally go do something fun together"  
"Can we go skating?"  
"Since when are you into skating?"  
"It was the first thing I said"  
"How about you guys think about something you want to do? You can spend the whole week thinking about it"  
"Thinking hurts"  
Jeez, these kids were going to be the death of him, striding across the room, Levi lifted Eli up onto his hip and spun him around in fast circles until the boy was shrieking with laughter  
"Daaaaad! Stooooooop!"  
Stopping purely because he was dizzy, Levi span back the other way and place the boy down  
"What about you Ren? What do you want to do?"  
"Can we go to the park? We haven't been to a park in aaaaaages"  
"Sure. And you mummy?"  
"I want to sleep for a year without having to get up and pee"  
"I don't think that counts as fun"  
"It is when you're pregnant"  
Staggering over, Levi pressed a kiss to Eren's lip. He couldn't help but he happy about a whole week uninterrupted with Eren... and he might be slightly over compensating...  
"I love you princess"  
"Mhmm, me too"

Hannes arrived home with the pizza and the boys finally parted from Eren's side, letting Levi sweep in and wrap his arms around his mate, Eren turned his head so he could whisper in his ear  
"I feel like there's something you aren't telling me"  
Well fuck...  
"I'll tell you later"  
"You better, this no secrets thing works both ways"  
"I know, I just like seeing you smiling"  
Eren pulled back and pulled the biggest fake smile  
"You're such a dork"  
"And you're bonded to this dork, what does that make you"  
"A dork in love with a dork. Now come have dinner"  
"But I don't want to move. The pups won't stop moving"  
"Fiiiine, I'll get you dinner, but I want kisses"  
"Payment will be received upon delivery"  
Grumbling half heartedly, Levi climbed off the sofa and headed into the kitchen to grab a plate  
"I hope you three left us some"  
Hannes loosely wrapped his arms around the closest pizza box  
"Nope!"  
"Hannes! You have to shareeeeee"  
"That's right Eli, sharing is the right thing to do"  
Eli beamed and Hannes rolled his eyes  
"Dammit, so close"  
Loading up the plate with pizzary goodness, Levi moved to sit back besides Eren, noting the fact his mate was wincing  
"Are you ok?"  
"Yeah... just the usual, I promise it's not the real thing"  
"Ok... I wish there was something I could do to help"  
"You just being here helps"  
His alpha's ego soared and Eren blushed slightly   
"Levi... I know we haven't been having sex, but can we tonight? I miss feeling you"  
"Eren, I don't want to hurt you"  
"Please..."  
Eren was actually begging him... his penis twitched in obvious approval   
"We'll see how you're feeling"  
Eren leant in close, whisper in his ear  
"I want you to bend me over fuck me until I can't walk straight"  
Jesus, his fiancé was a goddamn tease  
"Fuck Eren... you don't make this easy"  
"It's not my fault I like it when you're hard"  
Biting on his earlobe, Levi let out a breathy moan  
"Boys!"  
Jumping at Hannes's voice, Eren pulled back, his face dusted with that beautiful blush   
"We'll continue this later"  
Eren choked as he rushed to stuff a slice of pizza in his mouth  
"Choking on meat other than mine... what is this?"  
Eren coughed harder, before shooting him daggers  
"Fuck you, I have to pee and you know it"  
"Consider it revenge for getting me all worked up"  
"If you weren't so sexy, I wouldn't have that problem"  
"I'm sorry, I was born like this, it's a bit late to change things now"  
"I wouldn't anyway"  
Again with the compliments. He couldn't take it.

After dinner Eren remained curled up on the sofa while Levi took the twins into their room to pack. Packing for two 5 year olds should be easy, right? Like fuck it was. The boys didn't want to pack clothes, just their pyjamas and when Levi started packing, Ren jumped on his back  
"Daaaaad! Why do we have to wear clothes?"  
"Because society is mean"  
"Huh?"  
"Because you can't run around in your pyjamas unless Grandpa says it's alright"  
"That's no fun"  
"I know"  
They didn't need to know that Levi was fully intending on spending the week naked and in bed with Eren...  
"Can we take the cats?"  
"Nope, they've got to stay here"  
"But they'll get lonely"  
"I tell you what, if they come and tell me they're lonely, I'll bring them over"  
"Silly! Cats don't talk!"  
"Exactly. Now hop down and pick what toys you want to take"  
It shouldn't have taken 2 hours to pack for the boys, but it did. By the end of the it, the twins had worn themselves out and both were snoring in Eli's bed. Kissing them both good night, Levi escaped their room and closed the door behind him. Thank god that was over.

Heading out into the living room, Hannes was now gone and Eren was watching TV  
"Hannes went to bed, so that means you're all mine now"  
"I think it does, how's the cramping?"  
"Better"  
"Really?"  
"I promise... so can we..."  
Eren rubbed his thighs together and Levi caught a glimpse of his mates tenting erection  
"Mmmm, I think we can. Where do you want me?"  
"Bathroom... I want to watch you"  
Holy fuck... the thing like that coming out Eren's sweet lips still blew him away. Taking Eren's hand, Levi pulled him up, his omega smelt so fucking good and he let out a growl of appreciation   
"Bathroom, now"

Tugging each other's clothes off as they went, they barely made it into the bathroom before Eren had him to against the bathroom door and moaning into his mouth as he tried to find some way to grind against him  
"Baby, sink..."  
Eren nodded, but instead of pulling back his omega moved to start licking and nipping along his jaw line, fumbling to guide Eren back, they almost fell against the vanity and Eren's leg wrapped around his   
"I need you"  
"I know, turn around for me"  
Eren whined as he turned, but with him now leaning against the counter, Levi licked his lips  
"Don't make me wait"  
Eren's hand had slid to begin working his leaking erection and Levi nodded, locking eyes with him in the mirror  
"I'm not going to last"  
"Don't try to, tonight's about you feeling good"  
Eren's head lolled forward and his mate let out a breathy groan as he came across the bathroom tiles   
"Fuck that was hot..."  
Eren whined again, still jerking himself, sliding his hands across the small of Eren's back, he rutted up against his mates twitching opening   
"Alpha..."  
Shoving in hard, Eren let out a sharp cry  
"Harder"  
He wasn't supposed to be doing this, but he definitely couldn't stop, especially seeing how much Eren had been cumming lately   
"Baby... I want to drink you down"  
"Shut up and fuck me first"  
Eren's tone shot to with first, indicating he'd found his mates sweet spot. Slamming into Eren brutally, he really couldn't last and driving his knot in hard against Eren, his mate screamed his name. Collapsing forward, Levi laid his head against Eren's back, pressing kisses as he panted and fought to catch his breath. Sliding his hands down to support Eren's stomach, Eren let out a shaky sigh  
"You ok?"  
"Need to sit"  
Well that wasn't romantic, and getting onto the floor was less than graceful. But Eren was still very much stuck to him and Levi was feel to let his hands roam now  
"You're so full of my pups"  
"Mhmm, I feel full"  
Snorting as he pressed a kiss to Eren's shoulder blade his omega wriggled with a his  
"Stay still baby"  
"I know... just tired now"  
"Bed time after this I think"  
"I don't want to go to bed"  
"Now you sound like the boys"  
"I want to take a bath, but I want more sex"  
Eren sounded sleepier with each syllable   
"You're going to bed"  
"But we haven't talked"  
"That's because someone was horny"  
"I can't help it, the pups are sitting lower and it kind of..."  
Eren his his face in his hands  
"It's ok, I think I get the picture. You just relax for now baby"  
"Levi, what did you want to tell me?"  
"It can wait until we get into bed"  
His mate let out a small huff, fine, but only because I feel really good still"  
"That was the plan"

Trying to get Eren up, cleaned up, dressed and into bed... the struggle was real. Laying him down in there bed, his mate didn't even seem to notice the silent tears rolling down his cheeks  
"Hey, what's with the tears?"  
"Did something happen?"  
"I called the prison, pretending to be you"  
"You didn't..."  
"Yeah, they wouldn't tell me anything as I'm not blood family, so I said I was you"  
Eren let out a sigh, the sigh might have sounded ok with it, but given how much his made had tensed up... yeah, he definitely wasn't  
"He's not getting any time added"  
"What!"  
"They don't know how it happened and they don't..."  
"No... no... no..."  
Eren tried to climb from their bed, and Levi felt guilty about the amount of force he had to use to keep his mate still until he could climb in next to him and pull him close  
"He's locked away. He's not going to get you"  
"He is! He will! He told the boys he'd see them soon!"  
"Eren, you need to calm down for me"  
"But..."  
"But nothing. The boys are going to the Arlert's tomorrow, and after work I'll be with you nonstop. No one will touch you"  
Eren's nails dug into his skin as he gripped Levi's arms for dear life. Levi groaned internally. He'd finally thought they'd found pills that worked, apparently not  
"Eren, I took you off his contact list. If anything happens, they'll call Hannes now. You don't have to think about him or know anything about him"  
"He's going to be out in less than 2 years... he doesn't want us here"  
"A lot can happen in two years"  
Like hopefully Grisha will die, Eren let out a sad sob   
"Can we go to sleep... I want to go to sleep"  
"Sure baby, whatever you need"  
Eren shook his head and sniffled. Moving his hands from Eren's stomach, he began to massage his mates shoulders  
"Just keep breathing"  
Mood killed. No more sex tonight. Priority one was now getting Eren to calm down enough to sleep.

 

*  
Armin had been annoyingly cheerful the whole drive back to Trost, and all Levi could think about was Eren. His mate had still been sleeping when he'd left, and Hannes was going to drop the boys off once Eren had had the chance to say goodbye. He had no idea what he was going home to, but it had to be better than last night. He was such a fucking moron, but Eren needed to know and if he was lucky, he'd forget all about it. Pulling into the Arlert's driveway, he found himself receiving a hug from the perky blonde  
"Have fun!"  
"You do realise the kids are going to be gone for a week, of course we're going to have fun"  
"Ewww"  
"You started it"  
Armin rushed to climb out the car, before pausing   
"Hey Levi, can I borrow the car?"  
"When and why?"  
"I haven't had the chance to take Grandpa for a proper drive since I got my license, and the boys will probably get bored"  
"I'll ask Hannes, but he's gone from Wednesday to Sunday"  
"Thank you!!"  
Armin slammed the door shut and Levi shot a scowl at him. He was so lucky Eren was more forgiving than he was.

Arriving home, he found Eren and Hannes watching TV, his omega was laying with his head on Hannes's thigh, the man gently stroking Eren's hair  
"Is he awake?"  
"No, he fell asleep a few hours ago, but I didn't want to wake him"  
"How was he today?"  
"Quiet, but the kids pulled him out his flunk... You have shitty timing when it comes to talking about important things"  
"I know, but he wanted to know"  
"I'm banning you from talking about him while I'm away, the last thing I need is a phone call that Eren's gone into labor again"  
"Don't even joke about that. Those pups are staying in there for the next month"  
"Then make sure he takes his meds and rests"  
Moving to sit on the arm of the sofa, Levi reached down to stroke Eren's hair like Hannes was  
"Is there really nothing we can do to protect him?"  
"We have to trust in the system, but Eren's greatest enemy has always been himself"  
"You've got that right, I'll take him to bed"  
"Do you want me to carry him?"  
"Is that your way of telling me you drugged him again?"  
"Not this time"  
"I'll wake him"  
Shaking Eren's shoulder softly, his mate let out a sleepy puff  
"Princess, its bed time"  
Eren half heartedly reached for him, and Levi moved to wrap his arm around him for support  
"Thanks Hannes"  
"Missed you..."  
Eren's voice was barely a mumbled whisper, but Levi nodded  
"I missed you too. It's sleep time now"  
"Ok"

 

*  
Monday and Tuesday passed and Eren seemed to have hit the stage where everything was just too much to deal with and was pretending none of it was happening. Instead his mate set about cleaning out the boys room, which largely meant Eren sitting on Eli's bed, while Levi checked all the clothing sizes and shoe sizes in the boy's wardrobe. Most of it had to go, which meant he'd have to do a big shop for them. They twins had even outgrown their world onesies, but Levi couldn't part with them. They boys had been so adorable in them, so it was decided they'd be saved. The rest was boxed up and put into Hannes's room in case they had more boys. Secretly Levi really wanted a girl, Eren would be so cute dressing her up, but the idea was terrifying. Boys he kind of knew how to deal with... boys he didn't need to worry about sitting on the on the front step of the house with a shot gun... unless they were an omega...  
"Levi, you've gone all white"  
"Thanks, but I was already white"  
"Holy shit! No way"  
"I know right... what else do you want to sort through?"  
"Main thing was the boys clothes. By the seems of it they need everything"  
"Yeah, do you think we can find more wolf onesies?"  
"If we look online... then maybe?"  
"Cool, I want to get them a new set, they looked adorable in them"  
"They did... I can't believe how big they are now"  
"I know, I feel like they've triple in size"  
Eren nodded, raising a shirt to his face and sniffing  
"You miss them don't you?"  
His mate nodded silently  
"We can go get them..."  
"No... they need to have some fun without me crying. It's not fair on them and I'm just too tired to give them all the attention they need right now"  
"Do you want to take a nap now?"  
Eren shook his head  
"No... I want to take a bath, my stomach feels gross"  
"Gross?"  
"Kind of queasy..."  
"Do you want me to call Hannes?"  
"Levi, I said queasy, not that I'm going to pop"  
"I don't know how all this works"  
"We have 4 weeks. You don't have to worry just yet"  
Because Eren hadn't gone into labor not that long ago? He couldn't help but worry, he didn't feel what Eren felt, he didn't know what he was supposed to keep a look out for  
"Hey, come help me up?"  
Eren obviously knew he was headed for a head first dive into panic  
"Sorry..."  
"It's fine, but I really want that bath"  
Snorting at his mate, Levi pulled Eren from the bed, his hand moving to rub Eren's stomach before he could stop himself and Eren moved to take his hand  
"We've got this"


	92. Chapter 92

Wincing at the pain in his back and stomach, Eren downed two of the strong painkillers Hannes had left him. He felt completely shitty, but that might have been because he and Levi completely over did it fucking until sunrise... or until like 20 minutes ago. It was like he couldn't get enough of his alpha and Levi seemed to feel the same way. Leaning against the kitchen counter, he hissed and rubbed his stomach   
"I know, I'm sorry"  
"Sorry about what?"  
Looking up to Levi, he frowned at the look of concern on his mates face  
"Just apologising to the pups... I think we over did it"  
"Oh... is there anything I can do?"  
"No, it's ok. I think I might just take a hot shower, I've just taken some pain meds"  
"Alright, a shower sounds really good... I'll change the sheets and then join you"  
Eren offered Levi a small smile  
"Thanks, a shower and nap and then cuddles sounds like just what I need"  
Pushing himself up, Eren winced again as he moved to Levi, wrapping an arm around him as he did  
"I love you"  
"I love you too princess, are you sure you're alright?"  
"Yeah... I'll be fine"  
He didn't want to mention he'd already raided the night stand for pain meds earlier. It was fucking annoying. 

Having used the toilet, he moved into the shower, the hot water felt amazing against his aching body and he moaned in pleasure   
"I thought you were sore?"  
"It feels really good... I thought you were changing the sheets?"  
"Already done"  
Oh... he must have been longer on the toilet than he'd realised. Padding across the bathroom, Levi slipped into the shower and wrapped his arms around him, before pressing open mouthed kisses to shoulder  
"I thought you would have had enough of me last night"  
"Baby, I can never have enough of you"  
Rocking his hips against him, Eren whimpered  
"Levi... it's not that I don't want to, but my back really hurts"  
"Are you sure you don't need me to call Hannes or take you get checked out"  
"Hannes is at the conference remember and Armin has the car until tomorrow. I'm ok"  
He kind of wasn't, but it would pass, it was just Braxton-Hicks... really fucking painful Braxton-Hicks, if it was November, he'd say he was in labor, but it was too soon for that  
"At least let me give you a massage?"  
"Mmm, it's been a while since I saw Levi the masseur"  
"His fingers are just as talented as the used to be"  
Squeezing out a fair amount of body wash, Levi's fingers felt heavenly as his alpha massaged him down, first his back and then his front. The slightest pressure on his breasts left him moaning and panting, and Levi was only too happy to sink down and suck him off. That same feeling of having to pee hit him, and expecting Levi to pull back, he let it throw through him, the pleasure still felt just as insane as he filled his alpha's mouth. Coughing, Levi pulled back, only to have his cum splatter across the alpha's chin and neck  
"Fuck baby... I didn't know you could squirt like that"  
Eren blushed beet red   
"Only girls squirt"  
"Boys can squirt too... I looked it up because your cum looked weird"  
Squeaking in shame, he covered his face with his hands  
"No, no, no, its hot. You don't need to be embarrassed"  
"R-really?"  
"I promise..."  
Sliding up, Levi rinsed his mouth before kissing his cheek   
"I think it's time we get out the shower or I'm not going to be able to stop myself"  
That sounded so good... if he wasn't in pain he'd definitely let his fiancé have his wicked way with him. Feeling slick sliding down his arse, he groaned   
"Baby?"  
"I slicked..."  
Levi smirked  
"Just wait until you're feeling better, that sweet arse of yours is mine"  
"Mmm..."  
Leaning over to kiss Levi, he didn't want the kiss to end.

 

*  
Eren passed out pretty much the moment his head hit the pillow, his mate was so adorable and Levi spooned up behind him. Eren said he was alright, but Levi wasn't really sure. If his mate was still in pain that night, he was definitely calling Hannes. The man would probably laugh that they'd only made it two days before calling him for his medical opinion, but Levi hadn't been able to stop from screwing Eren every way he could get him last night. He'd missed being just Eren and Levi way too much.

Waking from their nap, the first thing Levi noticed was how wet his crotch was and that Eren was whimpering in his sleep. His omegas sweet scent was filled with pain and Levi started to panic. Shaking Eren's shoulder firmer than he meant to, his mate woke with a long groan  
"Eren?"  
His heart was racing  
"Eren baby... I think your water broke"  
Nodding his head, Eren let out a long hiss  
"We need to call Hannes!"  
"No... its too late..."  
"What do you mean it's too late?"  
"I mean your kids want to born right now"  
Levi's felt the colour drain from his face and he scrambled to grab his phone  
"No... Hannes isn't here... he has to be here"  
"Tell that to your kids"  
Eren's words fell between pants and hisses, the omegas ears even showing   
"I'm calling Hannes"  
"On my knees... I need to get on my knees"  
What... no... they couldn't do this. They needed professionals and help and blankets and drugs and he couldn't do this...  
"Levi!"  
Jumping at the harshness of Eren's tone, he moved to held Eren onto his hands and knees, his mates fingers gripping the bedhead for dear life as more moans and whimpers poured from Eren's mouth. Grabbing his phone, he tried to ignore the fact of just what was happening  
"Pick up... pick up... pick up... Eren, he's not answering"  
What was he supposed to do? Hannes was the one who knew what to do. His brain wouldn't work at all   
"Levi..."  
"I'm here"  
"God... fuck... I forgot how much this hurts"  
He couldn't do this... thankfully his phone began to ring  
"It's Hannes"  
Answering the phone, the man's happy voice bubbled through  
"Levi! Miss me already"  
"H-Hannes... you need to get home now... Eren's waters broken"  
"Shit. How long ago?"  
"It couldn't have been to long... we were taking a nap... what do I do?"  
"If it wasn't that long ago, we have time. I'm on my way, I'll be there as soon as I can"  
Hannes actually ended the fucking call  
"Hannes is on his way"  
"C-can't wait that long... gah! I need to push"  
What... noooo  
Spreading his legs further apart, Eren dipped his back and Levi stared straight at his mates pulsing opening  
"Eren..."  
"Levi, you have to help me.."  
"But Hannes is on his way... I don't know what to do. Let me go get help"  
"If you take one step out this bedroom, I will..."  
Eren let out another pain moan, he couldn't leave him like this. Watching more fluid spill from his mates arse, it seemed like Eren's opening bulged slightly outwards. This was all moving too fast. Letting out a grunt, the omega seemed to be cumming and Levi didn't understand how that was possible   
"I need to push..."  
"O-ok..."  
Watching their child's head appear was... he hand no words... thick black fur was matted to their pups ears and he'd honestly not expected that   
"I. I can see the head"  
With a shaking hand he reached out as Eren screamed and pushed. Watching his mate struggled, he crooned in response, but it looked so painful  
"Eren, big push..."  
"What do you think I'm doing"  
Biting his lip, he watched Eren take a few big breaths, before pushing down hard. The puddle of bodily fluids beneath his mate had soaked the towel some what disturbingly, but his attention was soon back on the baby  
"That's good..."  
Placing his hand somewhat awkwardly beneath their child's head, it finally came free  
"Shoulders next"  
If he thought Eren's screams before were bad, it was nothing compared to the one his mate gave and he could feel the effort Eren was going through to birth their pup  
"Come on, one more push for me"  
Tears were rolling down the alpha's face as Eren struggled to push. He had no idea how long it had been, but finally their pup slid free and into his hold  
"Cord... you need to tie the cord"  
Eren's head lolled forward, his mates long hair plastered to the back of his neck, and Levi initially didn't understand why his mate was making a low grunting noise. The baby boy in his arms let out a small cry and Eren's whole body shook as he started to sob  
"It's a boy... a beautiful tiny boy"  
Clawing at the sheet, he managed to catch a tiny rip and tear a length free. He had no idea where to tie, so resorted to using what he'd seen on movies, before bringing his son to his chest. The babies tiny fingers seemed so impossibly small  
"Hey you... I'm your daddy..."  
He couldn't stop crying, but Eren gave another pained whimper and Levi was forced to lay the tiny boy down so he could turn his attention back to his mate. It was kind of shocking to see the damage birth had done, but Eren was still on his hands and keeps. Feeling ever so slightly more confident, he ran his hand against Eren's leg  
"I'm here"  
Eren didn't reply, instead his mate kept crying, but soon those morphed back into grunts and moans. His mate once again screaming as their second pup stretched him impossibly further open  
"Big pushes for me now"  
He swore he could hear Eren mentally cursing him, and wiped his tears away with his free arm. This totally wasn't how it was supposed to happen. Watching their second pup slide free, his hair, ears and tail were brown like Eli's. Two boys, God. How lucky could he be? Tearing off another strip of fabric, he tied the cord like he'd done the first time and Eren slumped sideways, while the afterbirth was expelled from his body. Much like his brother, the pup in his hold let out a small cry   
"It's a boy baby"  
"I... I want to see"  
Eren sounded so exhausted, and Levi shook as he moved to lay the boys side by side, before nuzzling at his mates sweaty temple  
"You did so well baby. So well. I'm so proud of you"  
"They... look just like the twins..."  
Not caring about whatever was on his hands, Levi wiped at his face, he really couldn't stop crying, before pressing kisses to Eren's forehead   
"So proud, they're so perfect..."  
"We need to keep them warm"  
Eren's words were mumbled, his eyes unfocused from his exhaustion. Sliding from the bed, Levi rushed to grab two thick towels and then back to Eren's side, his mate was still smiling that dopey smile, eyes not moving from the boys at all.

Having wrapped the boys in the towels, he'd had to backtrack and get one for Eren. His mate wanted to sit up and see the boys, so Levi was following his instructions. But the alpha was also beginning to panic all over again. Eren seemed very groggy, and the omegas colour wasn't great. Covering his mates lap with a blanket, he shook as he placed the twins into Eren's hold  
"We need names for them"  
Eren nodded  
"Yeah we do..."  
"Eren! Levi!"  
Jerking his head towards the door, a panting Hannes soon filled it  
"You're late"  
The man nodded, gasping for breath  
"I can see... Levi, did you?"  
"Yeah... I didn't know what I was doing..."  
"He did great..."  
"Hannes, can you look at Eren..."  
Biting his lip, he couldn't admit how scared he was out loud  
"Levi, can you get the medical bag from my room"  
Eren gave a tiny nod and Levi slipped off the bed, heading to grab the black back and some more towels. He didn't really know what to do with himself now and felt so happy and so excited that he was just confused. He wouldn't be able to settle until the boys and Eren got a clean bill of health... or even a "they're ok".

Hannes worked on his mate efficiently, taking care of the twins first, cutting the cord and showing him how to clean their faces from the crap on them. Both boys seemed to weigh nothing in his hands as he sat beside Eren with them in his hold now. His mates hand rested on his knee, and Hannes had given him something to dull the pain, before beginning to clean Eren's torn backend   
"I leave for two days and you do this"  
"It wasn't intentional. I'd barely woken him before Eren needed to push"  
"Really?"  
"Yeah... he said he was in pain, but that he was ok. I was going to call you tonight if he wasn't any better"  
"Sorry... your sons were in a hurry to be born"  
Eren's voice was gravely, his throat obviously sore   
"Just rest baby, you've done all the hard work, you deserve to rest"  
"Wanna feed them"  
"And you can once Hannes has taken care of you"  
Eren nodded and closed his eyes, but his weak grip on Levi's knee tightened ever so slightly   
"He's done some damaged, but its as expected. His body's made for birth, but there's only so far the human body can stretch"  
"Hannes... it was terrifying. He's going to be ok right?"  
"Yeah. He'll be bleeding for the next few days, like of like a heavy period, but that's normal too"  
"Ok... and the boys are ok?"  
"Yeah, good healthy breathing, good colour, you did good"  
"Eren did all the work..."  
Smiling down at his mate, he was so incredibly proud  
"Have you two thought of names yet?"  
"No. Eren probably has..."  
"I still can't believe I missed it all"  
"I know, some doctor you are"  
He tried to scowl, but he couldn't. Hannes pulled back  
"He can sit up now and try feeding if he's up to it"  
"Help..."  
Eren's voice was so soft, Hannes didn't hear  
"He needs help"  
Levi couldn't move, he didn't trust placing the boys down, but Hannes helped Eren to sit back up and position himself  
"Drugs are magical"  
Hannes helped him pass their first tiny boy over  
"He was born first"  
"So he's the big brother"  
"Not by very long though"  
Eren nodded, and Hannes helped guide the tiny pups lips to his nipple. It took the boy a few attempts, but soon he was hungrily suckling and Eren just looked blissed out in relief   
"I need to organise a few things, call me if you need me"  
No. He was terrified to be left alone. What if something went wrong...  
"Levi, I need to clean up and then I'll be back. You'll be alright"  
Nodding hesitantly, Hannes still left him alone. Looking down to their first son, the boys pinks lips were moving so adorably that his eyes filled with tears again  
"He's so perfect"  
"Yeah... just like his daddy"  
Eren looked at him, the omegas own eyes wet with tears and Levi leant into gently kiss Eren's lips, before nuzzling his face  
"I was so scared..."  
"I was too... but you did this, you delivered our pups"  
Levi shook his head lightly   
"You did all the work... you're so incredible"  
Eren looked back down to the boy, his lips had finally stopped moving   
"Can you help me burp him?"  
"I... I don't know what I'm doing"  
Forced to place their second boy onto the bed, Levi followed Eren's instructions on how to burp their first. The tiny boy spat up on his shoulder, but apparently that was what was supposed to happen. Laying him down as if he was made of glass, he once again shook as he passed the second boy to Eren, and then tried to mirror what Hannes did with Eren's nipple to get the boy to suckle. It took twice as long, but the boy finally started and Levi stroked his head carefully  
"We need names"  
"I know... I don't know what's good though"  
"But you must have a few in mind?"  
"Viren... which yours and mine mixed again..."  
"I can live with that, what about the other one?"  
"I did think Lee, but I'm not loving it"  
"That might be a bit confusing"  
"Or there's Rei... I kind of like Ren and Rei... but..."  
"Yeah...? So Viren with the black hair and Rei with the dark brown?"  
"Do you like them?"  
"They're very you"  
Eren nodded, his mate letting out a small yawn   
"Eren, we need photos! I can't believe I didn't think of it"  
"I can, you had other things on your mind"  
"Hannes!"  
Viren let out a grumpy cry and Levi immediately felt guilty. Hannes came running, obviously confused  
"What? What's wrong?"  
"Photos... we haven't taken any photos"  
"You scared me"  
"Sorry..."  
Hannes looked around the room  
"My phone should be on the bed..."  
The man moved to grab the device from the bed  
"I assume you want me to take them?"  
"We kind of have our hands full with Viren and Rei"  
"Oh, you decided on names then?"  
"Yeah..."  
Hannes tapped away on Levi's phone, the man than took what felt like a hundred photos  
"I want to take you in and get them weighed"  
"Not right now... please?"  
Hannes nodded  
"I didn't mean right this very second, but soon"  
Levi looked to the man, his alpha warned him not to do it, but Levi still offered  
"Hannes, do you want to have a proper cuddle?"  
"Can I?"  
"Yeah, of course you can"  
Hannes placed the phone down, and then gently took Viren   
"So this ones...?"  
"Viren"  
Smiling down at the small boy, the man sat carefully on the bed  
"Eren, can I put it on Facebook?"  
His omega nodded with a sigh  
"Yeah... I don't think anyone will be by tonight at any rate, but if they were it's only be Grandpa and Armin... and I want the boys to meet their brothers"  
"Should I call them first?"  
"Probably a good idea"

Dialling Armin's number, it took a few rings for the teen to finally answer  
"Levi! What's up?"  
"Can I talk to Grandpa for a moment?"  
"Sure, let me get him"  
It took a moment  
"Levi?"  
"Are you near Shinganshima?"  
"We just got back from Trost... why?"  
"Oh, we just happened to become parents again and wanted to know if you guys wanted to come meet them?"  
"Eren went into labor?"  
"Yeah, two very healthy little boys"  
The old man sniffled  
"I'll get Armin to bring us straight over"  
"Maybe not straight, Eren needs to rest, but tonight? For dinner?"  
"That sounds lovely. And he's alright?"  
"He's exhausted, but he's been checked by Hannes"  
"That's good... we'll see you tonight"  
Hanging up the call, Levi looked to Eren   
"I need to do the nap"  
"I can tell"  
"While I'm sleeping, can you Facebook Grandpa a photo first? He's always supported us, I want him to be the first outside this immediate family to see"  
"What am I then?"  
Eren gave Hannes an annoyed look   
"Family. I'm too tired to repeat myself"  
"Levi, do you want Viren back? I can burp Rei that way"  
He did, but he had to this for Eren first  
"Give me a minute"

Having sent Grandpa Arlert a heap of random pictures, he explained that Viren had the dark hair and Rei had the brown hair. He waited until it read "seen", before uploading a photo of the four of them, a photo of Rei and one of Viren on Facebook, captioning it "They couldn't wait. Born today, Viren and Rei Ackerman, both healthy boys". Happy enough with himself, he locked his phone and moved to take Rei. Burping him how Eren had told him too. He didn't want to part with the boys, but Eren could barely keep his eyes open. Hannes put both of them to sleep in their cribs, while Levi helped his wincing mate to lay against him, pressing kisses once again to Eren's forehead  
"I'm so incredibly proud of you baby"  
Eren hummed lightly, nuzzling his chest before settling in a comfortable position  
"You just get some rest"  
He had a feeling chaos was coming.


	93. Chapter 93

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo I got the amazing draft sketches from rforever on tumblr!! Omg! Sooooo good!
> 
> http://rforever.tumblr.com/  
> Please send her the love... her works amazing!!!
> 
> And you can send me the hates at   
> http://dammitadolfnomorecake.tumblr.com
> 
> Also, Happy Birthday to one of my amazing readers!! I hope you had an amazing day!!
> 
>  
> 
> XxX

At the light knock on the door, Levi was wide awake. Eren was still sleeping against him, and he couldn't allow his mate to be seen in such an vulnerable state  
"Grandpa Arlert called ahead, they'll be here soon"  
"Thanks Hannes"  
Reaching out to caress Eren's cheek, his mate gave a weak moan  
"Princess?"  
Tired green eye fluttered open  
"Le-vi?"  
"Grandpa's on his way. I thought you might like some clothes"  
Eren nodded, and Levi bit down hard on his lip as he guided his mate up to sit  
"Are you ok? Can I get you anything?"  
"It's ok, but can I have a water?"  
"Sure baby, is there anything in particular you want to wear?"  
"Something loose"  
"I'll get you a dress"  
Eren nodded and his hands moved to his stomach, causing Levi to pause  
"Does it feel weird?"  
"Empty... I guess I feel empty"  
"Oh baby, it's ok. The boys are ok"  
"I know..."  
His mate continued to stare down at his stomach, while Levi forced himself to start moving again. His skin felt gross, falling asleep with all sorts of fluids on himself hadn't been a great idea and the pups probably felt just as uneasy, even if Hannes had wiped them down. Grabbing Eren the same white dress he'd had on the other day, Levi was almost hesitant as he helped slid the dress over Eren's head. His mate looked barely conscious  
"We can reschedule"  
"No... I want the boys to meet their brothers"  
Levi gave Eren a small smile, before leaning in to kiss his mates bloodied lips. He hadn't noticed how painful they'd looked before  
"I need to change the blankets before they come in"  
"I don't want them in here..."  
Levi was confused, did Eren not want to see them after all?  
"Please... just not in here. I can still smell the blood in the air"  
"I need to talk to Hannes, I don't think you should be moving"  
"He stitched me up, and I walked after the last time..."  
"You're not walking"  
"Please Levi..."  
"I'll carry you, but if you're sitting in the living room, you need underwear on"  
"And a towel"  
It took him a moment to realise Eren was bleeding, and nodded quickly  
"Sure baby"

It was less than attractive and Levi knew Eren was thoroughly embarrassed, but the omega had a towel stuffed down his underwear and propped up in the corner of the sofa. A blanket covered his legs and he was sipping on a bottle of water after taking something or other Hannes had told him to. Waiting until Eren was done, he took the water bottle away  
"Who do you want to hold?"  
"Both of them"  
Levi nodded and looked to Hannes  
"I'll help you"  
With him carrying Rei, Hannes followed with Viren, the man passing the pup down into Eren's arms. The tiny baby yawned and wriggled as if trying to get closer to Eren. Eren was gone the moment Viren was put into his arms, and Levi sank down holding Rei. Moving to softly place his finger in his son's hand, the boy wrapped his tiny fingers around it and let out a yawn of his own  
"Hey there Rei, its you daddy. I guess you couldn't wait to meet me and your mummy. Your big brothers are going to be here soon..."  
Rei blinked at him, before scrunching up his pudgy face and his ears flicked. He'd delivered the tiny life is his hold  
"Neither of you woke up, but your phones been ringing Levi, I turned it off"  
"Oh... thanks, I guess we were both exhausted"  
"You both had a long day"  
"Yeah, oh... I just realised it's Erwin's birthday today too"  
"He's the one with the eyebrows right?"  
"Yeah... October 5th... I hope this doesn't mean the boys will have bushy brows"  
"Their eyebrows are perfect"  
They were... everything was perfect.

Ren and Eli were the first to run into the room, both boys rushing over to them, but their excitement dropped almost immediately  
"Hey babies, how was Grandpa's?"  
Neither boy replied  
"These are your two new brothers. This is Viren, and daddy is holding Rei"  
Eli burst into tears, followed by Ren, both boys running towards their room, only to be caught by Hannes  
"Oh dear, what's wrong?"  
Eli took gulping breaths, before wailing  
"Mum and dad don't need us now!"  
Eren let out a low whine, causing both the boys and Levi to look to him  
"I could never not need you"  
The omega had tears of his own in his eyes  
"But they look like us"  
"And you're still you... you guys are still my babies"  
"But you have them!"  
The boys tones were heartbreaking and Eren's sad scent had him feeling rotten  
"What's this? Tears already?"  
Grandpa Arlert finally entered the room, an excited Armin practically pushing him in  
"Grandpa!"  
Trying to escape Hannes's hold, the boys clearly wanted the old man, but Levi had other plans  
"Mr Arlert, would you mind taking Rei from me? I need to talk to the boys"  
"Noooo, you can't take him away from us too"  
"I'm not going anywhere"  
The old man reached down and lifted Rei from his hold and Eren looked to Eren, his mate giving him a slight nod. Rising from the sofa, Armin rushed to gush over the pups, while Levi moved to where the boys were and wrapped his arms around them  
"Ren and Eli, we could never, ever, ever, get rid of you or not need you. We love you, and nothing will ever change that"  
"But you have them now"  
"And so do you. You're big brothers now, and your jobs to teach them all the cool things you know"  
"Teach them?"  
"Yep! They're going to be chasing after you and you're going to be their most favourite people in the whole world"  
"Really?"  
"Yeah, of course. You guys are the coolest. Why don't you come meet your brothers and mum could use some kisses"  
Hannes lowered the boys down and the shyly walked over to Eren, firmly holding each other's hands as they did  
"Hey babies, can I have kisses?"  
Eli leant in first and pressed a kiss to Eren's cheek, followed by Ren  
"Mum, you look sick"  
"Nah baby, I'm all better now you guys are here. Do you want to meet your brother?"  
The boys nodded slowly, leaning in  
"Ren and Eli, this is your little brother Viren"  
"He looks like you and daddy"  
Ren nodded, clearly not sure what to make of things  
"And your little brother Rei looks like me and Eli"  
"Mum, can they turn into wolves?"  
"When they get older, you can teach them all about it"  
"S'pose"

Oh dear, this really wasn't going to get magically better any time soon.

"Hannes, what's safe for Eren to eat?"  
Hannes looked at him and then seemed to click  
"He looks too tired for real food, so something soft"  
"I'm ok"  
Grandpa Arlert gave Eren a scowl  
"You're exhausted"  
"I mean I really don't think I could eat right now..."  
"What about soup or something light?"  
Eren shook his head  
"I don't think you realise how gross I feel at the moment"  
Levi frowned over at his mate, Eren was being unusually honest about how he was feeling and it was slightly weird, but any response he might have given was cut short by tiny cries  
"He's probably hungry, Ren and Eli were hungry all the time..."  
Armin hovered in front of Eren and Eren let out an exhausted sigh  
"You can hold Viren while I feed Rei"  
"Yes!"  
The boys exclamation promptly earned himself a glare from his grandfather  
"Armin, you have to be gentle with babies"  
"I know, I remember from before"  
Levi was still on edge as Viren was placed into Armin's arms, he couldn't stop the growl bubbling up his throat  
"Ignore Levi, he's having issues with his alpha side and having people around Eren"  
How the fuck did Hannes know that? He'd done a pretty good job hiding it... or not  
"It's fine, Eren, do you need some help?"  
"Levi, can you come help with my dress?"  
His mates face was tinged red, and Levi rushed to his side  
"Are you sure your ok? You look a little feverish"  
"I pushed two humans out my arse a few hours ago, I am so beyond exhausted, but I'm so happy"  
Leaving in to press a kiss to Eren's forehead, he frowned over the fact his mate was definitely warm, but it wasn't uncommon for Eren to get warm or clammy when exhausted  
"I love you princess"  
Moving to free Eren's breasts from the confines of his dress, Levi helped position Rei and soon the boy was sucking greedily  
"Just like his big brothers"  
"So which one was born first?"  
"Viren"  
"So you watched?"  
Eren snorted at Armin's question  
"No, Levi delivered them. Hannes was in Trost and they weren't waiting for anyone"  
The teen went white  
"You... you delivered them"  
"Yeah... no idea what I was doing, but here they both are"  
"Omegas have pretty good natural instincts for birth and aftercare, Eren would have been able to guide you through"  
"Eren was on his hands and knees screaming. This is all Levi"  
Hannes let out a laugh at Eren's description of how it went down  
"I still can't believe you didn't know you were in labor"  
Eren squirmed uncomfortably  
"I felt like I was from yesterday, but I told myself it was too soon"  
"Princess! Why didn't you tell me?!"  
Eren had let him fuck his senseless... what the fuck? His head was spinning and both boys grabbed his arms  
"Daddy?"  
"Daddy needs to sit"  
The boys pulled him down onto the floor, before both of them climbed into his lap and Levi buried his face against them  
"I take it this means Levi's not cooking dinner"  
He was just too shocked  
"You boys have been through enough, you don't have to cook for us"  
"No, we asked you over..."  
"Eren, what he means is he's just remembered he made two casseroles and their sitting in the car"  
"You didn't have to do that, we asked you remember"  
Eren's sentence ended with a small yawn  
"You're exhausted, you can cook for us once things settle down"  
"It's going to be total chaos. Levi and the boys go back to school on Monday"  
"No, I'll take the week off"  
"You've got work too..."  
"If Rico won't give me time off for this, I'll quit"  
"Babe, you're being unreasonable. Hannes can help me, though all I'll be doing is bathing and feeding myself and the boys"  
But he wanted to be there... he missed it all the first time around... did Eren not want him there?  
"And when I can't do things myself, you can step in. Like tonight, the boys will need a bath and Hannes can show you how to do it. I can't get down low enough to do it"  
He perked up ever so slightly, but it kind of felt like Eren was taking pity on him  
"I don't know much about baby bathing"  
"I do... you two can learn together"  
Levi nodded and finally wrapped his arms around the twins. It was going to be weird now they had two sets of twins, but to him the newborns were their pups...  
"Daddy, can we have a hold?"  
Levi looked to Eren, but Eren gave a tiny shake of his head  
"How about I hold him and you guys can take a really good look?"  
"Ok..."  
Armin was surprisingly good at passing Viren down to him and the two boys immediately moved closer to peer down at the squirming baby  
"He's so chubby... I thought babies were supposed to be cute"  
"He is cute, you guys were just as chubby when you were born"  
Both boys looked somewhat mortified and unbelieving  
"He's got a funny nose, it's so small"  
"Listen to them... wait until they have kids of their own"  
"Can we not go giving us grandkids yet. At least not until the boys are over 18"  
"No, they aren't dating until they're at least 25"  
"Girls are gross"  
Eli nodded at Ren's works, the boy then cautiously reaching a finger towards Viren's hand. The baby boys fingers wrapped around it and Eli let out a gasp  
"Daddy! Does this mean he likes me?"  
"I think it just might. I told you these two were going to love you and think you're the coolest ever"  
"I suppose he's not that weird looking"  
Biting his lip, Levi nodded, score one for Viren.

Eren was too exhausted to eat much, but he did manage a few spoonfuls before shaking his head. The richness of the beef stew casserole thing probably wasn't going to agree with his stomach, so Levi took the plate away and left Eren curled up on the sofa. By the time they finished eating, Eren was fast asleep with Rei cradled against him. Crossing over to his mate, he found Eren's grip was like iron and snorted to himself as he lifted Rei free. Even asleep Eren was putting his kids first. Returning to the table, he found he couldn't take his eyes off Rei and the conversation passed around him until finally he brought back to reality by Ren and Eli grabbing his legs  
"Daddy, Grandpa says we're going with him tonight"  
Oh... he hadn't thought about that, he didn't want to send the boys away, but Eren was just so... well, fucked  
"Just for tonight, mummy needs lots of rest, and tomorrow everything will all be sorted"  
"But..."  
"Hey, no tears. It's only so we can get things organised, and then you'll be back with us. Pinky promise"  
Awkwardly holding his little finger out, his sons finally shook after a few stupidly long seconds  
"Now give me a kiss, and then go give mum kisses"  
The two boys gave him small kisses, before running over and giving kisses to Eren, the omega didn't even rouse  
"Leave the dishes and I'll take care of them later"  
"Are you sure? Armin could do them"  
"It's fine. Gives me something normal to do"  
Grandpa Arlert laughed lightly  
"Alright, we'll come back tomorrow. I'm assuming afternoon would better?"  
"Yeah, it'll give Eren some time to get some rest"  
The old man gave him a quick hug, and Armin followed suit  
"This is so cool!"  
"Armin, baby"  
"Oh, right. Bye bye baby Rei and bye bye baby Viren"  
Rolling his eyes, Levi was relieved when Armin disappeared from his sights. Hannes carefully rose from the table and moved to rock Viren as he stepped  
"We'll bath Viren first, but we need to go deal with your bed first. You guys kind of passed out in some pretty gross stuff"  
"Hannes, I've been trying not to think about it"  
"Eren will need a wipe over too, it'll be a week or so before he can have a proper shower"  
"He's going to love that"  
"That's why I'm leaving it to you to tell him. Now, time to play these babies down and do the bed"

One look at the wet and ruined towel had him binning it... and the sheets... and the blankets that had copped some of it. The alpha was more than grateful that Eren insisted on having a waterproof mattress protector on the bed thanks to his slick. Hannes seemed to be of the same mind and helped him bundle it all up  
"This going to sound gross, but what happened to all the other stuff that came out of Eren"  
"Medical waste, it's been bagged and binned"  
"Oh good..."  
"You did a really good job Levi, I know you keep saying you didn't do anything, but you also didn't run away and you stayed with him. He couldn't have done this without you, and it would have broken him if you'd left"  
"I wanted to go get help, but um... got told no..."  
Hannes snorted and nodded  
"I can imagine how scared you were"  
"It's weird... it was really kind of amazing to watch both boys being born, but really gross at the same time"  
"Ah, the miracle that is the human body"  
"Next time can we miracle that in a hospital"  
He found trying to figure out if his words made sense  
"There's going to be a next time?"  
"Not any time soon... but one day..."  
"You're going to have your own pack aren't you?"  
"Yep... but this all depends on Eren, and finances and house arrangements and..."  
He halfheartedly waved his hand  
"Probably a smart plan"

 

*  
Having let Eren sleep an hour or so, Levi gently roused his mate  
"Baby, its bath time"  
Eren nodded as he yawned widely and reached for Levi without hesitation  
"You missed being carried didn't you?"  
"Mhmm... when this tummy goes you better be prepared to carry me all the time"  
"I will"  
Even though Eren was no longer carrying their pups, he was still somewhat scared as he carried his mate into the bathroom, placing him down in the chair Hannes had put in the shower  
"You can't have a proper shower, but I'm allowed to wipe you down"  
"Thank fuck... I feel and smell gross"  
"I think you feel nice"  
"You're deluding yourself"  
"Nah, you're just too sleepy to think straight"  
Eren hummed, as Levi went about stripping him down... they both definitely needed showers.

 

*  
Babies needed warning labels. They screamed and vomited and popped and cried and wouldn't settle if they weren't be being held. Levi was exhausted, Eren was beyond exhausted, his mate had even panicked and asked where Viren was while nursing him... and that was all in the first night.

Hannes drove them over to the hospital in the morning, Eren was practically dead on his feet, and Hannes insisted on wheeling the omega around in wheel chair, not that Eren was impressed about it. The boys were checked from head to toe, and weighed. Rei was a healthy 3.27kgs, while Viren was an even more impressive 3.56kgs, and their official times of birth was 2:25pm and 2:40pm. Though that was based on Levi's call to Hannes at 2pm, and the man's arrival at 3:10pm... all according to Hannes. Both boys were given injections, much to their disgust, and then Eren was as well. His omega didn't even seem to feel it, he was just sleeping in the wheelchair like it was nothing.

Arriving back home, the last thing Levi excepted was the black SUV parked near the house  
"Friends of yours?"  
"Possibly?"  
Eren grumbled something that Levi totally missed. He was too busy looking past Hannes as the man pulled up beside the SUV, Reiner was waving at them like an idiot  
"Eren, Reiner and Bertholdt are here"  
"Shit..."  
Well that sounded happy...  
"It's ok, you don't have to do the human"  
"I kind of do..."  
Reiner climbed from his car, and moved to open the door for Levi  
"Why didn't you answer your phone?"  
"You rang?"  
"Yeah, like a hundred times. And texted, but neither of you were answering"  
"Sorry... we're exhausted"  
"Can we help?"  
Levi looked back to Eren  
"Can you take Viren from Eren, and Eren will probably need some help getting inside"  
"Bertholdt, come help Eren, I dibs the baby"  
"It cries"  
Reiner laughed off Levi's warning, but the moment Viren was in Reiner's arms, he was crying  
"Come on, I'm not that scary"  
"Try not to take it too personally"  
Trying to struggle out on his own, Eren fell into Bertholdt's hold  
"Oops, up we go"  
"Thanks Bertholdt"  
"Hannes, can you grab the door?"  
"Sorry... I'm so sleep"  
"You look like shit"  
Eren snorted but Levi let out a snarl, his mate was beautiful, even with huge black bags under his eyes  
"Sorry boys, Levi's alpha's in over drive. Try not to take anything too personally"  
Noooo, they totally needed to take things personally, he'd told Reiner to take Viren, but he wasn't ok with that. Bertholdt was trying to help Eren, but he wasn't ok with that either. He didn't need the two alpha's helping, but they were Eren's friends and kind of his... fuck... shitty secondary dynamics.

It definitely rubbed him the wrong way that Bertholdt carried Eren into their room and settled him down, Eren placed a small kiss on his cheek and Levi saw red  
"You should get some rest"  
"I am resting"  
Reiner came into the room with Viren, the boy still grizzling  
"Pass him back to me"  
Reiner sat and passed Viren back to him, the boy quietening down the moment he was against Eren's chest  
"I feel so unloved"  
Bertholdt laughed lightly  
"I still love you"  
"I love you too"  
At least that was something... but his alpha was still pissed  
"Eren, you really do look tired, we might go drop in on Armin"  
Eren nodded with a yawn  
"I'm really sorry, they didn't sleep last night"  
"You didn't either princess"  
Eren shot him a slightly annoyed look, but Reiner just laughed  
"Ok, message received. We'll come back around later"  
Bertholdt took Reiner's hand and pulled him up  
"Oh, we have presents for you too, but we'll give them to you later"  
"You didn't have to get us anything"  
"We know"  
Reiner gave Eren a wink, before leaving with Bertholdt and Levi finally relaxed slightly, but that didn't last  
"Levi, you didn't need to be so rude, they came all this way"  
Why was he getting in trouble? He couldn't help that he cared  
"Excuse me, but I can't help but he worried about you. You're literally running on fumes, you're barely eating or drinking and you've had like 4 hours sleep in the last two days"  
Eren let out an unhappy sigh, his tired eyes filling with tears  
"Sorry baby, I guess I'm feeling pretty exhausted too"  
"Then get some sleep, the boys have been fed, we have formula, I know how to change a nappy"  
Hannes was a beautiful god sent angel, the man took Rei from him, and carried him from the room, before returning for Viren  
"Sleep. Now. Doctors orders"  
"Thank you... wake me when they need to be fed"  
The look on Hannes's face told Levi that was clearly not happening, but Eren didn't even notice, hissing as he slid down in the bed  
"Are you alright?"  
"Stop asking. Sleeping"

This was definitely not what he was expecting. In his mind the pups would be sleepy, Eren would be sleeping peacefully, with a small smile on his face and he'd be watching over them. Not this shit. How the fuck did Eren do this the first time?


	94. Chapter 94

With Eren snoring against his chest, Levi was watching over him. His mate still looked exhausted, but his colour was significantly better and his smell wasn't so pained. Stroking Eren's back his mate responded by nuzzling harder against his chest  
"Ugh... sleeping"  
Kissing Eren's hair, he apologised softly  
"Sorry princess, you just sleep"  
Given in the time he'd been awake he hadn't heard the pups crying, Hannes must have finally got them both to sleep. Eren mumbled something against his chest that he totally missed, but his mate snuggled closer to him and was back to sleep in no time. Letting himself drift back into a doze, Levi jumped at the sound of a door closing and Eren let out a long whine of discontent   
"Sorry, I'll be back in a minute"  
"Noooo... stay..."  
Eren's hand tightened its hold on his hip and Levi let himself relax back against the bed as Eren wanted, with his ears still pricked in anticipation of any coming sounds.

Hannes had made them go to sleep at a little before 10am, and Eren slept through until 5, which Levi was ecstatic about. His mate seemed like an actual functioning person as he climbed from the bed unaided, though he did start to stumble as he tried to walk  
"Stay here, I'm just going to the bathroom"  
"No, you need to eat and drink, I'll make you something light and we can check on the pups because I know that was your next stop"  
Eren ducked his head and nodded   
"Maybe..."  
Letting Eren leave the room first, Levi rubbed his face before climbing out of bed and heading into the living room. The alpha's steps were cut short, and ignoring the fact that Eren was using the toilet, he ducked his head into the bathroom  
"Princess you need to see this"  
He could hear the scowl in Eren's voice  
"Whatever it is, it can wait until I'm done here, now go away"  
Returning to their bedroom, Levi grabbed his phone and turned it on, he needed photos.

Hannes was asleep on the sofa, his head lolled back and loud nasally snores filled the living room. Viren and Rei were laying against each shoulder, with an arm just under their bums to support them. Snapping a few photos, he couldn't help but smile at the scene. Coming up behind him, Eren wrapped his arms around him and his mate nuzzled at his neck  
"That's pretty cute"  
"Yeah, he's such a big softy and the pups are getting some actual sleep"  
"Yeah... I don't want to wake them, but the boys will want to be fed"  
"Then don't, they'll wake up when their ready"  
"I suppose..."  
His mate really didn't sound convinced  
"We can sit and eat first, you need something in your stomach. I don't want you passing out from hunger"  
Levi was starving, but his first priority as always was Eren. He turned in his mates arms and found Eren's eyes filled with unshed tears  
"Hey now, what's wrong?"  
"I'm sorry..."  
Eren had nothing to be sorry for. Taking his mates hand and keeping an arm around Eren's waist, Levi lead him over to sit, before squatting down in front of his fiancé   
"You don't have anything to be sorry for"  
"I went into labor early... you had to deliver the boys..."  
"So?"  
"I'm sorry... you must have been so scared and I couldn't even help you"  
"Oh Eren, it's ok. It really is. It might have been early and unexpected, but we all made it through just fine"  
Eren shook his head and Levi wrapped his arms around him carefully   
"I... I was scared... I didn't want to push, but I needed to so badly..."  
"And you did. You birthed our two gorgeous and healthy pups"  
"Early... they're still early"  
"I think given how big they are, your body wouldn't have been able to carry them much longer. I know how much you were suffering"  
"I'm their mum. I shouldn't have felt like that"  
"You're also human and being pregnant was a huge strain on your body. Now you need to rest and regain your strength"  
"Aren't you angry? Or disgusted"  
Levi scrunched his brow in confusion  
"No baby, I'm not. Why would I be"  
"Because I still look like I'm pregnant... and you had to see all that stuff... I won't blame you if you don't want to touch me again"  
"You're still beautiful. I know you probably aren't feeling comfortable in your own skin, but I still love and want you"  
"How can you?"  
"Easy. Because you're smart and funny and sexy and beautiful and perfect and all mine"  
"I don't know how you can say those things"  
"Because they're all true. You need to eat, it's going to help you feel better and I'll make you anything you want"  
Eren sniffled and wiped at his face  
"Sorry... I just... my feelings are so mixed up. I was honestly relieved when Hannes said he'd watch them. I was so tired, but now I see him with them, I want that to be"  
"And it will be. Right after you've eaten"  
"Really?"  
"Yeah. Now, what do you want to eat?"  
"Do we have any soup? I don't really feel like real food"  
"We should do, let me check"  
Eren nodded as he sniffled again and Levi pressed a kiss to his forehead as he rose. Even Eren's temperature was much better.

They had one can of chicken soup and Eren ate a quarter of a bowl before pushing it away   
"My stomach still doesn't feel great"  
"It's ok, you don't have to explain. The important thing is that you tried and you managed to eat"  
Over his own spoonful of soup, Levi watched as Eren rubbed his stomach   
"It's really weird... I keep waiting to feel them move"  
"I can't even imagine, but when I finish this, you can cuddle and kiss them as much you want"  
"I want to feed them... my breasts hurt"  
Eren blushed as he looked to his chest  
"And you can do that too"  
"Levi... I'm really happy you were this time... I cried so much for you last time"  
The alpha's chest tightened and his heart ached  
"I'm really happy I was here too. You have no idea how proud I am of you"  
Sliding his hand across the table, Eren took his own free one and squeezed   
"It might take me a while to feel normal"  
"I know. I'm sorry I can't control my jealousy at the moment. I have the overwhelming urge to keep everyone away from you and the boys. I was jealous this morning, and kind of an arse"  
"It can't be easy for you, but they're our friends... and they came all this way"  
"I know. I just couldn't stop myself. I wanted to punch Bertholdt when he gave you that kiss on the cheek"  
"I know, I could smell it. I love only you Levi, you know that right?"  
"I do. I'm trying, I promise, but until you've recovered and the pups have settled, I don't think my alpha will calm"  
"If it helps, I feel clingy as fuck. I just want you and the pups and the boys, it's hard to admit I can't take care of you all right now"  
"You don't have to. We can work something out"  
"You have work and school..."  
"Which can wait"  
"Won't you get in trouble?"  
"Eren, you're more important than either of those. Let's just get you feeling better and go from there"  
Eren gave him a small almost sad smile   
"You said it yourself, "we've got this""

With his dinner done, Levi let Eren settle himself on the other end of the sofa before covering him with a blanket  
"Who first?"  
"Viren, I've held him more than Rei"  
That was adorable. As carefully as he could, Levi moved Viren from Hannes's shoulder and into Eren's arms. The baby boy wrinkled his face as if he was going to cry, but instead his eyes opened  
"He looks like you"  
"Yeah, he even got my skin tone"  
"He's perfect you mean"  
"Eren, I'm not perfect"  
"You are to me"  
His heart was racing, Eren has just made him insanely happy. Sitting down on the arm of the sofa, he watched Eren smile down at the boy  
"Hello baby, let's see if you're hungry"  
Initially Viren didn't seem to want to take the nipple offered, but Eren waited patiently until he did and the boys cheeks moved adorably as he suckled as if trying to drain Eren. The look on his mates face was relief and Eren let his head drop back against the sofa as he smile   
"Better?"  
"You have no idea. Hey, didn't Reiner say he tried to message?"  
"Probably. I've been ignoring the outside world"  
"You should probably check your messages, just in case there's one from grandpa"  
There were 3 from the old man, asking Levi to message him about when to come over with boys.  
74 messages from from Izzy, and he was surprised the girl hadn't demanded Farlan drive her down already. Farlan had only sent him one message, congratulating both of them.  
There were 56 from Hanji demanding details and 3 from Erwin. Reiner had sent him 23, and Levi had to admit he was pretty impressed with how persistent their friends were.

Levi waited until both boys were fed and sleeping against Eren's shoulders before messaging Grandpa Arlert and letting him know they were awake. Despite the 9 hours of sleep Eren has got, his mate started to doze off on the sofa, so Levi had to message the man and let him know that Eren had fallen back to sleep. His fiancé managed a good two hours before waking up confused, and Levi moved back to his side. He'd been trying to be useful and had cleaned the kitchen and done a load of washing while Eren had slept. He looked so perfect holding their sons close  
"What time is it?"  
"8ish, do you want me to message Mr Arlert now?"  
"Call him grandpa, its less confusing. The boys probably think we forgot about them..."  
Eren bit down on his lip, looking incredibly guilty as he did  
"Eren, you needed the rest. You wouldn't have fallen back to sleep if you didn't"  
"Their our sons... I know it's going to be hard trying to adjust, but I don't want them thinking they're not loved"  
"You're over thinking it, besides, when you're better we'll be able to take them to the park and go all sorts of places"  
"It's not the same as being able to do things with them now..."  
"Why don't you read them to sleep tonight? You can give them lots of cuddles and I look after the pups while you do"  
"That's not fair on you..."  
How was that not fair? Eren obviously needed time with the boys, and Levi wanted cuddles with the pups... it was kind of a win-win  
"I already told you, you're over thinking things. I'm messaging Grandpa"  
Sliding his phone from his pocket, he found he had even more messages from Hanji  
"I think Hanji wants to visit too"  
"Not now... and I know Izzy will want to come..."  
"Don't worry, I'm not ready for her madness either"  
"I feel really bad..."  
"Eren, you pushed like 7kilograms of human out your arse and god only knows how much fluid... You are allowed to cut yourself a break and you are allowed to recover"  
"It's just, they've all been there for us..."  
"And they'll understand"  
Opening up his messages to Grandpa, he let the man know Eren was awake again. Once that was done, he contented himself taking photos of his mate until Eren groaned at him  
"Levi... noooo. No more..."  
"I can't help myself, I can't believe they're here"  
His mate snorted lightly  
"You delivered them and you can't believe they're here?"  
"Eren, we made two tiny, living and breathing people. It completely blows my mind that they were inside you for long and now they're here"  
"Next time you can be the one carrying them"  
His alpha's ego soared at the prospect of a next time   
"You want more?"  
"Mmm, but we've got to survive these two first, and not until we're married..."  
Was it bad that he wondered if he could marry Eren tomorrow? Or at least his alpha did  
"Do you not?"  
"Of course I do... I never thought I'd have kids... let alone four of them..."  
"And an omega that's head of heels for you"  
"Yeah, that too..."  
Feeling a lump forming in the back of his throat, Levi moved to rest his hand on Viren's back  
"If you want cuddles, you can take him..."  
Letting his phone drop to the sofa, he took Viren into his hold. He thought his son was asleep, but his grey eyes blinked up at him  
"He really does look like Ren"  
"He's the splitting image, but Ren didn't have a birthmark"  
"Wait, he has a birthmark?"  
"In his hair. It's a triangle near his right ear"  
Not completely confident with holding the boy and searching, Eren moved his legs so he could sit properly next to him. Viren didn't seem to mind at all while he played with the boys soft and wispy locks, finally finding the pinky red birthmark   
"Wow. It's really there"  
"Yeah..."  
"Did Eli have one?"  
"No, not that I ever saw, so it's just Viren"  
"Hear that, you're special already"

"Of course they're special. They have you two for parents"  
Letting out a sleepy groan, Hannes pushed himself up  
"Get much sleep?"  
"Eren got about 7 and fell back to sleep. I'd say 9, but it might have been a little more"  
"That's great, and did he eat"  
"He had half a bowl of soup"  
"Eren, you need to eat"  
Levi let out a small growl, his mate didn't need the added stress of having his eating habits picked at  
"I know, I'm just really not up to it yet"  
Rei let out a grumble, before starting cry and Eren wrinkled his nose  
"Nappy change"  
"I changed them at lunch time and again at 4..."  
"So they're past due... Levi do you want to bring everything out and we can change them out here?"  
This would be the third nappy he'd changed, or at least that he could remember and he was wondering if it was bad that he really didn't think he could get used to it  
"I'll get the nappies, powder and wipes..."  
"Can you grab a blanket too? So they aren't laying against the floor"  
"Sure"  
"And don't forget the liners..."  
Hannes was already escaping the room and Rei's screaming set Viren off. Trying to hush the boy did absolutely nothing.

He got peed on. Levi swore Rei waited until his nappy was down just to pee on him. His face was red as Eren giggled on the sofa  
"It's not funny"  
"It kind of is. Mum laughed at me the first time the boys pee on me too... consider it a family tradition"  
He nearly fucked up, he nearly said "well your family sucks", but Eren wouldn't have taken that well at all, instead he went for   
"We need new traditions, ones that don't involve our boys peeing on us"  
"Levi. You're gonna get pooped on and puked on too, it's not just pee you need to fear"  
"So they're just smaller versions of you?"  
"Oi, I haven't pooped on you, so don't even go there"  
"Fine... they're mostly smaller versions of you?"  
"I still feel like there's an insult there"  
"Never..."  
Hannes was awkwardly hovering to his left and Levi couldn't help but feel pressured by the man overseeing his work  
"Hannes, I've got this, why don't you go make something to eat?"  
"Are you sure?"  
"I remember what I'm doing"  
I just might be a little slow as I do... not that he'd say that out loud  
"Hannes, let him do this on his own. He's already been peed on"  
That's right, Eren coming to his rescue!  
"Fine, but you have to eat too"  
"I really don't think..."  
"Then don't think"

Levi was proud of the job he'd done, both boys were changed, and looking significantly happier  
"I think I'm going to take a shower"  
"Yeah, you need it"  
Just because Rei had had great aim and peed down his shirt as he'd leant over, meant nothing  
"The boys will be alright down there, that's also why I wanted the blanket"  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yeah. It's only while you shower..."  
"Alright, but don't go trying to lift them yourself. I know how wobbly you are"  
"Wait, Eren's been walking?"  
"He has?"  
"Eren, you're supposed to be resting"  
"I had to pee and change the towel... it would probably be much easier if I just had pads..."  
"I didn't think about that"  
Eren mocked gasped   
"And you call yourself a doctor?"  
"Apparently?"  
Hannes's tone was unsure and Eren snorted  
"It's ok. The bleeding was much worse the first time around, but mum was the one who told me to use pads"  
"That explains it. I'll steal some from work for you"  
"Thanks... towels aren't that comfortable"  
"No, I imagine you're feeling quiet butt-hurt right about now"  
"Ha ha ha. Go away"  
"Oh, you want me to butt-out?"  
"Leeeevi, make him stop"  
"Hannes, stop picking on Eren"  
"Butt he should be used to it by now"  
"He might be, but he's also exhausted and emotional. You should know that"  
Hannes shrugged his shoulders, before going back to whatever he was making in the kitchen   
"I'll be quick in the shower, don't go moving"  
"I'm too comfy too"  
"Good"

 

*  
By the time he got out the shower, the living room was full. Eli and Ren were sitting on the sofa curled against Eren, both boys clearly sleepy as the snuggled against him. Reiner and Bertholdt were both sitting on the floor with the pups. Hannes and grandpa Arlert were sitting at the dining table, leaving one question   
"Where's Armin?"  
"He's outside still, I think we gave him a mini-heart attack"  
Bertholdt nodded at his husband's words  
"What did you do?"  
"We might have told him what our present to you is..."  
Eren frowned over at the pair  
"You didn't have to get us anything, you came all way over from Marley for us"  
Reiner disregard Eren's words, the man looking down to Rei, before then looking to Bertholdt   
"As you know, our life is in Marley now, and that left us with a small issue... we both still own our cars over here, but they aren't getting used and we don't need both of them... soooo, we went ahead and transferred my SUV into your name. The rego's all paid up, there are two car seats for these little guys already in the back, and because we have a branch company that deals in insurance, you're completely covered..."  
"No"  
Eren looked completely shocked as the word came from his mouth  
"Yep!"  
"That's way too much"  
"It's not, besides, what's the point of a car if it's not being used..."  
"But... you could sell it. It's a range rover... you'd get like a heap for it..."  
"Or, we could give it to you guys. Seriously, mum has been telling me to do something with it for months now, and you were the first thing that came to mind. She's absolutely thrilled about it all"  
This was way too much... Levi felt sick at the idea of driving such an expensive car around  
"Also, we know you're a careful driver and we know you guys need a break"  
"It's too much..."  
"It's a gift. Bertholdt's mother is coming down tomorrow to pick us up, so if it makes you feel better, you can think of it as an apology for anything she might say"  
"It doesn't... guys..."  
Eren started to cry, and the twins looked up at him in confusion, before glaring at Reiner and Bertholdt   
"You made our mum cry"  
Ren's voice held a coldness Levi has never heard before and it was clear no one knew what to make of it... apart from Eren   
"It's ok baby... they didn't do anything to hurt me"  
"Mum, you're crying..."  
"I know... I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed"  
Neither twin knew what overwhelmed meant, they clearly just hoped that Eren would stop crying soon  
"We had planned to give it to you next month, but these little cuties couldn't wait"  
Bertholdt's finger looked enormous was Viren wrapped his tiny fingers around it  
"They really couldn't. Waking up to find Eren in labor was definitely a shock I wasn't expecting"  
Trying his hardest not to let his alpha side control the words coming out his mouth, Levi sank to sit on the pups other side. He wanted to be the one to buy Eren nice things, but as it was, all the nicest things Eren owned came from Reiner and Bertholdt... catching sight of his mates engagement ring only served to make him feel even cheaper. The thought of having a mechanically sound and safe car was appreciated, but Hannes had to be feeling the sting too. The man had said before he'd bought the ute with Eren in mind...  
"Levi, are you alright?"  
Looking up from the pups, he found Bertholdt staring at him  
"Oh. Yeah. It really is a lot to take in... I don't know if I could even bring myself to drive knowing how much that car cost"  
Easily more than what the house was worth... fucking hell...  
"Like I said, we had to do something with it..."

It was then that Armin came running inside  
"It's got cup holders! Like in built cup holders! Oh my god I want one!"  
Reiner laughed at Armin   
"It's a couple of years old now, so who knows. Maybe one day you'll be able to buy one straight off the factory line"  
Armin let out a sigh  
"Maybe... but that cars insane. It's probably worth more than all my school fees and the house put together"  
Reiner frowned and Bertholdt didn't look pleased either  
"We didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. You guys have all been really good friends to us, you never treated us any differently because we're rich. You never sucked up to us, or asked us to buy you anything and you guys really do deserve a break, especially now with 4 young children..."  
Eren squirmed, once again he looked guilty  
"I'm not grateful, but it's just so much. You guys have helped me out in every way conceivable. I don't think I'll ever be able to pay you back for all the help and support you've given me"  
"Then let's call it even"  
Eren opened and closed his mouth and Reiner grinned smugly  
"So, is it alright if I have a hold?"  
"Only if Bertholdt does too. I can tell he really wants to"  
Bertholdt lifted Viren as if he was made of glass, his face lit up the baby boy was against his chest  
"He's so tiny"  
"He's a fatty. Over three kilos"  
"No way"  
"They both are"  
"Wow, that's pretty impressive"   
Eren hummed  
"I think I put on about 18 kilos. And 6 of that was baby"  
"It's closer to 7"  
"Still, I have so much to lose if I want my pre-baby body back"  
Eren frowned down at his still swollen stomach   
"Princess. I don't care if you keep the weight, you're perfect to me"  
"Maybe... I don't know, I know I definitely don't love my body at the moment"  
"Nonsense. Eren, you look amazing for someone who had twins only yesterday"  
Trying not to glare at Reiner physically hurt, the alpha so wasn't allowed to be eyeing off Eren. Bertholdt nodded at Reiner's words  
"He's right Eren, you do look much better. This morning you looked barely functioning"  
"Hannes took the boys so we could get some sleep"  
"Yep! Gotta start them off with those cartoons while they're still you"  
"Haaaaaaannes. You aren't allowed to watch 'toons without us"  
Eli was not impressed at all  
"Sorry boys"  
"So you should be"  
"Oh god. Bertholdt, can you image how sassy these two are going to be?"  
Bertholdt groaned as he nodded  
"No ones going to be able to tell when they're being sarcastic because it's just going to sound like they're talking normal"  
"Yep..."  
Eren didn't look entirely pleased, but let out a sigh of resignation  
"I guess you're right. They really don't have much of a choice"  
Armin nodded, smiling happily  
"At least they'll be cute. I can't get over how much they looked like Ren and Eli"  
"They do have the same parents after all"  
"That's a minor detail"

Rei and Viren stayed quiet long enough for a couple of photos before starting to cry. Armin took Rei in an attempt to calm him down, but all the hushing and cooing in the world made no difference  
"Pass him here"  
Levi was sure that passing him to Grandpa wouldn't make any difference, but the boys cries stopped once he was in the old man's hold  
"See, look at this handsome little man. He just wanted cuddles from his Grandfather"  
"Can we employ you? You wouldn't believe how much they cried last night"  
Armin snorted  
"I'm sure it couldn't have been that bad"  
"They really were. Those two little guys cried all night, it was chaos"  
Hannes was dead serious and Levi watched Armin swallow hard  
"No way..."  
"Yeah. That's why Hannes was baby sitting today"  
"That sounds awful"  
"It kind of was, but Levi was there and he got so much hands on experience that it wasn't funny"  
Eren sounded like he was falling back to sleep again and both boys let out loud yawns  
"I think it's time for you two to go to bed"  
"But muuuuum... we aren't sleepy"  
Yeah, they'd hit that whiney stage while no one was looking"  
"I'll read you guys stories"  
"We want 3!"  
Ren was easily won over   
"Then 3 you shall have, now hop up and say goodnight to everyone"

When Eren didn't return after an hour, Levi went investigating. His fiancé had fallen asleep midstory, the book had fallen to the floor and both Eli and Ren had their arms wrapped around him. It was a completely adorable sight, so Levi channelled his inner ninja to sneak over and cover the three with the blanket. He let out a mental cheer when they didn't wake.

 

*  
Reiner and Bertholdt had driven Armin and Grandpa back home, before returning. Levi had tried to warn them that they might not get much sleep, but given they didn't know when Bertholdt's mother was arriving, it as safer they just stayed. He still couldn't believe they had a Range Rover now. He'd googled the model and found its second hand price was about $80,000. Probably more, he didn't know how many kilometres were on the clock, but imagined it wasn't many and they'd just been given it like it was nothing! Rich people were insane. 

While Reiner and Bertholdt slept in Hannes's bed, Hannes slept in his and Eren's, while Levi slept in Eli's bed, and some time in the early hours, a tiny warm body crawled into the bed and curled up around him. Pulling his son closer, he pressed a sleepy kiss to his forehead. Their kids were just too adorable. It was stupid o'clock when he was woken by two crying babies. Eren was already struggling up from bed  
"I'll go, you stay with Eli"  
"Levi, you don't have the milk"  
Oh... yeah... no... he didn't  
"Ok... come back soon"  
With Eren gone, Eli crawled over and came to him for cuddles, sandwiching Ren between them, the boy mumbled about something but was soon back to sleep.

Mrs Hoover arrived as they were all organising breakfast. Hannes had gotten the boys up and dressed for school, the pair talking excitedly about telling everyone they were big brothers now. Hopefully they'd be that enthused when they got home, Eren definitely needed cheering up, his was clearly feeling nervous under the woman's scrutinising aura. Mrs Hoover looked like she was afraid to bump into anything in case it would infect her and was standing just past the hall, not fully in the dining area  
"It's not what I expected"  
And it began...  
"Are you really going to raise 4 children here... it's so small"  
"Mum, we had this conversation"  
"I know, but... they haven't even got their walls done..."  
Eren squirmed uncomfortably, he was lucky enough to be sitting on the sofa and didn't have to see the looks of pity on her face  
"Mum! Don't be rude, they're renovating the house bit by bit"  
"But darling, this is no place for 4 young children..."  
Levi felt his heckles rise. Just because the walls weren't done didn't mean the house wasn't safe... he wouldn't let them stay here if it wasn't  
"Mum, Levi is actually doing a carpentry course in order to help with the renovations"  
"And we can't actually do that much as we don't know if we can keep the house"  
Eren had snapped... now they were all in trouble  
"You don't own the house?"  
The woman sounded shocked to the point of scandalised  
"No we don't. It's in my father's name and we all know how much he likes me. Now, I don't mind if you want to stay, but our boys are safe here and yes it might be taking longer than anticipated to renovate this place than we had planned, but that's what happens"  
"Why don't you just buy it from him"  
"Sorry guys, I thought her filter might be better than it was, but apparently not. We'll be back before we leave, but we should probably up for now"  
If they could all fuck off, that would be greatly appreciated. It wasn't exactly their fault renovations had to be put on hold due to Eren's pregnancy and the house was safe... fucking rich people, living in a world of their own. At least Reiner and Bertholdt didn't bring it up, they at least knew how to be normal people for the most part.

Mrs Hoover looked pissed as Reiner and Bertholdt gave Eren a huge hug  
"Thank you for coming down, you didn't have too"  
"Nonsense. We had to come meet the boys and we'll be back. This time with our own car and you can employ us as babysitters"  
"Don't tempt me, I just might"  
"Take care of yourself Eren, we'll let you know our schedule when we do"  
"You'll have to call Levi for now. He bought me a new phone, but it isn't set up yet"  
"Then get on it. We want updates"  
He hadn't actually bought Eren's new phone yet. The omega obviously didn't want them buying it.   
Bertholdt leant back in and whispered something to Eren, his mate nodded slowly before whispering something back and Bertholdt snorted, before pulling back  
"Ok, we'll see you guys real soon"

With the pair gone, Eren let out a long shaky breath  
"God she scares me"  
"I think you scared her too. Are you coming on the school run?"  
"Yeah... we need to do food shopping"  
"Or you could write us a list and we'll do it while we're out"  
Eren pouted  
"If I'm stuck here, you aren't taking the Range Rover"  
Levi snorted and shook his head  
"I don't think I could. I'm terrified"  
"I felt that way when they gave me that Dior watch, but they engraved it so I couldn't return it..."  
Levi nodded, moving into the kitchen to make Eren some toast. The boys weren't quite so excited now that Reiner and Bertholdt were gone, but they were eating now, instead of trying to get the two alpha's attention  
"What do you want on your toast?"  
"Cheese"  
Win! Eren wanted actual food, though he seemed pissed still. Though if Eren wanted to eat his feelings, he wasn't going to stop him  
"So do you know what we need?"  
"Basically everything. It's going to be chaos here until we get into a routine"  
"I'm pretty sure we're already living in chaos"  
"Thanks for the prep talk Hannes"  
"Peace out!"  
Hannes thumped his fist against his chest before raising it into a peace symbol  
"What the hell was that?"  
"I think this means that Hannes has finally gone over the deep end"  
"Gone over? I thought he was swimming with the fishes"  
Hannes yawned and shook his head   
"It was funnier in my head and we need to go if we want to get the boys to school on time"  
"Hang on, I'm making Eren's breakfast"  
"Are the boys lunches made?"  
"Already done thanks to yours truly"  
"Hannes, you are awesome"  
Slicing Eren's toast into triangles, he carried it over to Eren and looked down to Viren sleeping in his lap, with Rei sleeping next to him  
"Will you be alright?"  
"Yeah, maybe just leave me your phone?"  
"Good plan"  
Leaning in, he gave Eren a quick kiss  
"I love you"  
"I love you too"


	95. Chapter 95

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pew pew pew

Tuesday morning found everyone exhausted and cranky. Both boys had screamed all night again, the twins were crying because they were so beyond tired, Levi was snappy and Hannes had walked into the wall because he was that fucking tired. Eren had tried everything the could think of to get them to settle, but wound up sobbing in the bedroom when they wouldn't. How could two tiny babies cry for so long? Their poor throats had to be tender and Eren couldn't stand the fact that everyone seemed to be suffering. They were supposed to be happy, supposed to be enjoying their two new family members, instead he was just about to drug Hannes and Levi.

Having found the sleeping pills Hannes has given him back before he even got pregnant, he'd ground two down, and sprinkled them in two of the three mugs he had in front of him. Levi was currently trying to get the boys to eat their breakfast but that wasn't happening. Eren wasn't about to drug the twins, but Hannes and Levi needed to be functional and they'd keep fighting to stay awake until they passed out  
"Eren, what are you doing?"  
"Making tea, and Hannes a coffee"  
"Well hurry up, the boys have school"  
"They aren't going today. Not when they're this tired"  
"And who's going to look after them?"  
"They'll sleep. They're fine"  
"And how are they supposed to sleep with Rei and Viren screaming"  
"Levi, they are so tired they'll pass out the moment they're back in bed"  
Of all the times for the boys to become light sleepers, it had to be now... the alpha scoffed at his words and Eren bit down on his bottom lip. Levi really didn't mean it. He was just tired.

Handing Hannes and Levi their respective mugs, he doubled back and grabbed his own cup of tea so it wouldn't look so suspicious. Eren had just raised his mug to his lips when he heard one of the pups begin to cry. Placing the mug back down, his chair scraped as he stood and Eli started crying all over again   
"Nice one"  
Ignoring Levi, Eren headed into their room and lifted Rei. At least the boy was crying for a valid reason this time, his nappy stank. Changing his son, he'd just settled Rei on their bed when Viren started crying. The teen was so tried he was nauseous and another dirty nappy did nothing to ease that. Lifting them both somewhat awkwardly, he carried the now changed pair out to the living room and settled on the sofa  
"Why'd you bring them out? You should have left them in their cots"  
"Because they were both awake"  
Levi raised his mug and drained it, pulling a face as he did  
"Tea tasted like shit. How was your coffee Hannes?"  
"It was fine"  
"Daaaaad! Eli pinched me!"  
Ren wailed the words and Levi let out an angry huff  
"That's it! You're both going back to bed"  
"No! We're supposed to go to school!"  
"Mum says you're staying home"  
"We don't want to stay home!"  
"Too bad. Daddy is going to read to you until you fall asleep, and Hannes has work tonight"  
"You can't deal with the twins on your own"  
"I can too. Now go take care of the boys"  
"If I couldn't do it, we wouldn't have Ren and Eli. Babies, it's ok, I know you're sleepy, but daddy will be with you"  
Levi shot him a filthy look, but ushered the boys out the room and Hannes let out a sigh as he rose  
"Wake me if you need anything all"  
"I will"  
Yeah, that wasn't going to happen.

Eren waiter a good half hour before creeping through the house. Levi was snoring with the boys, Hannes was snoring... with himself... time to get out of here. Laying the pups down on the sofa, Eren grabbed all the dishes and chucked them in the sink, before raiding his room for nappies and wipes, stuffing them in Levi's school bag, along with a change of clothes for the three of them.

With the pups in the back of the Range Rover, Eren looked to the house as he reversed. He was so fucking tired, but things were better this way. Everyone in that house needed to catch up on sleep, which meant he had to take the main causes away. Apologising to the heavens, the teen pulled out the clearing and started driving into Shinganshima. He was headed to Grandpa Arlerts.

After being quiet for the drive, both boys started crying again as the car came to a stop. Fresh tears rushed to roll down Eren's face. He wanted his mum... she'd know what he was doing wrong... she'd be able to settle the boys down... but he didn't have her and was failing miserably to live up to her actions. Turning the car off, he grabbed Levi's bag and climbed from the car, his stitches were none too impressed, but the ache just blended in with every other ache  
"Eren?"  
Jumping at the old man's voice, he looked to Grandpa Arlert  
"You look terrible, is everything alright?"  
Sniffling sadly he shook his head  
"I need help..."  
"You'd better come inside then"  
"I've got the pups with me..."  
Wiping his face quickly, he moved to the opposite side of the SUV and lifted Viren out. By the time he got back to the other side, Grandpa Arlert was standing by the door  
"Give him here"  
Eren nodded and the man took Viren, while he got Rei out. 

Sitting on the sofa in the living room, Eren crumbled as he explained how the boys had started crying yesterday afternoon and had barely quietened down since and how everyone was so completely exhausted  
"You can stay here as long as you need"  
"T-thank y-you..."  
"It's most alright. You look like you haven't had much sleep either"  
"I haven't. I've been trying to look after the pups so everyone can sleep, but it hasn't been working well... I did something really bad..."  
Grandpa Arlert seemed confused  
"What did you do?"  
"I slipped Levi and Hannes a sleeping pill on their drinks before I left"  
The ole man laughed, he really hadn't expected it, but he did  
"That's not that bad. By the sounds of it they needed it"  
"I didn't think they'd sleep otherwise. They'll be so mad"  
"It'll be fine. You did it for a good reason and you'll apologise after they've slept"  
"Levi was so mad... he was snapping at the boys and Hannes walked into a wall"  
"And what about you?"  
"I feel like I'm going to pass out..."  
"That's a clear sign you need sleep. Let's get you settled up in the guest room"  
"I'm so sorry for showing up..."  
"It's fine, I'm happy to help and I get to spend the day with these handsome little men"  
Looking down at Rei, Eren wiped his tears from the boys face  
"I feel like I've let them down... mum was so good at this..."  
"And you're a good mum too. Some babies are fussier than others, and these little guys just want all the cuddles"  
The man's positive tone didn't help. His lip trembled and his whole body shook  
"Things will seem better once you've had some sleep"  
Shaking his head, Eren still rose and followed Grandpa Arlert upstairs. 

They settled the boys down in Armin's room, the pair continuing to cry, and Eren didn't want to leave them like that  
"Eren, you're shaking like a leaf. You get some sleep and I'll get them settled"  
"They've been fed... and changed their nappies not that long ago"  
"And they're cranky 'cause they're over tired. I know. Now go to sleep"  
Laying in the guest bed alone felt weird. It felt too big just for himself and there wasn't even a trace of Levi's scent. Curling around the spare pillow, he buried his face against it, until he eventually cried himself to sleep.

Grandpa Arlert woke him to feed the pups, the old man more than happy to hold and burp each one in turn before settling them back do to sleep  
"You look a little better"  
"I feel a little better, but is it alright if I take a shower?"  
"Sure, you know where everything is"  
A hot, unsupervised shower, where he could actually wash his hair was heavenly. He didn't give two fucks about his stitches, and enjoyed the independence of showering without Levi's watchful gaze, staying in there until the water began to cool. In his absence from the guest room, Grandpa Armin had brought up the bag he'd packed and sliding into fresh clothes felt heavenly... it would have all been perfect if not for the fact he was missing the pups.

Heading into Armin's room, the pups were wide awake and staring up at the ceiling, Rei's and Viren's ears both twitched as he hovered over them   
"You're daddy is going to be so mad at your mummy, but Grandpa Arlert is the baby whisperer, he got you two to settle right down didn't he..."  
Crawling carefully up onto Armin's bed, he curled around his pups  
"You two can't keep screaming all the time just because you want to see grandpa. Daddy and Hannes both have work and your big brothers have school. You can scream at mummy though, just make sure you let the others sleep"  
Rei kicked his legs as if dismissing the idea. Letting himself fall back to sleep, the next time he opened his eyes, he found it dark outside, but more importantly both pups were sleeping. Not wanting to wake them, he slid from the bed as quietly as possible and headed downstairs.

"Eren!"  
Oh fuck. Levi was there...  
"Hi?"  
"You had me worried, I woke up and you were gone..."  
"Sorry..."  
Rising from the sofa, Levi crossed and wrapped his arms around him. The omega couldn't help but be tense, he was waiting for Levi to call him out...  
"Are the boys with Hannes?"  
"Yeah, he was making them dinner..."  
"The pups are asleep right now..."  
"You actually got them to sleep?"  
"Grandpa did. He's the baby whisperer"  
"We might have to take you home with us, Hannes was so tired he walked into a wall this morning"  
Grandpa Arlert snorted lightly  
"Any time you need a break or some help, you're both more than welcome here"  
Levi released his hold and moved to brush his hair from his face  
"What about you? Did you get some sleep?"  
"Yeah.... I'm sorry I took the pups, it's just you were all so tired"  
Biting his lip, Eren looked to ground  
"That doesn't mean you need to try and handle everything in on your own"  
"I wasn't, I had Grandpa..."  
"Eren, you know what I mean. You only gave birth a couple of days ago"  
Letting out a small sigh, Eren nodded. He didn't particularly feel like getting into a fight  
"Sorry"  
"So I take you'll be heading home now?"  
Grandpa Arlert sounded a little sad and Eren felt guilty. He'd come over and just slept...  
"Yeah, the twins woke me up looking for Eren"  
He'd honestly expected the boys to sleep all day  
"I guess that's a yes then... but um... is it ok if I come back tomorrow?"  
"Of course it is"  
"I promise to try and be awake tomorrow"  
"It's fine, the boys and I had a good time watching Netflix"  
Levi looked vaguely annoyed until he realised the man was joking, nodding when he did  
"I hope you're introducing them to the good stuff"  
Grandpa Arlert let a small laugh  
"Of course I am. Eren do you want help bringing the boys down?"  
"I'll get them. Eren, you're not supposed to be doing stairs"  
"I'm fine Levi"  
He wanted his pain meds, but sleep was sooooooo good and the shower had been even better  
"It's alright Eren, why don't you go open the car up and we'll get the boys"  
Evidently visit time was over and he had no choice but to head out and open up the Range Rover. The pups weren't impressed, crying as they were carried down and out to the car  
"Do you want me to drive?"  
"No, it's alright"

Arriving home, the pups were put to bed and Levi trailed behind him, even when he was trying to put the boys to bed. The twins didn't want to sleep, they wanted to play and Levi being there didn't help. They expected daddy to save them from sleep. It was stupidly late by the time the boys fell asleep, and it was just in time for the pups to wake back up. It was going to be another long night.

 

*  
Waking to a persistent knock on the door, Eren found Levi was already up and getting the boys ready, or the sound of laughter and splashing from the bathroom told him that. Padding through the house, he shivered as he went. Opening the door, the omega took a half step back. A man in a sharp black suit stood there, and Eren was more than a little confused  
"Are you a Mr..."  
The man checked the thick white A4 envelope in his hand   
"...Eren Yeager or Levi Ackerman"  
"I'm Eren..."  
"This is for you. Have a good day"  
Taking the envelope from the man's hand, the man didn't even wait for a reply, instead walking down the steps to a black luxury car. Eren watched the car until it disappeared, before heading back inside. The top right hand corner read Hoover and Eren's heart sank. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling that whatever inside the envelope was, he wasn't going to like it. Walking back into the living room, Eren sat heavily on the sofa and turned the envelope over  
"Who was at the door?"  
Jumping at Levi's voice, Eren looked up at his mate  
"I don't know... some guy gave me this..."  
"What's in it?"  
"I don't know... it's from the Hoovers"  
"Which one?"  
"Given Bertholdt and Reiner are supposed to be coming back, I'd say Bertholdt's mum... but she has no reason to be sending us stupid envelopes..."  
"We can ignore it?"  
"I don't think it works that way..."  
"Then we can open it later. The boys need breakfast, and I'll do their lunches"  
Eren nodded and let out a long sigh  
"How come you're so awake?"  
"Because I had the best sleep yesterday..."  
Eren felt his face redden and he rushed to look back down at the envelope  
"Eren? Something wrong?"  
"Um... if I tell you something... will you not get mad?"  
"I could never be mad at you..."  
"Do you promise?"  
"Maybe..."  
"IdruggedyouandHannesyesterday"  
Levi took a few moments before letting out a groan  
"I knew my tea tasted funny... wait, why would you do that?"  
Now there was the anger he'd expected...  
"Because you were angry and Hannes walked into a wall. It's my fault the pups were born so early... it's not fair on all of you"  
Levi let out a sigh, rubbing at his face as he did  
"I can't believe you"  
"I'm sorry... you were just so tired and the boys were tired and Hannes was tired..."  
"That doesn't mean you get to drug me"  
"Why not? You let Hannes drug me all the time"  
"That's because you keep going until you make yourself sick"  
"And you don't? Levi, you were snapping at me and the boys. They don't understand that daddy is tired"  
"Whatever. I don't want to talk about this. You make breakfast and this time, skip the sleeping pills"  
Well he was in the shit. Placing the envelope down, Eren climbed from the sofa before moving to make breakfast for the boys.

Levi still wasn't talking to him, the alpha had done the school run, and ignored Eren completely when he thanked him. Carrying the envelope with him, Eren retreated to their bedroom, moving both pups to the bed so he could curl up with them.  
"I've gone and made daddy mad... this envelope can hardly make anything worse right?"  
Rei blinked up at him, and Eren gently rubbed the boys belly  
"You're mums a bit of an idiot... I hope you guys take after your father"  
Rolling on to his back, the omega held the envelope up, before letting a long breath out through his nose. Fuck it.

Opening the envelope, Eren wasn't really sure what the hell he was reading. Part of it seemed to pertain to his father, and the other part seemed about the house. They're were all kinds of sketches and plans, none of which made sense until he got to the end of the document. The council had given approval for the proposed alterations to the house... rolling back onto his side, he gathered up the sketches, putting two and two together, before letting out a low sob. Mrs Hoover might have meant well, but the woman had steam rolled ahead with renovating the whole house, without any consultation. Sure the house was small, but the twins were happy sharing a room... and Hannes had his own room... the pups were fine in their room... letting the tears roll down his face, he felt like he'd been slapped. Yes they were barely scraping by, but they didn't need charity like this... soon his sobs turned to wails and the pups started to cry. Trying to hush the boys while still crying accomplished nothing, and he staggered from the room  
"Eren! I thought you must have been asleep"  
Levi's voice held too much coldness for him to deal with in this state. Carrying the scrunched up papers with him, he stormed through the living room and grabbed the keys   
"Wait! You're just leaving them?!"  
It wasn't like the pups hadn't been fed that morning, the pair would fine while he settled back down. Feeling Levi's hand on his arm, Eren jerked away  
"What's going on with you?"  
"Leave me alone..."  
Levi frowned  
"Eren..."  
"I need to see Hannes. Go look after the pups, you'll do a better job than I ever could"  
Yanking his arm free, he span and continued out the house. He was so useless... even Mrs Hoover knew he'd never be able to provide everything the pups needed...

Having arrived at the hospital, he found Hannes standing out the front. His suspicions that Levi had called ahead where confirmed with the man's first sentence  
"Levi said you needed to see me and you were upset"  
"Of course he did..."  
Hannes wrapped an arm around his shoulder, but Eren slid free from his hold and shoved the pile of papers at the man  
"I... can you...?"  
Hannes looked clueless, but took the pile  
"What are these?"  
"Just... can we go inside?"  
Hannes nodded and Eren followed him silently inside. Running away twice in as many days... he was such a fucking coward.

Sitting in Hannes's office, Eren has curled into himself as much as he could, while the man read over the papers  
"She works fast..."  
"I'm too stupid to understand them..."  
Hannes let out a sigh  
"You're not stupid"  
"I drugged you and I drugged Levi because you were tired. Levi hates me, I ran away to Grandpa Arlert's rather than trying to tell Levi to sleep and I cried so hard I made the pups cry... Why is this all so hard? What am I doing wrong?"  
"You drugged me?"  
"And Levi..."  
Hannes sighed  
"I probably needed it..."  
"You walked into a wall..."  
"Yeah, no, I definitely needed it then. But let's lay off the drugs in future... what did you even use?"  
"Those pills you gave me when Levi was away last year"  
"You still had those?"  
"Yeah... I... I knew what I was doing was wrong... but the pups were born early because of me... I didn't want everyone suffering..."  
"Eren, no. Even if you hadn't gone into labor, I would have recommended a c-section after you next ultrasound. They're well and truly developed"  
"Then why are they so miserable? I don't know what I'm doing wrong! I have to be doing something wrong..."  
Rising from his office chair, Hannes moved to sit besides him  
"You aren't doing anything wrong. Some babies are fussy. That's all their is to it"  
"Then why did they settle down for Grandpa Arlert? They p-probably hate me"  
His misery had turned into self implosion. Hannes probably hated him too... the man had given up so much to take care of him. He wouldn't blame him if he was sick of him  
"They don't hate you"  
"How do you know!? I made them cry..."  
Grabbing fistfuls of hair, he pulled hard, until Hannes took his wrists  
"Eren, stop it"  
"No! Even Mrs Hoover can see I can't give the boys a good life! I'm stupid and useless and shallow and I can't do anything right"  
"What a load of shit. That's not true and you know it"  
"Then why is she taking over our house!"  
"Eren, did you even read the papers properly?"  
"I'm too stupid to understand them"  
"Your father sold the house. He probably didn't even realise that you knew the family. But he sold it"  
"He'd never do that..."  
"He did... in exchange for a transfer to a secure mental facility"  
"He... he... what?"  
"He's going to still be locked away..."  
"No... no... he needs to stay there..."  
"Eren, these places are very secure"  
"You said he'd be secure at the hospital and he still called the fucking boys!"  
Struggling to breathe, his chest felt tighter by the minute  
"Eren, you're starting to panic, you have to breathe"  
"How can I? Everything I do is wrong! How are you not sick of me? I don't get any better and Mrs Hoover saw right through me!"  
"Eren, you can tell her no"  
"How! She's already got the plans approved"  
Each word was becoming a struggle  
"I'll call her, I'll tell her thanks but no thanks"  
"You can't say no to her! You don't know these people. My shitty house is worse less than her shoes and it's probably smaller than her wardrobe. I'm nothing but a joke to her"  
"Eren, you need to calm back down"  
"Or what? You'll drug me? Go ahead. It'll be better for all of us if I don't open my eyes"  
He couldn't stop the words coming out his mouth, and totally deserved the slap he got across the face  
"Don't you ever say that!"  
"Why not! I can't look after 4 children! I can't! You're all exhausted and it's only been a few days! Why can't you all just admit you're laughing at me behind my back!"  
"Because we aren't. It's a huge adjustment for all of us. If I could take time off work here, I would"  
"See... I'm ruining things again... and Levi won't go to school or work... he needs to go back! He's not like me, he's smart and has a future..."  
"A future with you"  
"That's because he didn't know what he was getting into"  
His words were coming through short sharp breaths, and he could feel himself growing more and more lightheaded, but he stubbornly continued   
"He deserves better than me. I love him so much Hannes... but he hates me"  
"Eren, we're just going around in circles here. You need to take some deep breaths for me... in... and... out"  
Hannes could stick his deep breaths. He wasn't worth the alpha's time. He shouldn't have come here... 

 

*  
Levi was sitting on the sofa when he heard the crunching of tyres on gravel. Growling in frustration, he pushed himself off the sofa and stalked to the front door to see who it was. Standing there, he watched Hannes climb from the Range Rover, and let out a sigh. That couldn't be a good sign. Eren had been gone for hours now, and both pups were sound asleep. He didn't need people coming in and waking them up... even if it was Hannes. He was so pissed that Eren had betrayed him, and every little thing reminded him of it. His scowl only deepened as the man moved and lifted Eren from the back seat. Great. What mess had his mate gotten himself into now? Whatever... forcing his alpha's need to comfort the omega down, he returned to the sofa and intentionally made himself appear busy  
"Hi Levi, I've brought your fiancé back home"  
"I noticed"  
Eren stank of pain. At least that was something...  
"We should talk, but I need to lay him down first. He had a panic attack and passed out"  
"Then why didn't you keep him in hospital. He already made it clear he doesn't want to be here"  
Hannes ignored his words  
"Did he show you those papers?"  
Levi's eyes narrowed   
"What papers?"  
"The house has been sold"  
Levi felt like he'd been gut punched, but Hannes walked from the room with no further explanation. What in all fuckery was going on? Rising to follow Hannes, he was surprised when the man carried Eren into the twins room and laid him down in Ren's bed  
"What are you talking about?"  
"Give me a minute"  
"Hannes..."  
His voice was like poison, the atmosphere in the room instantly tense  
"Go sit in the living room while I settle Eren down"  
"No. You're going to tell me what the hell is going on"  
"And I will, but let me help Eren first"  
He nearly said "fuck him" out loud, and the shock of even thinking about saying that had him backing away. Eren had fucked up, but something as huge as the house being sold... it explained why his mate wouldn't talk to him before taking off and leaving him with the crying pups.

Hannes came out a good 5 minutes later. The man seemed to have aged a decade since he last saw him. Sliding a thick stack of papers out his jacket pocket, he let them drop on the table  
"What the hell are those?"  
"Grisha sold the house. These are the plans for the renovations and his transfer"  
"What?"  
"Mrs Hoover, or at least someone in her employment got Grisha to sell. The house now belongs to her company, and after the mandatory 30 days holding, it will pass to you and Eren. In the mean time, she's had a complete overhaul drafted up and it's already been council approved"  
"Are you fucking shitting me? No. Eren I were going to do this ourselves"  
"It's all here, all legal. She must be pretty damn scary to have all this organised in just 3 days"  
"We don't need her fucking charity"  
He was beyond furious. The woman was a fucking menace and she had no right coming in and trying to pull this shit  
"As far as I can see, it's all been done. Grisha is being transferred to a secure mental facility. It was in the terms of sale"  
"Bull shit. They can't just transfer him"  
"Don't look at me"  
"I'm not standing for this. How dare she look down on us like that!"  
"Eren was much the same. He was convinced you hated him, that he was to blame for the pups being upset all the time, that Mrs Hoover could see he could never give the boys a good life and that he was pretty much nothing"  
Rubbing his face in annoyance, Levi's hands then slid up and through his hair, leaving his fingers together at the back  
"Levi, he's not in a good place right now"  
"No fucking shit. Everything he's trying to hides out in the open and he's been caught out"  
It wasn't exactly what he wanted to say, but he was too fucking agitated. He wanted to punch Mrs Hoover in her silicone filled face. He'd been trying to find a way to get the house since Grisha went to jail, but all it took was a snap of the woman's fingers  
"The plans are here for when you're ready"  
"I'm not letting that lot do anything. We don't need to be treated like a charity case"  
Hannes nodded  
"Just read them over first"  
"You sound like you want us to take her offer..."  
"No, it's just you can't fight a battle you know nothing about"  
"Yeah. Sure"  
Storming across the room, he snatched the papers off the dining table. Fucking rich people...


	96. Chapter 96

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mini update as me and this chapter aren't talking and I don't want to look at it

Levi had no idea how long Eren was going to keep avoiding him for. This was day number 3 and it was hard to see his mate flinch every time he looked at him. It was like Eren was waiting for him to explode... but Levi honestly didn't know what to say or do, he'd even been left home yesterday when Eren and Hannes went to Trost with the pups. The alpha had vented all his current frustrations on the house, scrubbing the kitchen and bathroom within an inch of their lives. He'd also washed all the bedding in the house, cleaned the floors and groomed the cats until he had enough fur to create two small fur kitties in their image. The one small mercy of his mates sadness was that the pups seemed to be responding to it, the boys had been just as quiet, only crying for nappy changes or to be fed... which was awkward as Eren was sleeping in the twins room and would skirt around the very edge of their room to get to the pups. He'd then carry them from the room, feed them, change them and bring them back, all without saying a single word to him.

Hearing a knock at the door, Levi pushed himself up, but Eren strode through the room as if he'd been expecting it. It didn't take long before the sounds of Reiner and Bertholdt's voices reached his ears, and the three returned to the living room. Both Bertholdt and Reiner seemed agitated and Levi was jealous over the fact Eren seemed to be talking to them and not him  
"Have you got those papers?"  
Giving a nod, Eren raced from the room, returning with the papers Levi had stuffed into the bedside draw   
"I'm so sorry about her. I honestly had no idea she'd gone this far"  
Sinking down at the dining table, the three set about organising the documents. Did he just not get a say in things  
"You said in your call that she'd contacted your father?"  
"She agreed to have him transferred"  
Both alpha's let out growls that rubbed him the wrong way  
"No. He can stay there and fucking rot"  
"But what can I do?"  
"I'll talk to her"  
"I don't want to see rude"  
"Mum's the one being rude. She..."  
"She was looking down on the charity case. I know. But we've made it this far on our own"  
"Eren, you're not a charity case"  
"How else am I supposed to feel? I have my own dreams for this house... but she's already got council approval for hers..."  
"Look. We will talk to her. We'll find a better way for you to get the house"  
"How? She's already signed a contract with Grisha"  
"Then we'll figure something else out..."  
Eren shook his head  
"I don't see how that's possible"  
"That's why we'll do it. We know how rich people think remember"  
"Yeah, you just give away $100,000 cars like it's nothing"  
"Hey, that was a gift because it was either that or have mum keep complaining"  
"I know you guys say you didn't know, but first the car and then house... I can't help but feel like you're just looking down on us..."  
"Eren, no. Never. We both know you and how stubborn you are. You're still standing and you're still moving forward in your own way. No one can look down on you for that"  
"Tell that to my mother. I can't believe her. She knows what Eren's been through, and yet she agreed to moving Grisha"  
Reiner nodded  
"Leave your phone one, we'll head back now, that way we can get things moving before this goes any further"  
"I'm sorry I called you both... and yelled at you"  
"I would have yelled too"  
Reiner and Bertholdt grabbed the stacked papers, apparently the three of them had managed to get them in order, and both alpha's moved to wrap their arms around Eren   
"Try not to think about it"  
"I literally do nothing else other than think"  
"Then go take a hot bath, read a book, watch a movie or sleep... just don't go worrying about Bertholdt's mother"  
"Thanks... I really don't know what I would have done without you"  
"That's what friends are for..."  
Reiner and Bertholdt showed themselves out, and Eren cast him a fearful look before leaving. So he wasn't even going to talk to him about his? 

Having finally reached breaking point, the alpha stalked down the hall. He'd fully expected Eren to be in the twins room, but instead came to a stop out side their room. The omega was sitting on the bed with one of the pups in his arms  
"I'm sorry... your daddy hates me... and I don't know how to fix it... but you're just hungry aren't you and you have no idea what I'm saying... I don't know what to do anymore. So after I feed you, I'm going take a nap, and who knows, mummy might just not wake up"  
Levi's blood turned to ice and his heart was racing as his stomach knotted. He couldn't believe how easily the words had come off Eren's tongue. Sinking to the floor, he buried his face between his knees and wrapped his arms around them. Eren had felt so guilty over the pups being born too soon... but he'd seemed a little better after they talked... but now he thought he hated him... he didn't hate him, he just didn't know how to talk to Eren without him being so scared... maybe he should go back to work and school like the omega had said... but what if he came home and found... no. No matter how bad things got, Eren wouldn't do that... but he had hurt himself before... fuck. This was all so confusing... he was so caught up in his thoughts, he didn't even realise Eren was watching him  
"I'll just move..."  
Eren stood stock still until he had, the omega then creeping past and into the bathroom.

Hannes, he needed Hannes.

Shutting himself in the twins room, Levi buried his face against Eli's pillow. It smelt more of his mate than it did of their son, and his heart ached. Nuzzling the pillow, he let out a long unhappy sigh, before forcing his face away and grabbing out his phone and calling Hannes. The man missed the first call, and Levi was just starting with the self hatred when his phone started to ring  
"Levi! Sorry, was in with a patient! What's going on?"  
"Eren and I still aren't talking..."  
Hannes let out a nasally sigh  
"I know..."  
"How do I get him to talk to me? He didn't even tell me Reiner and Bertholdt were coming today to talk to him about Mrs Hoovers offer"  
"Oh, I suppose I should have given you the heads up about it..."  
"Wait... you knew?"  
"Yeah. He called them yesterday when we were in Trost"  
"What else did you two get up to without me"  
He sounded more than a tad pissy, but he couldn't help it. He'd told Eren he needed to talk to him, but his mate had gone off on his own tangent again  
"Don't be like that. I had to drag Eren to Trost"  
"Yeah... he really looked like he was being dragged..."  
"Look, I'm 99% sure he would have preferred to be anywhere else"  
"Sure... he seemed fine enough yesterday and now he doesn't want to wake up"  
Errrr. He probably shouldn't have said that  
"I took him to a new counsellor yesterday, that's why we were in Trost"  
Levi let out a groan  
"Yeah. He called Reiner and Bertholdt after he came out. I'm sorry I forgot to tell you"  
"Is there anything else I should know about yesterday?"  
"I bought him a new phone, I kind of bribed him. He'd get a new phone, and you wouldn't know"  
"Well that worked out well"  
"Yeah, so no mentioning it"  
"I won't, but how am I supposed to make things up with him?"  
"Hang up on me and go talk to him, or even better..."  
Hannes hung up on him and Levi rolled his eyes. Eren was back in counselling... but he wasn't allowed to know... great, he was getting angry all over again. Rolling off Eli's bed, Levi tried to calm himself down, before heading off to find his wayward fiancé.

Eren was sitting on their bed, the omega tapping away on his new phone  
"New phone?"  
"Yeah... Hannes got it for me"  
"I thought I was supposed to be buying you a new phone"  
"Hannes didn't want me home alone without one..."  
"Home alone?"  
"You can't stay home forever"  
"I can until things settle down"  
"They have settled"  
"So not talking to me means things have settled"  
Looking away from him, Eren sighed  
"What do you want from me Levi?"  
"For you to talk to me"  
"We're talking now"  
"You know that's not what I mean. You didn't even tell me about talking to Reiner and Bertholdt"  
"What was I supposed to say?"  
"Maybe a heads up would have been nice"  
Shit. He wasn't supposed to be digging the hole he was stuck in deeper  
"Look. I'm worried about you. I miss you, and I miss sleeping next to you and talking to you and I can't stand how scared you look"  
"You don't have to force yourself..."  
Surging forward, Levi forced a hard kiss on Eren's lips. His mate just wasn't getting it and it wasn't like he was the best with words as it was...  
"I love you. We're supposed to be a team, but you get all these wrong ideas and then you talk about dying. We're supposed to be happy. Our pups are here, healthy and completely exhaustingly loud, but I still love them and I love the boys and I love you. So let me in..."  
A shaking hand moved to clutch his shirt, Eren moving forward to place his forehead against Levi's   
"I don't know what I'm doing wrong"  
"What do you mean?"  
"With the pups... they don't seem happy and I don't know how to fix it..."  
"Oh baby, no. The pups are happy"  
"Then why do they cry so much?"  
Levi snorted lightly, Eren was crying over their pups crying. It was completely adorable  
"Because they had to put up with us talking about them for the last 8 months and now they're out, they still want all our attention"  
"It was easier with Ren and Eli... mum always knew what to do. I've realised I was such a terrible mum. The boys went without..."  
Levi cut him off before he could make himself even more miserable  
"No. You did the best you could, you were just a kid yourself princess"  
"That's no excuse... I should be better"  
"You're being way too hard on yourself. Yes things have been absolute chaos for the last week and yes they've probably cried more than they've slept, but some babies are like that"  
"How do you know...?"  
"Because I looked it up and Hannes told me. I wanted to know how I could help more, but it's hard when you aren't by my side to explain things"  
"You don't need me... I'm stupid"  
"Eren, stop it. You aren't stupid"  
Forcing Eren back, Levi moved to straddle his lap and he wrapped his arms around his mate   
"You might think and do stupid things, but you are not stupid"  
"Then why is everything I do wrong?"  
"It isn't"  
"It feels that way"  
"That's because you haven't had enough cuddles lately. Admit it"  
"The boys have given me cuddles"  
"But the boys aren't you alpha"  
Eren let a sigh before covering his hands with his face  
"Levi, it was the right thing to do right?"  
"What baby?"  
"Turning down the offer... you and the boys could have had the house you'd always wanted"  
"Which would have meant nothing. Did the offer feel right to you?"  
"No"  
"Good, it didn't feel right on me either. I want to be the one who does all the work to our family house"  
"But that could take years and it's not fair for you to work so hard... and then come home and do all this"  
"Things won't be this way forever. I already planned to get a job in town once I've finished my course, you know I have and Hannes promised me work at the hospital doing maintenance"  
"But you have so much potential, won't you be bored just being a father and fixing things"  
"Just being a father sounds pretty good to me... we have four amazing boys, 5 if you include the big kid"  
His mate finally gave him a tiny laugh  
"Levi, all I want is for you to be happy"  
"I know, but I'm not happy with you hurting and upsetting yourself in an attempt to make me happy. I want you to be more selfish. I want you to do things for yourself and pamper yourself a little. You carried our babies for so long, you deserve to be spoilt"  
"Even if I went into labor early"  
"Definitely. You delivered them with no drugs, I can't even imagine how much that hurt"  
"A lot..."  
"See, you definitely need pampering. What can I do to pamper you?"  
"Stay like this... I've missed you so much"  
Laying his head against Eren's still swollen stomach, Levi nuzzled it lightly  
"Does this hurt?"  
"No... you feel really warm"  
"Oh, so one might even say I'm hot?"  
Eren's stomach wobbled slightly as his mate snorted   
"That was awful"  
"You just don't want to admit I'm hot"  
"No, I know you're hot. Your joke just sucked"  
"Barely talking to me again and being brutal. I really missed you baby"


	97. Chapter 97

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Literally, all I want to do is lay in bed and write... but noooo, people expect me to adult! It's a horrible trap!

It was another week before they heard back from Reiner and Bertholdt, both pups were still as fussy and no matter how tired they got, the moment they were laid down, they'd start crying again. Even laying them down in bed and curling against them didn't keep them happy. It had to be a proper hold, right up against the chest if they wanted any sleep at all. Both boys were currently being cuddled by the two alpha's as they sat on the sofa and Eren was laying on the floor as if trying to become one with it. His mate still refused to give himself a break... not that they'd really had time for one. It's like the pups knew they'd talked and a little of the pressure was gone, so had rushed to fill it with their unhappy cries. For his part, Levi was in the middle of organising curry for dinner. The boys had seen it in a book at school and now he was the one ladled with making it a reality. Eren let out a sleepy yawn and Reiner looked towards him  
"Why don't you just go to bed"  
"Because you came all this way, again, and we haven't even talked"  
"Do you want the good news or the bad news?"  
"Bad news"  
Levi really didn't think he could handle anymore bad news   
"Grisha's already been transferred and he's now contesting his sentence. He says because he's no longer in jail, but a mental facility he was wrongly sentenced to begin with"  
"And you have good news?"  
"We do. The house is yours. Mum didn't understand at all why you guys wouldn't leap at the offer, so we told her we'd handle everything. Practice for the future with business and all that. But... We also know you guys don't want to feel indebted. Sooo... think of it as a loan. You can pay us back the $90,000 mum paid your father, like a mortgage. The house that was is yours to do as you please, when you please"  
"What"  
Eren was obviously struggling to comprehend  
"It's a lone. Interest free of course, but that does mean you'll have to keep being our friends and putting up with at least until it's all paid off"  
"Are you fucking serious?"  
Reiner gasped  
"Not in front of the babies. Delicate little earsies"  
There was something so wrong about the way the hulking alpha said "earsies" so cutely   
"And given mum was the one who got Grisha's sentence all messed up, we'll be fixing that up too. He's not going to stand a chance"  
Coming around from the kitchen counter, Levi sank down next to Eren. His mate clearly too shocked to do anything  
"With this loan, its all going to be official and legal right?"  
"Yep. We've gotta go and see the bank together, and organise reasonable repayment times and all that"  
"So even if we have a falling out, we aren't going to be kicked out"  
"I don't see us having a falling out... but if we do, no. You aren't"  
"How the hell do you guys get things done so fast?"  
"Dad. He like knows everyone everywhere"  
"And we banned my mum from sticking her nose in again"  
Eren finally seemed to rouse, his words slow  
"So this is happening?"  
"Yeah. I'm sorry my mother caused this mess"  
"Can't you pair ever just visit like normal people?"  
"What can I say? Drama and flare are completely us"  
Bertholdt rolled his eyes  
"Completely him he means"  
"Don't pretend you don't love it"  
"I do... I married you after all"  
"Damn right you did"  
The pair shared a quick kiss, before looking down at the pups  
"You know, their ears are adorable"  
"Yeah... you should see their tails, they match"  
"No way... that is so cool"  
"Don't let looks fool you though, they scream and fuss like there's no tomorrow"  
"Wouldn't they have settled down by now?"  
"You would think so, but they don't want to sleep if they aren't being held"  
"Parenthood seems really scary..."  
"The first 25 years are the hard bit, or at least that's what google says"  
Even Eren stared at him in shock, but Reiner let out a loud laugh, and soon Viren was crying and he was trying to hush him down  
"I never excepted you to make a joke like that"  
"He is capable of joking... but it's very rarely he comes out with a good one"  
Pulling Eren up into his lap, he wrapped his arms around Eren tightly, effectively pinning him against him   
"What was that?"  
"Your jokes are bad"  
"Oh yeah, who's worse. Me or Hannes?"  
"You. I'm bonded to you... I have to put up with them forever"  
Hold the fuck up. Did Eren even realise how happy he was making him right now? Maybe now they finally owned the house, or would own the house, he'd gone insane?  
"Eren, I think you broke Levi"  
"I do too... Levi, you've got to let me go. I can't breathe"  
Releasing his hold, his fiancé sucked in a huge breath in an over exaggerated fashion  
"Sorry... you probably don't know, but things haven't been great between us since the pups were born..."  
Bertholdt nodded slowly  
"And with Eren being a loving idiot, you're all happy"  
"Yeah, pretty much..."  
Nuzzling Eren's neck, Levi hid his small smile   
"You guys do know we are happy to baby sit right? If you want some time out..."  
"Thanks, but they've only taken formula once and refuse to now... which means I need to be close"  
Reiner booped Virens nose lightly with the tip of his finger  
"That's right boys. Accept no imitations"  
"I don't think formula is really an imitation"  
"And I think you're missing my point"  
Bertholdt raised an eyebrow as he looked to Reiner  
"Do you even know what your point is?"  
"Nope"

Hannes arrived home with the boys a little after 3. Both were excited to see Ner and Ber, until they saw the pups in their hold. Reaching out towards them, both twins ran into Eren's hold, ignoring their heroes in the process  
"Mum!"  
"How was school babies?"  
"Long..."  
Eli leant in to whisper into Eren's ear  
"Do Ber and Ner still like us?"  
"Or course they do"  
"But they're holding them..."  
Jealousy was once again rearing its ugly head  
"Hey boys, don't we get at hello"  
Both boys buried their faces against Eren's chest  
"Sorry, they're a bit jealous"  
"Oh. You guys know we haven't played soccer together in ages right... I thought they might want to play with us..."  
These were the magic words that had the boys peaking back at the pair. Bertholdt seemed confused for a minute, but then nodded  
"Yeah, its been months! But maybe they don't want to play with us? Maybe they're too cool for us now that they're big brothers?"  
"We came all this way!"  
"Noooo, we wanna play. Right Eli?"  
Eli nodded quickly and Levi tried not laugh at how easily the boys had just been played.

With the twins playing soccer out the front of the house, Eren was curled up on the sofa with both twins against him. Apparently if he balanced them just the right way, the pups wouldn't cry. Finally given a moment alone, Levi had to ask  
"Eren, are you really alright with how everything played out?"  
"No"  
Well that was blunt  
"The fact that Grisha thinks he's going to go free makes me sick... and now we have landlords..."  
"But at least we weren't given the house..."  
"No, we just have our friends as landlords... what if we can't pay them? Or what if we have a falling out?"  
"That's all in the future. At least for now some crazy woman isn't going to renovate our house for us"  
"Yeah..."  
Eren really wasn't ok with this, which meant all his playfulness had been a show, it felt like a blow to the gut. He wanted his mate to be truly happy  
"We'll work something out. We have a little savings now"  
"Which will go on the pups, and food and bills and things the boys need and petrol and..."  
"Princess, you're spiralling"  
"I can't help it. I don't want this! I want to go back to before everything changed..."  
Both boys began to cry, and Eren tried to hush them. Wiping his hands on the teatowel Levi moved to Eren's side, taking Viren from his shoulder  
"I think someone needs a nappy change"  
"Probably..."

 

*  
Eren played with his dinner half heartedly. The boys seemed pretty happy as the curry was like 80% meat and Levi hadn't burn it. He didn't want to owe his friends... it just brought home the difference between them... for the upteenth time  
"Eren?"  
Jerking up, he looked to Levi   
"Oh, sorry. What was that?"  
"I was just asking if I should have made you something plainer"  
"No, it's ok..."  
"Eren, you look tired. We can handle putting the twins to bed if you want to have an early night"  
"No, it's ok"  
"We really don't mind"  
Eren however did... he didn't need them yet again bailing them out... he wanted to try standing on his own two feet, but no one seemed to want to let him. Even Hannes had him carrying his new phone around all the time because the man had put a tracker on it. Not that Levi needed to know that. It felt like no one trusted him and it wasn't a great feeling  
"I'm fine"  
He wished he'd missed the looks of concern the pair shot at him, before looking to Levi   
"If Eren says he's fine, he's fine. Besides, the boys need baths after all that running around"  
"But dad, we have our baths in the moooooorning"  
"Not tonight, I can smell you from over here"  
Both boys leant in and sniffed at each other before giggling   
"We stink"  
"I told you. It's my magical dad power at work"  
"You don't have any powers"  
"Don't I? How did I know that mum was going to give you bath while I do the dishes after dinner, then?"  
Ren's eyes widened, almost if he might believe...  
"Mum are you really?"  
"Yep. With plenty of bubbles too"  
Eli leant in to "whisper" to Ren  
"He knew..."  
Ren nodded solemnly, apparently this had rattled their little world.

Grateful for the break from Reiner and Bertholdt, Eren was sitting on the bathroom floor while the boys played in their bath   
"Mum, does dad really have magic powers?"  
"All parents have magical powers"  
"No way..."  
"Yep. How could dad know about the bath otherwise?"  
"Because you told him?"  
"When did I get the chance?"  
"When we were at school"  
Eren shook his head  
"Nope"  
There was a moment of silence   
"Mum?"  
"Yeah baby?"  
"Can we sleep with you and dad tonight?"  
"You'll have to ask dad about that one..."  
He truthfully just wanted Levi to make him feel better... the only tiny spark of   
happiness was that no one had checked on him while he was bathing the boys  
"Fiiiiiine"  
Eren snorted  
"I think it's about time you two get out"  
"Nooooo, there's still bubbles"  
There were significantly less bubbles than when they'd started. Dipping his hand into the water he found it now barely warm  
"Sorry babies, the waters gone cold. Let's get you out"  
Rising from the floor, he bit down a whimper as he rose wrong. His butt really didn't like this whole moving business, but he didn't need anyone blowing it out of proportion. He'd been sore for like a month and a half the first time, and it wasn't like he had any desire for sex at the moment  
"Mum, do you need to poop? You look you need to"  
Charming  
"No baby, mum is just a little sore"  
"Sometimes you just need to take a really big poop and you feel all better"  
He totally, really, didn't need to poop. The feeling like he was going to lose all his internal organs when he went wasn't exactly fun. Shaking his head to dismiss the thoughts, he lifted the boys out the bath and wrapped them in their towels. He couldn't wait until his stomach went down and he could actually carry them around again. 

With the boys dressed in their pyjamas, the pair were sitting on his lap. They didn't want to go to sleep, not with Reiner and Bertholdt there. It wasn't cool, but even though they struggled, they couldn't help but be lulled into sleep as he gently rubbed their backs  
"Levi..."  
Coming from the kitchen, Levi gave a small nod, before lifting Ren first, the boys arms automatically wrapping around Levi   
"Put them to sleep in our room"  
"Really?"  
"Yeah"  
Reiner rose  
"I can take Eli"  
"It's alright, Levi will settle Ren down and then take Eli in"  
Sinking back down, Reiner had a weird look on his face and Eren wondered if he'd been found out. To save himself from looking at his friends, he buried his face in Eli's hair and pressed kisses to the top of his head  
"Mummy?"  
"Yeah baby, daddy's gonna take you to bed in a minute"  
"I'm not sleepy"  
Letting out a small yawn completely ruined the boys argument. His fingers clinging to Eren's top and his head resting against his still swollen stomach. Levi returned and smiled at the sight  
"Someone's loved"  
"I know, they've missed both of us"  
"Yeah, I've missed them too"  
Lifting Eli up, Levi carried him out the room and Eren pulled his legs up in an attempt to get comfortable. He was exhausted from forcing himself to keep his head and not think about Grisha. Reiner and Bertholdt had said it would all work out, but Eren couldn't be that positive. His father had so many things on his side, like not remembering the incident, his alcoholism, Eren shaming their bloodline, his mums death driving the man mental and all his actions kind of since... it was thoroughly depressing.

When the space besides him dipped, he jumped. He hadn't even realised he'd closed his eyes   
"Hey princess"  
Levi guided him against him and wrapped an arm around him loosely  
"Are the boys settled?"  
"Yeah. Completely dead to the world"  
"Good... Reiner and Bertholdt, you guys can use their room if you want. You just have to put up with two very loving fat cats"  
"That's alright, we're going to head back"  
"You're welcome to stay"  
"Nah, we'll deal with that bank paperwork"  
"What paperwork?"  
Oh yeah, Hannes didn't know  
"I'll tell you all about it later, but the main point is that they're are landlords now"  
Reiner snorted   
"We are not your landlords. The house is yours"  
"Ah, but we still have to pay you back"  
"I feel like this is going to confuse my head and I didn't get enough cartoon time this afternoon"  
"Then come give mum and dad a big hug and you can go to bed too"  
Eren hardly expected the man to actually walk over and wrap his arms around them  
"Nigh nigh"  
"Oh god, he's hugging us..."  
"You asked for it"  
"Only because I didn't think this would happen"  
Snorting lightly, Eren yawned as he shook his head  
"He's our big kid remember, you should have been better"  
"I really should have"  
"Right! I'm off to bed, sorry, I'm on the morning shift again tomorrow"  
"Good night Hannes"  
"Night!"  
Hannes released them and walked from the room, leaving the tour of them alone   
"I guess we should head off too..."  
Shit. He really needed to try and sound alright  
"We really don't mind if you stay"  
"Eren, you look exhausted and it looks like you and Levi need to talk about something. Try not to over think things..."  
Sure... because over thinking wasn't his speciality. Both alpha gave him a quick hug before letting themselves out and Eren let out a sigh of relief   
"Princess?"  
"I'm going to take a bath"  
He didn't even know why he said it, but a bath suddenly sounded like an awesome idea   
"Can I join you?"  
"I'm..."  
Levi rushed to reassure him  
"Not for sex... I just want to hold you"  
"Ok... but can we not talk? Is that alright?"  
"If that's what you need"  
"Yeah. It's just been too much"  
"I kind of feel like that too... is it bad that I'm relieved they left?"  
"No... I love them both, but I just feel really insignificant right now. Everything that would have taken us months to organise, they did in days..."  
Ending his sentence with a shake of his head, he sounded too bitter  
"It's ok. I get it. Do you want me to carry you?"  
"Yeah... I don't think I can walk"

The bath felt like heaven, his back was firmly against Levi's chest and his head resting on his shoulder. Levi's hands were loosely wrapped around his waist  
"Baby, you still awake?"  
"Barely"  
"I love you. I'm sorry about all this shit with your dad"  
"Didn't you say we didn't have to talk?"  
"You're right... but I just wanted to tell you I love you"  
"I know... I'm sorry I'm not a very good omega, but I love you..."


	98. Chapter 98

Levi was irate. No, he was more than that. The alpha could hear the blood rushing through his veins. Slamming down the bags of shopping, he let out a frustrated growl, causing a low whimper to fill the space behind him. Eren was a fucking wreck. So much for Grisha not having a leg to stand on, they were having a fucking hearing thing because of the alpha... and they'd found out while in Trost... Reiner and Bertholdt informing them after they'd filled out the bank papers. Listening to his mate crying softly, Levi rubbed his face before turning to look at him  
"Come here baby"  
Eren stumbled slightly, reaching for him and pulling him close. The only good thing that seemed to have come the trip were the two baby slings they were no wearing. The pups really seemed to like them and having his hands free was kind of awesome. He'd really not been sure when Eren pointed them out, but now he was completely sold  
"It's alright, I'm here"  
Eren didn't reply, he just stood there holding fistfuls of Levi's shirt with his forehead against them  
"I know you didn't have lunch, but you need to eat"  
"I can't..."  
"Not even some toast?"  
Eren shook his head and Levi let out a level breath  
"Do you want to settle the pups down while I put everything away?"  
"Don't want to move"  
"You know, I think you'll feel better if you eat something"  
"I said I can't!"  
"Ok, no need to snap"  
"I'm going to bed"  
Slipping past him, Eren headed towards their room, leaving him to look down at Viren  
"You're so lucky the worst thing you have to worry about is which boob you want to sickle"  
Viren wriggled against him, and blinked  
"See, you know it's true. You're mums father is a complete and total arsehole and daddy can say these bad words because you can't understand..."  
"Daddy still shouldn't say them"  
Jumping at being caught, Levi turned and smiled broadly  
"Um..."  
"I came to get him..."  
"Oh, are you sure? I don't mind..."  
"Levi, you stink like anger still, let me just settle him down"  
Eren's tone was practically begging  
"Ok, I'll just put all this away..."  
"Leave it. Come to bed"  
"But..."  
Crossing over, Eren lifted Viren out the sling  
"Eren?"  
"Just come to bed"  
His mate walked off ahead of him, and Levi slipped free of the sling.

Walking into their room, he found the twins weren't in their cots, which meant Eren must have settled them down in the twins rooms. Stripping off his shoes and shirt, Levi climbed into bed to wait for his mate. He still wanted to scream, but Eren couldn't take it, not how he was at the moment. The news had broken Eren so badly that the omega had collapsed on the spot, of would have if Bertholdt hadn't caught him. Coming into the room, Eren immediately stripping off his pants and underwear   
"Princess?"  
"Shut up. I don't want to talk"  
This wasn't how he wanted Eren, but his mate was stripped in seconds and sitting in his lap, mouthing at Levi's neck  
"Baby... you're not healed"  
"I don't care"  
"I do"  
Eren pulled back with a frown  
"Do you not want me?"  
Eren went to slide back but Levi grabbed him, thanks to Eren's shrinking stomach, he was able to pull him right up against his chest   
"Of course I want you, but I don't want to rush this"  
"I don't care! I want you..."  
Given how wet his lap was growing, that part was true. Pushing his lips against Levi's, Eren practically mailed his mouth until he allowed the omega to deepen the kiss. Finding his reason slipping away, his hands slid to grope at Eren's arse and his mate mewed into his mouth. This was probably a very bad idea, but he couldn't stop.

Eren didn't even give him a chance to pull his pants off, they were barely around his thighs before the omega was sinking down on his erection. His mates wet heat had him growling, it'd been 3 and a half weeks since the twins were born and he hadn't felt any sexual desire, but now he had a lap full of a moaning and grinding omega... he couldn't stop himself... and Eren seemed to be of the same mind. His mate beginning to ride him desperately while nuzzling furiously at his neck  
"Eren, slow down, you'll hurt yourself"  
"Don't care"'  
If anything his words of concern seemed to increase Eren's pace and his knot popped all too soon. Eren let out a long whine as he came, his semen splattering across Levi's stomach and his mate began to sob immediately  
"Shhh, I've got you"  
Rubbing Eren's back, he could only hold his fiancé close as he basically wailed against him.

The alpha had no idea how long he sat there with Eren in his lap. His knot had deflated, and Eren's sobs had died down somewhat but his mate wouldn't raise his face or let him go  
"Baby?"  
"Levi... I don't want him to kill me"  
What was he supposed to say to that? Even the thought of a world without Eren in it had him feeling sick  
"He's not going to"  
Starting to rock Eren gently, his mate shivered again him  
"Hey baby, I think it's time we got cleaned up, and you can have a nap"  
"Don't wanna move"  
Each word came in a sleepy puff, but before Levi continue his argument, small cries reached their ears, causing Eren to groan   
"It's alright, I'll take care of them"  
Sliding Eren up and from his lap, he winced at the smell of blood. The moment Eren was free, he curled around himself with a low whine  
"Princess?"  
"It's fine..."  
Pulling the blankets up to cover Eren, Levi reached for the wet wipes beside the bed, trying to clean himself up as fast as possible. The traces of blood on the wipes told him this had definitely been a bad idea. Damn Eren and his irresistible arse...

Viren settled the moment the door creaked, but Rei kept crying. Lifting the pup into his arms, he carried him out the room with him. Returning to the dining table, he slipped the sling back around him and then Rei into it. It felt wrong leaving Eren, but the food shopping definitely to go away, especially since Hannes would be home with the boys about 7  
"What do you think they want for dinner? I want pancakes... do you think they'll mind? Who am I kidding? Of course they won't. Wait until you're old enough, you'll be just the same"

Releasing it probably wasn't the smartest thing to cook with a baby against him, he carried Rei into Eren  
"Baby, I'm going to start dinner now"  
Eren let out a small snore. So no baby watching for mummy. Not wanting to upset the boys, he laid Rei down in his cot, before heading into the twins room to retrieve Viren. His son wasn't terrible impressed at having his sleep interrupted, so Levi laid him down next to his brother  
"Now you guys let mum sleep. He's had a rough day"

Dinner was chaotic. The boys had done some art thing in class and both were tripping over each other's words trying to tell him, while shovelling pancakes down. The normalcy helped to calm his lingering anger, but that was only until the boys were fed and then read to sleep. He wanted to do everything in his power to protect them and their innocence. He never wanted to be like Grisha, or Kenny, and now that he was a father, he didn't understand how either man could fuck up a kids life so badly. In his absence from the kitchen, Hannes had started washing the dishes, so Levi grabbed the tea towel and started drying   
"Soooo, how was today?"  
"Do you want me to be honest?"  
"That good?"  
"We signed all the house papers, so that's organised... but Reiner and Bertholdt can go suck a dick"  
"I thought you liked them"  
"I did... but Grisha's appeal is going forward"  
The plate Hannes had been washing slid from his hands and shattered on the floor  
"Yep. Eren collapsed on the spot, his heads all over the place and he's still bleeding"  
Hannes scrunched his face up  
"He was so upset that he crawled into my lap..."  
"Ok. I get it. But you shouldn't be having sex if he's still bleeding. He risks getting an infection now"  
"I couldn't say no to him. He thought I didn't want him"  
"He never makes it easy"  
"Nope. Hannes, what do we do about Grisha? He can't remember stabbing Eren"  
"They should have a recording somewhere of when Eren went to visit him... or at least an incident report"  
"Yeah, and he has the fact he's a drunk and known to be mentally unstable... if he pleads insanity due to alcohol"  
"He confessed at the time... though he was drunk, so his lawyer will probably bank on that..."  
"He told me he doesn't want Grisha to kill him..."  
"While he builds his case, we'll be building our own. We can use photos of the crime scene and Eren's medical reports, also his psychological assessment and maybe even get his counsellor to write a letter or something..."  
"Wouldn't Hanji's mum be better? He talked with her more often"  
"Maybe. I'll give her a call tomorrow"  
"I just can't believe someone was willing to take him on"  
"No doubt it's some shit stain that cares more about cash than human life"  
"Will Eren need to testify?"  
"Possibly..."  
"I don't want him in the same room as Grisha"  
"Levi, I don't know what to tell you. We won't know anything until it's closer to the date"  
"I know... it just makes me so fucking mad. Eren was so much more confident and happy when I met him. It's like I've jinxed him by being with him"  
"You haven't jinxed him"  
"He used to smile and laugh. He was happy and he had things organised... I thought his mood would start getting better now he wasn't pregnant"  
"Levi, your hormones don't just snap back to how they were before birth"  
"I noticed. I'm just so sick of him crying..."  
"I think we all are"

*  
What neither of them knew was that Eren was standing in the hallway. He'd woken because of the pain in his arse and had gone searching for painkillers, walking down the hall just in time to hear   
"I noticed. I'm just so sick of him crying..."  
"I think we all are"  
Retreating back to bed, he curled around his pillow, his back was hanging off the side of the bed, but he didn't want Levi cuddling him. He'd known it. Both of them were secretly sick of him.

That night when Levi came to bed, he was still awake. With his knees up and his face against the pillow, he pretended to be asleep as Levi climbed into bed  
"How am I supposed to cuddle you when you're like that"  
For a moment he thought he was sprung, and his heart raced wildly as he held his breath. Levi's arm slid over the pillow in an attempt to cuddle him, and Eren bit down on it to stifle the small cry rising. Levi felt so warm, his touch so comforting... but he'd been right. His mate didn't want him. It seemed to only be second before the pups started crying and he rushed to slide from Levi's hold   
"I'll get them"  
"Let me help"  
"No!..."  
Shit, that sounded too harsh  
"I'll do it. They probably just need a feed and you have school and work tomorrow"  
He'd only just convinced Levi to go back on Sunday... today was now Wednesday and Levi was back to his old shitty hours, which meant that he had Tuesdays and Wednesdays off. Rico hadn't been too impressed he hadn't been in touch, hence the bad hours. 

Having struggled into pants and a singlet, he was now carrying both pups awkwardly from the bedroom, having found Hannes in the living room and nearly turned back around. Instead he forced himself to be normal and sank down slowly onto the sofa  
"Feeding time?"  
Eren nodded silently, so Hannes reached for Rei  
"Look at these little guys, they're getting so big"  
Humming softly, Eren set about settling Viren down to feed, his son acting like he was completely starved   
"How did today go?"  
Words. He had to use words. He didn't want to use words. Words meant talking and he didn't want to talk. Reaching down, he brushed his fingertips against Viren's velvety ears  
"It was alright"  
"Really?"  
Hannes sounded slightly surprised, so evidently Levi had told him   
"Yeah"  
"You know, you don't have to pretend to be alright"  
That was funny. Didn't the man say he was sick of his crying. Somehow his brain registered as actually being funny and he felt a smile appearing. Focussing on Viren completely, he tried to pass the smile off as being for his pup  
"Try not to worry about Grisha. Whatever happens, we have a solid case against him"  
Yeah... couldn't have your pet charity case getting killed off too soon. It was no good. He was thoroughly miserable and most of it was his own doing. 

Having fed the boys, Hannes turned the TV off and insisted on helping lay them down  
"Right, I'm off to bed. Make sure you get some sleep too"  
Hannes left him and Eren sank down on the end of the bed. His feelings were so fucked up. He wanted to run, but Hannes would be mad... but then again, did it really matter? He didn't even know if could shift, he should be able to, it wasn't like he was pregnant anymore. Sliding onto the floor, he let the feeling take over him and was secretly thrilled when his body changed  
"Eren?"  
Rushing to change back, he winced as the increase in pain he felt  
"Just changing"  
"K. Come back to bed"  
He waited until Levi's breathing even out, before crawling out the room and using the hallway to pull himself up. He needed to think and this was definitely the best way to go about it.

Padding through the forest, Eren enjoyed his freedom. There was no one watching him. No one hovering close. No upset pups and no crying boys. It was just him and the forest he loved so much, so there was little wonder that his paws carried him out to his and Levi's spot. He'd honestly thought they'd spend more time at this place that was there's, but life always had other plans. Flopping down on the rocky outcrop, he stretched out and looked up at the stars. All of this was so insignificant. The world would keep turning until the day the sun died and took every trace of humanity away... so what was the point of struggling anymore. Mikasa had once described the world as beautiful and cruel place, she was right. There was beauty in this world, it was just hidden under the crushing reality that no matter how many lifetimes someone had, they'd never be able to see it all. Even if his father was released, things between him and Levi would never be the same. He'd hurt the alpha so many times. He'd fallen apart so many times. He'd cried so many tears and no time could erase that. He loved their family so much, but wasn't that selfish? He wanted Levi to be his and only his, to own his alpha completely and make him happy every day, but he couldn't remember how to be happy. Not like he used to be... or maybe he was never really happy...

 

*  
Waking to the screams of the pups, Levi rushed to hush them, he didn't even notice that Eren wasn't there initially. Both boys were wet and in desperate need of a nappy change. Holding Viren close to him, he moved to turn the rooms light on, and that was when he finally realised Eren wasn't there. His heart dropped. He knew Eren shouldn't have been left alone. Forcing himself to focus on the pups, he changed both boys and put them back to sleep, before binning the nappies and heading into the bathroom to wash his hands. He didn't know if he was relieved or not that Eren wasn't in there. It wouldn't have been the first time his mate fell asleep in the bath.

Heading into the living room, he was on the verge of panic. His omega hadn't been in the twins room, but the knot in his stomach evaporated at the sight of Eren on the sofa. His mate was stretched out in his wolf form, and Levi could smell the scent of earth on him. Eren had been out in the cold night air without him... thank god he'd come back. Eyeing the blanket under his mate, he couldn't cover Eren with it, so padded back to their room and grabbed the thickest one off their bed, before returning and covering Eren with it. The omega smelt better than he had earlier, almost happier if he had to choose a word to describe it... but the alpha didn't know if it was a good or bad thing yet...


	99. Chapter 99

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mwahahaha, who can guess what happens in the next chapter??
> 
> Also, I have rediscovered my love for Spiritpact and descendants of darkness... it was a shame that never ended properly... I haven't seen anything about it since it was supposed to be continued, but I ship hisoka and tsuzuki like crazy...

Eren was acting surprisingly normal, probably the most normal Levi had seen in months. The omega had laid out breakfast and made the boys lunches, as well as showered and washed the pups by the time Levi's alarm went off. Both pups were settled on their mat in the living room with their new mobile hanging over them. Even the boys seemed to notice the change. Eren ushering them into the bathroom and getting them both ready for school before finally settling them down at the table, and starting his own breakfast. Whatever had happened in the forest seemed to have been what Eren needed. Levi was still in the same semi-shocked and confused state as Eren got the boys to give him cuddles and kiss him goodbye, before kissing him goodbye and telling him to be safe. It was like some kind of weird dream, but when he pinched himself he didn't wake up.

 

*  
After dropping the twins off at school, Eren looked back at the pups, both sleeping in their car seats. They really were too cute, and so chubby. Instead of heading home, he drove over to grandpa Arlert's. He hadn't talked to the man in what felt like ages and knew he'd love some time with the pups. Pulling into the drive, he wondered why he didn't feel the same crushing pressure as he usually did. It was like nothing mattered... maybe because he realised last night that nothing really did. Climbing from the car, he moved to place Viren in the sling, before lifting Rei into his arms. Out the two of them, Viren was definitely the fussier baby.

Knocking on the front door, Grandpa Arlert answered with a smile   
"Hello Eren! Look at these two, they've gotten so big! Come in, come in"  
Following Grandpa Arlert into the living room, he smiled at the fact the man was already set up for a hard day of watching his shows  
"Can I get you anything?"  
"No, I'm good. I just thought it'd been a while since you'd seen the boys"  
"It has. Here, why don't you hold Rei? They're both fed and changed"  
The old man gently took Rei from his hold  
"Look at you! So big already!"  
Moving to sink into his recliner, the man was clearly wrapped with pup  
"Yeah, they're getting so big much faster than I expected"  
"That's because they're happy and loved, aren't you little Rei. Are they still crying?"  
"Some days are worse than others. But they do cry way more than the boys ever did"  
"Hear that, you're making work for mummy, but that's just because you're so adorable"  
Mr Arlert was so amazing with children, Eren had always wondered why he'd never had more of his own, but it wasn't his place to ask. Settling back into the sofa, he moved Viren up to his shoulder and rubbed the pups back  
"So what are we watching today?"  
"Oh, I don't know, I've been playing Netflix roulette and just watching whatever it lands on"  
"Sounds good to me"

The morning was actually enjoyable, and Eren stayed until lunch time. He wanted to get dinner organised before picking up the twins... and he wanted a nap. He might have been overly enthusiastic with everything he'd done this morning and his butt still hurt. Having taken a dozen selfies with the old man, they finally made it out to the car and loaded the pups into the back  
"Eren, you seem happier today... but your eyes still seem sad"  
He was momentarily taken back  
"Just stuff happening with dad. He's appealing his case, but with everything that happened, Reiner and Bertholdt don't think he's going to get off"  
Somewhat unexpectedly, the man wrapped his arms tightly around him  
"Try to think positive. No one in their right mind would let him out so soon"  
"Yeah. That's what I've to tell myself. But I'm ok, at least for now"  
"Good. Don't forget you can call me or message me or even just come around any time you want"  
"I know. Thank you for always being here for me. I couldn't have made it this far without you there"  
"That's quite alright. Your mother would be so proud if she could see you"  
"Thanks..."  
He was almost certain that wasn't the case, but it would ruin the mood to say so  
"And don't forget to tag me in those photos"  
Snorting lightly, Eren nodded  
"Yeah, I'll upload them when I get home. Take care of yourself"  
"I always do"

Arriving home and having the whole house to himself was kind of amazing. He set both pups up in the living room and went to sus the freezer situation out. Opting to make spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, he got the mince out to defrost and raided the fridge, setting every but the cheese out for later  
"Sorry guys, you'll have to settle for milk"  
His breasts were aching, but the boys hadn't cried for their feed yet. With that in mind, he put a load of washing on, before returning to living room. He really wanted to sweep the floors over, but he was just so sleepy now. He forced himself down onto the floor and fed the twins, both boys draining him as they suckled hungrily   
"Oh, why didn't you tell me you were so hungry, you're usually much more vocal... is having dad not around giving you stage fright. Well you can cry as much as you want now, just not tonight. Daddy gets home late tonight and he's off again early tomorrow. He really loves you guys... what do you think, do you think he'll want to take your big brothers out for the day? They can miss a day of school right?"  
Neither pup replied, not that they could, but they both had cheeky smiles on their faces"  
"Yeah, I'll have to find something fun for them to do"  
Sliding back up and onto the sofa, Eren grabbed the blanket and curled around it, before remembering he was supposed to do those photos for grandpa. Uploading all of them, he uploaded a few more of the pups. He didn't care anymore if people wanted to judge him for having wolf blood, it wasn't like he had a huge number of Facebook friends anyway. Tagging Grandpa Arlert in all of them, he then set his alarm for 2:30, and let himself fall asleep almost instantly on the sofa.

Both pups started crying as the alarm went off, apparently neither were a fan of his alarm tone. They were still grizzling unhappily as he loaded them into the back of the Range Rover   
"We've got to go pick your big brothers up now"  
Rei gave him a big yawn and Eren gently rubbed his ears after clipping the belt together  
"I know, but at least you don't have to get out the car"

Ren and Eli were filled with a ridiculous amount of energy, both boys trusting their bags at him before racing each other out to the car, and leaving him to move through the tide of tiny humans. He was sure that kids these days were getting smaller and smaller. By the time he'd made it back to the car, both boys had already climbed through and were bouncing in their seats  
"Muuuuuuuum you toooook so long!"  
"I'm sorry. Did you have a good day at school?"  
"I got a sticker!"  
"You did? What for?"  
"Don't remember"  
Snorting to himself, Eren placed the boys bags down on his seat and rounded the car to make sure the boys were clipped in properly   
"Mum, can we play outside when we get home"  
"School uniforms off and then you can"  
"Aw yes! Can we shift?"  
"If you're careful and stay near the house"  
The boys high fived happily.

With the boys playing out the back and the pups settled in their cribs, Eren was now making dinner. At least meatballs were easy, all it took was some cheese, onion, garlic, parley and a tin of tomatoes mooshed into the mince, before rolling them into balls and setting them aside on a baking tray. Not really caring about things did wonders for ones mental health. Of course he still loved the boys and would do anything for them, but if he distanced himself from Levi and Hannes, he could lock his feelings away, including everything he felt for Grisha. It made no sense how he could hate the man so much, but still love him at the same time and it was just too much effort to keep trying to understand.

"Muuuuuuum!"  
Eli came barreling in crying his name, and Eren's stomach knotted  
"What's wrong?"  
"Ren hurt himself"  
Grabbing his hand, Eli "dragged" him from the kitchen and outside. It wasn't hard to spot Ren, he was sitting near one of the big pines and crying his eyes out. Leaving Eli standing on the lawn, the omega rushed over to his son  
"Mumma!"  
Two very dirty hands reached for him and Eren lifted him up onto his hip  
"What happened baby?"  
"My hands..."  
Gently taking Ren's left hand, Eren winced at the numbers of splinters in it  
"We were climbing trees"  
"I think the trees won baby, let's get you all fixed up"  
"It... hurts"  
"I know"  
Holding his son close, Eren walked back inside the house and into the bathroom, sitting Ren down on the counter before starting to strip him down  
"I think you need a nice warm bath and we'll work on getting your hands all better"  
"Mum?"  
Looking back to Eli, his son was standing in the doorway looking lost  
"It's ok baby, it's just a few nasty splinters. Do you wanna take a bath to?"  
Eli nodded at him, tears still running down his face as he did  
"Why don't you put the bubble bath in the tub, and then you can get undressed"  
Eli nodded again, and Eren's heart was hurting for him. These two had such a special bond.

Even in the bathtub, Ren didn't want to let him go. The boy was more out the tub then in and Eli was sitting down the other end just watching  
"Baby, I know it really hurts, but you need to be really brave for me"  
Ren shook his head, trying to cling harder as Eren carefully pried his hands off him and put them in the bubbly water. His son screamed and stayed to wail, trying to fight him off as he did   
"I know, but mummy can't get all the splinters out if your hands are all dirty"  
Sliding up behind Ren, Eli wrapped his arms around him  
"You're hurting him mum"  
"Please just trust me..."  
Ren's hands were barely under the water, and he was using his thumbs to wipe over them as cautiously as he could. He didn't want to push the splinters further, but they were too dirty for him to see them properly. It made him feel like a monster. Raising Ren's hands out the water, most of the dirt was gone, and his son had done a good job, about a dozen splinters littered the boys hands, five of which looked particularly nasty. This wasn't going to be fun.

With Ren sniffling in his lap, they were now sitting on the sofa, while Eren dug each splinter out. His son was so upset that both his ears and tail were showing, and Eli wasn't doing much better. The boy was curled besides them, as close to Eren as he could physically get  
"Mum..."  
"I know, just a couple more"  
He'd already done most of Ren's left hand, which was the worse of the two. His son was going to be feeling quite sad and sorry for himself for a while. Resuming his work, he finished just as Hannes walked through the door  
"What's all this then?"  
Neither boy moved to respond, and Ren buried his face against his chest  
"Someone had a run in with splinters. I've just finished doing his hands, so dinners not done"  
"Do you want me to take a look?"  
"No, it's fine. But you can put dinner in the oven"  
"Fiiiiiiine"  
Ignoring Hannes's exaggerated reply, Eren nuzzled against Ren's soft hair  
"I'm sorry baby, but all the bad bit is over"  
"Mummy, it hurts"  
"I know, I'll get you some medicine if you'll let me get up"  
Ren shook his head against him  
"But you guys need to get dressed too"  
Again Ren shook his head, and let out a small sigh  
"Fine, I guess I'll just have to carry you"  
Shuffling to the edge of the sofa, Eren kept a firm hold on Ren as he rose. Eli was none to impressed form having him move, but the boy trailed after him. They'd barely made it across the room when the pups started crying   
"I'll get them"  
Eren wanted to say no, but Ren needed him, so instead nodded before heading down to the boys room.

With both boys dressed in their pyjamas, Eren finally got Ren to curl into his side while he fed the pups. The aura of misery around the pair had him feeling guilty, he should have been watching them play... but they were in their own backyard, it was supposed to be safe. Levi wasn't going to be happy when he found out that Ren had been hurt due to his negligence. Eli perked up slightly when Hannes announced dinner while be done shortly, making him feel even shittier. He was trying to stand on his own two feet... no. He wasn't going there, his emotions were staying locked away and he was just going to concentrate on his kids.

Ren crawled back into his lap for dinner and Eren ended up feeding him. His son was finally starting to smile again and Eren couldn't help but press kisses to the boys temple as he held him  
"Mum... can we sleep with you tonight"  
"Yeah babies, daddy won't be back until really late"  
"Is he at work?"  
"Yep. That reminds me, I was wondering if there's anywhere you want to? Like to the park or the zoo or anywhere like that..."  
"Ummmmm... I don't know..."  
"Daddy and I have been so busy so I thought you guys might want to spend the whole day with on Tuesday"  
"Don't we have school?"  
"Daddy has such crazy hours, it would have to be Tuesday or Wednesday. You guys could go to the movies..."  
"Have we been there before?"  
"When you guys were younger, we went with all mummy's friends"  
"Maaaaaybe... we'll have to check our schedule"  
Eren couldn't help but laugh, he had no idea where his kids had even heard the word "schedule", and the fact Eli had pronounced it wrong only added to the cuteness  
"Ok babies, when you do, you tell dad about it"  
"We will"  
Eating his own dinner quickly, Eren then settled back against the sofa and pulled Ren closer  
"How are your hands now?"  
"Sore..."  
"Do you want to go to bed early? I can read to you until you fall asleep"  
Ren nodded, as did Eli. It saved Eren from talking to Hannes, the man was being oddly quiet as he sat at dining table.

With the two pups in their cribs and both boys hugging him tightly, Eren felt a tiny spark of actual happiness. Not that he was happy because Ren was hurt, but his stomach was small enough now that he could carry the boys around and have proper cuddles. Laying in bed, he spent the next hour reading to them out their usual fairytale book. Out of all the books the boys usually requested, this was their favourite, probably due to the fact that most of the stories were wolf based. With the boys let out sleepy yawns, he dog eared the page and put it aside, before sliding down and cuddling the boys close  
"I love you babies"  
"Love you mum"  
Both boys sounded exhausted as they spoke in unison, so Eren said a small prayer that the pups would sleep through, and let himself be lulled to sleep by the boys warm breaths and comforting weight.


	100. Chapter 100

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh sweet cheesus! 100 guys. Who woulda thunk! Just wanna say a big thanks to you all!

Levi was hesitant about leaving Eren alone, his mate had been weird for the last week... well from that night he'd come back. It as like nothing seemed to really phase him if it wasn't to do with the boys. Even when the papers saying Grisha's trial date was on the 13th, the following Tuesday, Eren was surprisingly calm about it.

With both twins dressed, fed and bubbling with energy, Levi cast Eren a glance, his fiancé was sitting on the sofa feeding Viren  
"I guess we're off now"  
The omega nodded  
"Have fun, boys come give me a kiss goodbye"  
Boys... not him. Biting back the forming frown, Levi checked he had the keys, wallet and phone  
"I'll call you later"  
"Um... I don't know where my phone is"  
Why did it feel his mate was brushing him off... both boys gave Eren his kisses and the omega smiled at them  
"Have a good time with daddy"  
"We will! Dad, we can go now right?"  
"Yeah, just let me give mum a kiss"  
When Eren didn't protest, Levi crossed and kissed him, his mate barely kissing back  
"Is there anything you need brought back?"  
"Not that I can think of"  
Looking down to Viren, Levi felt like Eren was dismissing him. He missed his mate.

 

*  
Arriving in Trost, the first part of the plan was to pick up Izzy and Farlan. It'd been 4 weeks since the twins were born and he'd run out of reasons to keep them away, and some how Izzy had confused him into inviting them to hang out on there "boys day", as Eren called it. Driving the jeep through the streets, Levi's thoughts turned back to Eren. A functioning Eren was nice, an Eren that was smiling and chasing after the boys was even better, but he wanted to be part of that  
"Daaaaad, where are we going?"  
"To pick Aunty Izzy and Uncle Farlan up"  
"Are they coming with us?"  
"Yep!"  
"Ok"  
At least it wasn't a no. According to Eren there was a dinosaur exhibition was on at Trost Museum, so that was the plan, followed by shopping for clothes for the boys. Pulling up outside Izzy's building, Levi sighed. They were supposed to be waiting out the front  
"Dad, do we have to go up all those stairs"  
"Nope, they're coming down to meet us"  
"Then why aren't they here?"  
"Because it's Izzy and Farlan"  
After a few moments, Eli started kicking his chair in boredom  
"Daaaaaad"  
"Oi, stop that. I'm getting phone out"  
Struggling to get the device from his jeans, he finally got it free and unlocked it. Calling Izzy, it took a few rings for her to answer  
"Hi Big Brother!"  
"Don't "Hi" me, where are you guys?"  
"Walking down the stairs, the elevators out and I had so much trouble finding anything to wear"  
"Well you've got exactly two minutes to be here or we're going without you"  
"Come on Levi, you can't be mean to a pregnant woman"  
"1 minute, 40 seconds"  
Izzy let out a squeak and Levi hung up on her  
"It's ok boys, they're on their way down"  
"Well they're taking foreeeeeever!"  
"I know"

Izzy was wearing a sundress with Farlan's jacket over her shoulders, and she gave a big wave as she rushed to the jeep  
"Eli, move over so Farlan doesn't have to climb between you two"  
Eli grumbled, but did as he asked and both Farlan and Izzy climbed in  
"I don't think I've been in this one before..."  
"Hannes let me take it as it's safer for the twins"  
"So what, Eren's got at home with no car?"  
"No, he's got the Range Rover"  
Izzy let out a gasp  
"Since when do you guys have a Range Rover? And how?!"  
"Reiner and Bertholdt gave it to us, I told you this before"  
"I think I'd remember something like that. Damn, I wish I had rich friends to buy me things like that"  
Levi let out a sigh, pulling out into the traffic as he did  
"They didn't buy it for us, it was a gift from them because they don't use it"  
"Still, that's a pretty sweet gift! You guys have it so easy!"  
They had it easy? When did this happen? And why hadn't anyone told him?  
"Dad, are we talking about mums new car?"  
"Yeah kiddo"  
"It's nice, it's got a spot for my cup"  
"Cup holders! Nice"  
Farlan had Eli nodding   
"Yep! But mum won't drive it if he doesn't have the babies"  
Izzy turned to look back at the boys  
"What's it like being a big brother?"  
"They cry allllll the time!"  
"Do they?"  
"Yep! And poo so much"  
"But you love them don't you?"  
Ren hummed  
"Only when they're asleep. Mums always too busy now"  
"I seem to recall two little boys sleeping in our bed"  
"That's because Ren was hurt!"  
Trust Eli to jump to Ren's defence  
"Ren, you got hurt?"  
"He and Eli were playing in the yard and got splinters"  
"Oh no! I bet that was no fun!"  
"Noooo, but mummy gave me cuddles..."  
"That's good. Are you looking forward to today?"  
"It would have been better if mum could come, but dads like never home anymore..."  
Ouch. It wasn't his fault, he was barely hanging onto his job as it was and twins were more expensive than he thought they'd be...  
"I know, that's why are hanging out today, I miss you guys"  
"We miss you too"  
"Aw! They're so sweet"  
Turning back to face towards him, Izzy smiled  
"Soooo, what's it really like?"  
"What's what like?"  
"Having a newborn?"  
"Do you want the truth?"  
"It can't be that bad..."  
"Eren drugged me and snuck out the house because the boys cry more than they sleep"  
"Oh... are you sure you guys are doing everything right?"  
"Izzy, I'm going to break this to you gently. There are such things as fussy babies. They're fed and clean and changed and warm and comfy and they still cry"  
"Levi, stop scaring her"  
"She wanted the truth, but the pups are adorable"  
"I still can't believe that Eren had them at home"  
"You mean you still can't believe I delivered them and they lived"  
"Dad, how much further?"  
"5 more minutes"  
"That's ages!"  
"Not really..."  
In the back seat the boys started talking to Farlan and Levi turned his focus back to driving. He just wanted to get to the museum already.

Trost Museum was a sprawling old building, with an ultra modern three story wing to the right of it. Basically it was huge and smelt of dust. Paying the admission fee for all of them, he was given two pink bands for the boys wrists. Apparently all children had to wear them and the alpha wasn't exactly sure why. It was kind of obvious the boys were kids...   
"Big Brother, you should get one too, 'cause you're so short!"  
Rolling his eyes, he slipped his wallet back in his pocket and placed the bands on the twins  
"Dad, pinks a girls colour"  
"Hannes would wear pink"  
Tugging on his arm, Ren "whispered"  
"Hannes is a bit special"  
Snorting and nodding, he couldn't help but agree  
"That he is"

The boys were having a blast and Levi was dragged from dinosaur to dinosaur, enjoying himself immensely. Each exhibit had heaps of information, but all the boys cared about was the names and the exhibits themselves were unreal. Including a 3D printed full sized T-rex which was the coolest thing ever. Everything was new and exciting and Eren had definitely been right about the exhibit, it was incredible, he must have taken a hundred photos, all of which the boys were happy to pose for with big toothy grins. The best bit for Levi was the Lego dinosaurs near the gift shop. The boys went crazy for them, most probably because they were taller than them... and that's how they ended buying a crazy amount of Lego in the gift shop. He'd be lying if he said he had no intention of getting in there and building his own dinosaur, they were pretty amazing and to think they were all breathing the same air as they did... earth was fucking crazy. Having left Farlan and Izzy in the gift shop, he took the boys on ahead and out to the jeep  
"Dad! We're going home now right?"  
"Not just yet, we still need to buy a few more things"  
"But we want to play Lego"  
"And you will once we get home..."  
"Dad, will you play with us?"  
"Of course, you guys think I'll let you have all the fun? Especially after looking at all those dinosaurs"  
"We want to build a really big one!"  
"How big?"  
"Ummmm as tall as the house!"  
Somehow Levi didn't think that 7 boxes of Lego was going to build a dinosaur as big as the house, but he was game to try  
"As long as we clean up afterwards, why not"  
Hannes had killed more than once piece under his boots before, but Eren was some kind of freak, he could actually step on Lego without screaming in pain. Clipping the boys belts, both were back to examining the Lego boxes. It was only a few minutes later Izzy and Farlan emerged, a triceratops cradled against the girl's chest   
"Big Brother! Isn't it adorable"  
Despite slightly tripping, Izzy acted like nothing happened and beamed as she approached   
"She had to have it"  
"And you couldn't say no. Trust me, I know how it goes. Eren would have been the same"  
"Well Eren isn't here and it's all mine!"  
"So we were thinking of getting lunch, Izzy is starving, what are you guys doing next?"  
"The boys need clothes, so lunch and then clothes shopping"  
"Oooh! Let's hit up the food court! I really want a beef and gravy roll with honey chicken"  
Farlan wrinkled his nose  
"Oh shut up! It's really good!"  
"I'll have to take your word for it"  
Farlan helped Izzy into the car and then climbed into the back  
"Did you two have fun?"  
"Yep! We got Legos"  
"I saw! What are you going to build?"  
"A dinosaur! And then we can feed it homework"  
Levi snorted  
"You guys don't even get homework"  
"Dad! Shhhh! We're trying to be cool"  
Izzy giggled   
"You guys are very cool"  
"See, your reputation is still in tact"  
Eli whispered something to Ren and soon they were whispering back and forth, happily ignoring the rest of them.

 

*  
Sitting in the food court, Levi was trying to ignore the toxic concoction that Izzy had made. She's basically drowned her roll on Chinese food and was now inhaling it. Eren had had a few weird cravings, but his were significantly tamer. The boys seemed pretty impressed with Izzy's efforts, both torn between watching her eat and eating their burgers   
"So what do the boys need?"  
"Clothes?"  
"I know that much, but what..."  
"Shoes, clothes, pyjamas, the usual"  
"That's boring"  
"Well that did you expect?"  
"I don't know! Something exciting"  
"Sorry to disappoint"  
"What about Eren? Does he need anything?"  
"Not that I know of..."  
Izzy groaned around her mouth full of found, chewing annoyingly loudly before swallowing   
"Don't tell you two are fighting again?"  
"No"  
"Ok, but you haven't called him all day..."  
"Because he's probably asleep"  
And wouldn't answer anyway... damn Izzy and her perceptiveness  
"Mhmmm... gonna buy him something nice as an apology?"  
"Why do you assume it's all my fault?"  
"Ha! You admit it! You are fighting"  
"No, you're just taking this how you want to"  
"Keep telling yourself that. What did you do?"  
"I didn't do anything and I can't change what happened"  
"But you can still buy him nice things"

Izzy clung to his arm as he tried to shop for the boys, the girl really had no idea when it came to boys and both boys were happy to boo her every choice  
"This is why girls are so much easier!"  
"But boys are better"  
"Boys are gross, they love poop and snot and eating their snot and playing with their willy's... my son is soooo not going to be like that"  
"Izzy, boys love their willy's no matter what age"  
Izzy wrinkled her nose  
"Gross! Ryan isn't going to be like that all!"  
Levi raised an eyebrow   
"Ryan?"  
"It's a work in progress..."  
"Ryan's been the longest name to stick, she's made it a whole 8 days now without changing it"  
"Nice job! We never had names before the pups were born"  
"When are we going to meeeeeeet them? I want cuddles!"  
"Things are going to be pretty hectic next week..."  
"Oh! Well we can just come down tonight and then you can drop us back on Thursday"  
What... noooooooooooooo  
"Um, I don't..."  
"Good! Now I get to buy new clothes too!"  
Oh dear lord  
"Ren, how do you feel about calling your mother?"  
Pulling his phone out, he FaceTimed Eren before remembering Eren didn't know where his phone was. They made it to end of the isle before Levi thought to call Hannes. Unlike Eren, Hannes actually answered  
"Levi! How's the boy day?"  
"The Museum was great, but one small problem, Izzy and Farlan are coming home with us this afternoon"  
"Have you told Eren?"  
"No, I tried to call him but then I remembered he didn't know where his phone is"  
"So you want me to go home and tell him?"  
"Probably a good idea, I know you've noticed he's been all weird"  
"A little, but he's doing things again..."  
"While shutting us out. Anyway, Izzy and Farlan will be with us 'til Thursday"  
"This is going to cost you"  
"Cost me what?"  
"Chinese and beer, but not Chinese beer"  
After seeing Izzy eat Chinese, he really didn't want to agree, but he didn't want the pregnant woman getting all crazy at him if Eren was sulking   
"Ok, we should be a could of hours"  
"And Eren shall be pre-warned"  
"Thanks. Wanna talk to the kids"  
"Normally yes, but I'm in between patients"  
"Sucks to be you. Have fun"  
"Yeah, you too"  
Hannes hung up before he could up with a final witty reply. This was going to be a long visit.

With shoes and clothes for the boys acquired, they moved into the women's section. While Izzy shopped for herself, Levi tried to find something nice for Eren. He knew his mate was sensitive about the baby pudge around his belly, which totally sucked as Levi didn't mind at all. Eren and the pups were healthy, and even with a little bit of extra pudge and skin, Eren was still Eren... the fear was though that Eren would feel pressured over his body and Levi would just dig a bigger hole for himself. Times like these he needed an expert opinion  
"Ok boys, we need so get mum some nice clothes. What looks good?"  
"Do we have too? Can't we go play Lego?"  
"Nope, and this is important"  
"No it's not. Lego's important"  
His experts sucked and he was forced to go it alone. It was only once he found a pair of shorts that Eren would love, that he realised his next problem. He didn't know Eren's sizing anymore... his mates hips definitely widened with the birth and with his tummy and his breasts... this was a much better idea in his head. Grabbing the size up from what Eren had been, he hoped his mate wouldn't take it as an insult, and made his way through the scary world of women's clothing. In the end, he'd only found the pair of shorts, two nice tops and a pair of black skinny leg jeans for his mate. Maybe he should have just told Eren to go ahead and order whatever he liked online. Still brooding over his struggles, he headed towards the self serve checkouts. They really were a godsend, there was no awkward eye contact or even more awkward conversation. He just had to scan everything and pay for it. Simple. He still had nightmares over a woman who'd served him years ago, she'd sneaked and rubbed her runny nose before touching his shopping. It had been revolting. Yep. This was much better. By the time he'd finished Izzy had caught up, the girl had half a dozen onesies for "Ryan" and a few pairs of jeans and shirts for herself  
"You were trying to escape weren't you!"  
"No, you just take forever"  
"I do not!"  
"Do too. Will you guys be alright finding the jeep on your own? I need to pick up a few things for Hannes"  
"Or you could wait"  
"Daaaaad we want to go home!"  
Eli wasn't happy, and neither was Ren, both boys scowling at him  
"We have to wait for Aunty Izzy"  
"No! We want to go home!"  
Levi was secretly amused by the look on Izzy's face, the boys had done a complete 180 personality wise   
"It's ok guys, I'll be done soon"  
"We want to go home!"  
Kicking their legs, the boys clearly had Izzy stressing  
"I'll buy you chocolate if you stop having a tantrum"  
"No, you can't always bribe them. Sometimes you have to let it just play out. In this case I think they're probably tired from today and want nothing more than to play Lego"  
Izzy grumbled under her breath  
"They don't need to take it out on me"

By the time the beer and Chinese had been bought, the boys had worked themselves into screaming. They wanted Eren, they wanted to go home and they weren't talking to anyone other than each other. It'd been a while since the boys had had tantrum this bad, and they wailed so much that they vomited literally as Levi pulled into the driveway  
"Big Brother, they puked"  
"Thanks Izzy I'm well aware"  
"Are you sure it was alright to just let them cry"  
"They'll be fine now they're home. They'll probably fall asleep the minute Eren has them out of the bath"  
Izzy wasn't sure, and as they climbed from the jeep, neither of them offered to help with the boys. Carrying the pair on his hips, both weakly clung to him as he made his way inside.

 

*  
The moment they were inside, the twins had reached for him and Eren had taken them easily from Levi's hold. Neither boy looked happy at all  
"They had a tantrum because we couldn't come straight home and play Lego"  
At least they weren't hurt, leaving Levi in the living room, Eren carried the twins through to the bathroom   
"Hey babies, lets get you cleaned up"  
Nodding unhappily, they let him strip them down and lift them into the bathtub  
"Do you want strawberry bubbles or bubblegum"  
"Strawberry"  
Obliging his boys, Eren set to filling the bath, while the boys awkwardly clung to him  
"Did you have a good time with daddy?"  
"It was really cool"  
"But Aunty Izzy takes so long! We couldn't just come home and play"  
"You can play as much as you want after your bath and I'll even play with you"  
"Dad said we could build a dinosaur as big as the house"  
"Really?"  
Ren nodded against him  
"How about we build a practice one first?"  
"But the ones we saw today were huge"  
"Even taller than you are"  
Laughing lightly, Eren pressed kisses to his sons heads  
"I don't know, I'm pretty tall"  
"They were bigger than the house"  
"You got me, I'm not that tall. What else did you do? What did you have for lunch?"  
"Burgers. Aunty Izzy's lunch was weird. It looked gross"  
"Really?"  
"Yep!"  
Gradually the boys were loosening their holds on him, allowing him to turn the bath off. It was twice as full as normally and he dreaded the clean up if the boys decided to play  
"Did you got clothes shopping?"  
"Aunty Izzy picked ugly clothes. You're much better"  
"What about daddy? How did he go?"  
"He listened to us"  
Oh god...   
"But he didn't buy everything we wanted"  
That was somewhat better.

By the time Eren finally got the boys out and dressed in their pyjamas, the pups were crying for him. It hurt to ignore them, but he had vomit from the twins on his clothes and totally needed a shower. Standing under the warm water, he scrubbed himself as quickly as he could, but an underlying feeling of frustration began to settle in. He didn't even know what he was frustrated about, only that he was and it was frustrating the hell out of him. Turning the taps off with a heavy sigh, he tried to ignore the feeling the best he could.

Having forgotten to bring clothes with him, Eren darted into the bedroom and let out a sigh. He really wasn't mad that Isabel and Farlan were there, they'd be a great distraction for Levi, but he didn't know how to talk to them anymore. He was carefully keeping up the facade, but what if he broke down and cried? Levi and Hannes were both sick of him doing that...  
"Eren?"  
Jumping at the sound of Levi's voice, and Eren let out a squeak as his towel dropped. Fumbling to cover himself up, he shot Levi a disapproving look  
"Sorry, I need to grab something to change into"  
Backing over to the bed, Eren sat on the edge and made a show of drying his hair off. He was trapped  
"Have I done something wrong?"  
"No?"  
"Oh... then are you mad about Izzy and Farlan then?"  
"No... why would I be?"  
Just go awaaaaaaaaay...  
"You just seem kind of spacey"  
"No, everything's fine. You should probably go shower, you smell like puke"  
"I had to clean the jeep out. They did a good job"  
"I can imagine"  
Letting the towel fall to his lap, he waited as Levi finally grabbed a change of clothes  
"Well, don't take too long princess, Izzy and Farlan are having holds and Hannes is finding it all hilarious"  
"Ok..."  
Levi gave him a quick peck, before leaving and Eren let out a sigh of relief. That was awkward as hell.

Having dressed in a pair of loose pants and hoodie that hid his stomach, Eren finally headed into the living room. The boys were sitting and playing on the floor, so Eren made his way straight to them  
"What are we building?"  
"Dinosaurs"  
Eli moved to plonk himself down in his lap and Eren loosely wrapped his arms around him  
"Hey Eren, long time no see"  
"I know, it feels like forever"  
What was he saying?  
"Your sons are so cute. I can't believe they had their ears and tail showing, that's so weird"  
"It's normal for them"  
"Yeah, but you never really see it"  
As if annoyed they were being talked about that was, both pups started crying  
"Noooo, come on guys, no more crying"  
"I'll take them"  
"No, we can do this"  
"Guys, they're probably hungry"  
"You're just saying that so I have to share cuddles"  
When the pups didn't calm, Eli climbed off his lap and Eren crawled across and reached out for Rei   
"Give him here"  
Izzy pouted as she passed him down, Eren moving to immediately support Rei's head. The girl definitely needed lessons in passing babies.

Having Izzy state while he fed the pups was just awkward. He would have retreated from the room if he could have, but he didn't want to make more of a scene  
"Eli, can you get a cloth?"  
"I'll do it!"  
Copping a knee to the head as Izzy scrambled off the sofa, the girl then looked down at him  
"Where are they"  
"Just grab me some paper towel, it'll be easier"  
Izzy nodded, and headed into the kitchen, retrieving the paper towel so Eren could wipe the spit up from his jumper   
"You know, you have more of a belly than I expected"  
"Well it doesn't just magically go back to being flat after birth"  
God. He actually wanted Levi to hurry up. Izzy didn't mean anything by it, but he just wasn't used to her energy anymore, she was exhausting.

By the time Levi got out the shower, the Viren was back in her hold, though grizzling unhappily  
"Someone seems unhappy"  
"I don't know what I'm doing wrong"  
"Nothing, they're just fussy, I'll take him"  
Izzy let Levi take Viren with no protest and it bugged Eren more than it should have. Once again he felt like his parental ability was being doubted  
"So Eren, I heard you and Levi were fighting"  
"Mum are you and dad fighting?"  
Both twins had looked up from their Lego and Eren shook his head quickly  
"Not that I know of..."  
"Come on, don't be shy. What did he do wrong this time?"  
"What do you mean this time?"  
"He didn't do anything"  
It was what he said, not what he did  
"Then why aren't you talking?"  
"We are"  
"That's not what he said"  
So Levi had been talking about him then... probably about how bad of a mate he was... he'd been trying so hard to be strong, but apparently that wasn't good enough either. His stomach rolled and knotted uncomfortably, and he wanted to go to bed already  
"Mum, where are Aunty Izzy and Uncle Farlan going to sleep?"  
"In your room, you'll be in with us tonight"  
"Does that mean we don't have to go to school?"  
"Nice try, but you had all of today off"  
"Ereeeeen, we never get to see the boys, surely one day won't hurt. Pleeeease?"  
Both boys gave him pleading eyes  
"Nope, you're going to school tomorrow and I'm not going to be home anyway"  
Levi stopped pacing, he'd been trying to lull Viren  
"You aren't?"  
"I'm going to Grandpa Arlert's"  
"But we came all this way"  
"And Levi will still be here, but Grandpa gets lonely so I've been going there after dropping the boys off"  
Well twice he had...  
"I suppose... oh my god! I can't wait to see the boys in their uniforms"  
And there she went, off on another tangent again.

By the time Eren collapsed into bed with the twins, he had had enough. Izzy might want to learn how to be a parent, but she didn't have to question the way he did everything. Changing into his pyjamas, he crawled across the bed and flopped down across the boys  
"Muuuuum! You're crushing us!"  
"What? I can't hear you!"  
Both boys pushed against him, and Eren let himself roll off them   
"I didn't even see you there!"  
"Muuuuum!"  
"I'm stuck, you'll have to give me cuddles"  
Eli climbed over shook his chest  
"Muuuum, you can't sleep like that"  
"Watch me"  
Letting out a fake snore, he winced as Eli stuck his fingers up his nose  
"See! You're awake"  
Climbing over Eli, Eren crawled into his usual spot and held his arms out  
"Neeeed cuddles"  
"You're so demanding"  
"I didn't birth you for this kind of rejection. Now give me love"  
Both boys sighed as they crawled into his arms  
"I love you babies"  
"Love to you too mummy"  
"I love you mum"  
It truly felt like his 4 boys were the only things that could make him happy anymore.


	101. Chapter 101

Standing on the hotel balcony, Eren was watching the lights of Trost. Tomorrow, or rather, later today was the day of Grisha's trial thing and he was struggling to keep a lid on his emotions. He just felt so raw. Izzy and Farlan hadn't helped, Hannes opening his big mouth about the court case which had lead to what felt like a hundred questions from Izzy. Once again the girl wasn't trying to be mean, but he just couldn't cope with it. Stepping onto bottom the of the railing, his hands gripped the top as he leant out into the wind, he missed the fresh air of Shinganshima. Breathing deep, he took his hands off the rail and closed his eyes  
"Eren!"  
Levi practically screamed his name and the alpha's arms wrapped firmly around his waist as he was yanked backwards, landing hard on the concrete  
"What the fuck were you doing?!"  
"Nothing! I was getting some fresh air!"  
"You were hanging over the railing"  
"I was fine!! I am fine! I was just getting some air"  
Trying to struggle from Levi's hold got him nowhere  
"Levi! Let me go!"  
"Oi! What's going on here?"  
Great now Hannes was awake  
"Eren was going to jump"  
"I wasn't going to fucking jump, I was standing on the rail enjoying the wind! If you haven't noticed Trost is stuffy compared to home! Now get off me!"  
"Eren..."  
"Will you two just stop it!"  
"Levi, let him up"  
"Are you serious? He tried to jump"  
"I didn't try to jump!"  
Stupid Hannes, he'd booked the room as they needed to be at the court house at 8:30. Eren wanted to just drive up in the morning, but Hannes wouldn't have it. Apparently they were all here for him. As Levi's arms finally loosened, Eren finally escaped his hold, scrambling up and storming inside  
"Eren!"  
Shifting into a wolf so he didn't have to put up with the pair of them, he climbed back into bed  
"Don't be like that..."  
What? Don't be mad because Levi seriously thought he was trying to off himself? He might had found small ways to "accidentally" hurt himself, but there was a big gap between that and jumping  
"We're just worried about you"  
Turning his back towards the pair, he tried to sleep.

Only that didn't happen.

Levi and Hannes both fell asleep, the pups actually stayed quiet all night and the boys snored like normal. He was the only one who couldn't. Given he was awake as the suns morning light flittered in between the vertical blinds and sleep was most definitely not happening, he roused the pups, carrying them into the bathroom. He'd never showered with them before, but both boys seemed to love the feel of the water running over their skin. Their small hands gripping his chest and easing some of his pain   
"Yeah, look at that, you love the water don't you"  
Pressing kisses to the tops of their heads, he stayed in there until the boys started kicking against him  
"Ok, ok, I guess that means it time to get out"  
Carrying the pups from the bathroom, he laid them down on his bed and tickled their tiny chubby bellys. Both pups squirmed, happily   
"Now, mummy will be out all morning, so you have to be good today"  
Rei let out a long yawn   
"I know, behaving is a total bore. You two are going to be chaos aren't you?"  
Pressing kisses to their bellys as he dried them down, he got them dressed and settle, before dressing himself, opting for a pair of black pants and nice white office shirt. Today was going to be way too long.

After ordering breakfast for Hannes, Levi and the twins, Eren didn't know what to do with himself. He didn't dare risk going back out on the balcony and there was no way he was going anywhere near his phone today. So he climbed into bed with the twins and curled around Ren, nuzzling against his son's hair and earning him an unhappy grunt   
"I love you baby"  
Ren wriggled back against him and Eren sniffled softly. He didn't want to lose all this.

 

*  
Sitting in the tiny courtroom, Eren was trying to ignore the cold sick feeling that had consumed his whole body. His dad looked better than the last time he'd seen him. The man's hair was tied back nicely, his beard trimmed and he'd definitely put on weight. If Eren didn't know better, he'd say the man looked almost respectable  
"Everyone rise"  
Oh god. This was really happening. Hannes wasn't even here, he'd been taken somewhere else... rising slowly, he swallowed down the bile burning his throat. His head was spinning and it was a real effort not to collapse.

The sob story his father's lawyer span had him shaking. A man from a broken home, a bloodline persecuted by Marley and suffering all his life due to a racism he didn't understand. A wanderer who'd been looking for someone to love him until he'd finally found that in Carla. And then his son had been bonded, mated and fell pregnant to a stranger, without understand anything himself. He felt he'd failed him, lashing out on fear only to lose Carla and then himself in alcohol ease the pain. He'd lost his mind detoxing and deeply regretted his actions, wanting nothing more than to reunite and repair the relationship with his son. What a load of shit... but everyone else seemed to lapping it up. Burying his face in his hands, he tried to remember how to breathe. It felt like there was no way his father wouldn't go free.

After the initial opening, Hannes was called to give evidence. It was completely surreal hearing his life talked about in a clinical manner. Hannes's professional facade didn't falter, even when Grisha's lawyer argued against everything being said. No matter how the man answered, the man turned it back against him. Even his relationship with Levi was pulled into question. Especially how Levi had never really had a choice or shot at true love. His only choice was to end up with Eren as the alpha had marked him purely by accident. It fucking hurt, but for some reason he couldn't cry. The tears refused to come. Maybe he was come kind of monster? Shouldn't he feel more about this all? His heart ached, but at the same time it felt like Hannes was talking about a stranger. He didn't know how he was supposed to act around Hannes now that the man had laid his life so bare.

After Hannes was Grisha's counsellor, having been granted permission by the man to discuss what they'd discussed. It was just as they were finishing examining him that Hannes slipped into the courtroom and moved to sit by his side. Eren didn't move to acknowledge the man... he just couldn't. When Hannes's hand landed on his leg, Eren was sent scrambling from the court room. The touch had sent revolting coursing through him and he ran down the hall to the bathroom. His whole body heaved as he threw up the pitiful amount left in his stomach from the previous day. Even once he'd thrown it all up, his body still heaved. Swallowing hard, he sank back and leant against the cubicle wall. His heart was going a million miles an hour and his chest hurt with every breath. It seemed like they all thought he deserved it. Even Hannes had said it was plausible that Grisha was hallucinating due to withdrawal and not completely in control of his actions. Burying his face against his knees, he wrapped his arms around himself, purposefully digging his nails into his arms as he did. To all of them his life meant nothing. No wonder Levi and Hannes were always watching or checking in with him. They didn't trust him at all. 

"Eren"  
Why did Hannes have to follow. What did it matter to him?  
"Eren, open the door"  
He didn't move, he didn't want to see Hannes   
"Look, I know you're in there. Just let me in"  
Why? What would change if he did?  
"I was giving my professional opinion. I was called as doctor. Not as your legal guardian"  
Well it's a good thing he didn't have to trouble himself with that any more  
"Eren, please, just open the door"  
Remaining how he was, he heard a scraping and then the sound of the lock turning, before the door opened  
"Oh Eren..."  
When Hannes's hands landed on him, his whole body tensed and an involuntary whine spilt forth from his lips  
"This was a bad idea. You never should have come"  
Looking up towards Hannes, his tone was bitter  
"Why? So I didn't hear the truth"  
"Eren, that's not it"  
"Hannes! You don't have to lie! I heard you and Levi! You are sick of me and sick of me crying! I heard you! So when I try to be better, you get mad at me for that too! Admit it, neither of you trust me with my own kids! You want me gone! Both of you would be so much happier if I was!"  
And now the tears appeared. Hannes was going to be so mad at him  
"What are you talking about?"  
"I...I heard you. You and Levi talking about how you were sick of me crying. It doesn't matter anymore. Nothing does. The world keeps spinning and when Grisha walks free, I'll end up dead. No ones going to care"  
"That's enough. You know Levi and I both love you"  
"Yeah. You love to talk about me. You love to watch me, to call in and check on me and try to do things for me. You don't even think about what that does to me! I want to stand on my own two feet but you two keep treating me like a child and laughing at me behind my back!"  
"It's not like that at all"  
"Of course it isn't. Of course I've got it all wrong again because all I am is stupid"  
He was feeling light headed now from all the yelling he was doing, and he didn't want to be there anymore. Sliding up against the cubicle wall, he swayed before falling back down  
"I think that's enough. Let's get you back to the hotel room. Levi's probably going crazy with worry"  
"Why? He doesn't love me anymore. He just thinks I'm a burden. Like you do"  
"Eren, Levi wouldn't be with you if he thought you were a burden"  
"He had no fucking choice remember. He marked me without meaning to"  
"He chose you. You both said you felt a crazy need to impress each other and wanted each other before that happened"  
"He should have chosen someone better. It doesn't matter how much you love and need a person, not when I've done nothing but hurt him"  
Hannes went to pull him up, but he had no strength left. He was just too tired for all of this. Giving into his exhaustion his eyes rolled back and he slumped in the man's hold.

 

*  
Pacing back and forth in the hotel room, it was hard to pretend everything was going alright. The twins were watching something on TV and he longed to just turn it off. The happiness hurt. Eren hadn't even looked at him all morning, leaving without saying a word. Not that he'd been much better. The words he wanted to say died on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to tell Eren he loved him, and no matter what they'd face the outcome together, but he was so fucking scared. If Grisha's sentence was over ruled, he'd lose Eren. There was no two which ways about it. Like the previous night. He'd truly believed Eren had finally broken and was going to jump. So it was confusing as to why Eren had gotten so angry at him for saying that, and not for stopping him.

Spinning round again, he jumped at the clicking of the electronic lock and Hannes let out a low curse as the door opened to reveal him with Eren in his arms. The amount of pain pouring off his mate was incredible and he bared his teeth as he snarled   
"He collapsed. It didn't go well"  
"Grisha got off?"  
"No idea. We'll have to wait to hear from the lawyer"  
Levi clenched his fists at his side. He wanted to tear Hannes apart for touching Eren, but had to stand still as the man carried Eren over to the bed he was using. Forcing his tense limbs to move, he closed the door and moved towards the bed  
"Levi, bathroom"  
No. He didn't want to leave Eren...  
"Now"  
That one word had his throat tightening and his mouth went dry. Moving into the bathroom, he waited for Hannes to join.

"What happened?"  
"Things didn't go well. I don't know what was said in the opening arguments, but Eren didn't react well to what I said. I was called to give medical evidence, not as his guardian so I had to remain impersonal. Every part of his life was pulled apart, including his relationship with you. They said you had no choice and had no chance of finding happiness because you bonded with him accidentally"  
Before Hannes could stop him, his fist slammed into the exposed brickwork  
"Motherfuckers!"  
"They tried to say he was a slut and mentally unstable, that he was unfit to be a parent and then asked about if it was possible Grisha had been hallucinating at the time of the incident and made it sound like he was sorry"  
Grabbing the bathroom door, he snarled as Hannes's hand landed on his shoulder  
"Levi, you need to calm down"  
"How can I fucking calm down! He's my fucking mate!"  
"He thinks we're both sick of him. Do you remember ever saying you were sick of him crying?"  
Levi paused for a minute  
"Last month. When we found out about the appeal and we were discussing evidence we could use. I said I was sick of him crying..."  
Hannes groaned  
"I knew it sounded familiar. He heard. That's why he changed. He didn't want us to "keep laughing" at him or talking about him. He wanted to try and be better so we wouldn't worry about him so much..."  
"Seriously?"  
"It makes sense now. Imagine how it felt to him to hear that. He already feels like he doesn't deserve you. He also thinks we don't trust him with the kids and keep doing things for him so we can make him feel worse about himself"  
"We do things for him because we fucking love him"  
"Eren used to be stubbornly independent. We never thought about that..."  
"No we didn't. He didn't have the best pregnancy and I know how all over the place his head was..."  
"And we both know how much it frustrated him to have to rely on us. We've been pushing still..."  
"I feel like a goddamn idiot"  
Hannes gave him a sad smile  
"Me too. But now we know, we can do something about it. When we head out, you curl up with Eren. He might fight and kick, but don't let him go"  
"Of course I'm not about to let him go"  
"That's the spirit"

Feeling shit, Levi slipped from the bathroom and crossed to where Eren was laying. His mate hadn't moved at all  
"Hannes, when I lift him, can you grab the blankets out?"  
Hannes crossed to his side and for the first time in what felt like forever, he was actually holding his mate with no protest. Hannes pulled the blankets down for him  
"Thanks"  
"I might take the boys to see if we can find a vending machine"  
"Oh, can you bring back chocolate?"  
"Sure, anything else?"  
"Not that I can think of"  
"Ren! Eli! Do you two want to come and find lollies with me?"  
Both boys sprung over the side of the sofa and ran to Hannes, throwing themselves at him happily   
"I take that as a yes!"   
"Don't spend all his money"  
"We will"  
Hannes smiled down at the pair   
"We'll try and find the long way there and back"  
"Thanks, I need to change Eren anyway"

With Hannes and the boys gone, Levi's fingers shook as he undressed Eren. His mate had been so secretive about his body lately and it felt like forever since he'd touched Eren's smooth skin. Stripping off his shoes, socks, pants and shirt. Levi then climbed up onto the bed and pulled Eren over so he was spooned in his arms. How many times did he have to tell Eren he loved him? What else could he do to make his mate believe he was here because he wanted to be? Nuzzling their bonding mark, he pressed a kiss to the site. This was the mark that said Eren was his forever. He might have only been with Eren for the better part of the last two years, but Eren had loved him for the last 6. Nuzzling the mark harder, he sighed softly, before baring his teeth and sinking them down hard into Eren's neck.

Eren's whole body tensed, a long groan flowing from Eren's lips and the omegas arse become soaked alarmingly fast. He counter to 10 in his head before releasing his hold and moving to lap at Eren's neck  
"Le-Levi?"  
Pausing at his name, his mood rose as Eren's hand found his  
"I'm here princess. Your alpha's right here"  
"I..."  
Eren dissolved into a wailing sob that was long overdue  
"I understand now. You thought I was sick of you. But if you'd been listening to the whole conversation you would have known we were talking about locking Grisha away so you wouldn't cry anymore"  
"They're not going to lock him away"  
Now they were verging on waking the twins...  
"Princess, do you trust me?"  
Eren nodded, and Levi released him, moving to lift him from the bed and carry him into the bathroom. Sitting Eren on the counter, the omega wrapped his legs around him  
"Why is everything I do wrong? I thought you'd love me more if I wasn't crying!"  
"I couldn't love you anymore than I do. It's impossible. You have no idea how much it fucking hurt watching you this last month"  
"You and Hannes don't trust me!"  
Apparently biting the bonding mark was the secret way to get Eren to spill his... secrets...  
"It's not that we don't. We just worry"  
"Why! Why can't you trust me?"  
"I do"  
"But not with the kids! You always have to watch!"  
"That's because you look happy with them. I have to admit, I was kind of jealous"  
Eren shook his head  
"I keep telling you, you need to tell me things"  
"How can I! I don't know what's safe to tell you!"  
"Then tell me everything"  
"No... you have so much to deal with"  
"Eren, Hannes and I didn't realise that us helping you or offering to help made you feel so shit. We just wanted to do things for you because we love you"  
"And I don't understand how you can. I don't want to die Levi... but I don't know if I want to be alive either"  
There it was again. That cold sickness that turned his blood to ice  
"Do you love our sons?"  
"I do..."  
"Do you love me?"  
"Yes"  
"Then literally nothing else matters"  
"This is real life. It does"  
"Nah. I'm more than happy to quit school and quit work if I can hermit down with you"  
"You can't!"  
"I can"  
"No... you can't... I'm so tired of people giving up things because of me"  
"Ah, see. This would be my choice. Not yours. Do you understand what I'm saying?"  
"No..."  
"You're blaming yourself for a choice I would be making for myself. Like helping you. I chose to help you, not because you're weak, but because I wanted to. I chose to love you because I want to. I chose to make you jizz in your pants because I wanted to"  
Eren snorted and shook his head  
"Levi..."  
"I know, but I've missed you so much"  
"You have awful timing"  
"Yeah. But do you get it now. You worry too much about why I chose to do what I do"  
"You're making no sense anymore"  
"That's because I'm horrible at this talking and feelings thing and all I can smell now is your slick"  
Most of the pain had faded from Eren's scent, and his mate was laying limply against him while Levi rubbed his back. He couldn't help that his alpha thought with his dick  
"I don't feel very confident"  
"You don't feel confident"  
"Izzy said I was still fat"  
"Izzy has no goddamn filter"  
"I think she hates me"  
"You should see how she used to talk to me then. She was merciless. That's how she got me back into school"  
"Do you regret it?"  
"Regret what?"  
"Meeting me again?"  
"Nope"  
"Really?"  
"Really really"  
"You're so weird"  
"And you're a dork. Eren, can you raise your face for me"  
Eren sniffled and complied, his mates face was a total mess, but Levi still leant in, capturing Eren's lips in a deep kiss that his mate actually returned. It was heavenly... despite the snot and the tears... and there was really no surprise when Levi ended up with his pants around his ankles.

Stepping free of them, he pinned Eren up against the door, mouthing and sucking across his neck and chest  
"I've missed you... I've missed you so much"  
Moving to mouth Eren's breasts his omega mewed loudly and fresh slick dribbled into his lap  
"That's it baby, let me in"  
"Alpha... knot"  
Snorting lightly, he nodded and gave Eren enough space to raise his hips and sink down onto him completely   
"Fuck... I can't last"  
"I can't either... make me stop thinking"  
"That I can do"  
Slamming into Eren, his mates finger nails cut into his back, drawing snarls from the alpha. He hadn't really intended on fucking Eren after biting their bonding mark, he just wanted Eren to know he chose him no matter what happened  
"My breasts..."  
Pining Eren against the door by working his mates breasts was a little weird, but the way Eren was oozing precum now was hot. The space where his mates erection rubbed against his belly was soaked and Eren was growing more erratic with the way he was trying to rise and fall  
"Alpha..."  
"You can cum..."  
Eren let out a growl and the heat between their stomachs grew, long thick bursts raced to cool as they ran between them and Levi's knot popped thanked to the way Eren clenched and drew him deeper in  
"Shit princess"  
He felt like he was still cuming and Eren was still rocking his hips as if to drain him dry   
"Well that happened"  
Wrapped his arms around him, Eren buried his face against him the best he could  
"They made dad sound like he deserved sympathy, that he'd been through hell and that he wasn't in control of himself when he did it"  
"Oh baby..."  
"I hate it Levi. I love him still! I say I don't, but he's my dad... why did he never love me?"  
"Because he's a moron. You are one million percent loveable"  
"Did you know we're from Marley? Our blood... we were from the wolfs persecuted there"  
"I thought Hannes did that test"  
"He said he did... but he never told me the results"  
"Maybe it's like the Marley mail all over again"  
"I don't want to make excuses for him... but what if dad did have a bad life?"  
"That's no excuse. If anything it should serve as a lesson on how not to be"  
"I don't want dad to die"  
All this was so hard to hear, but Eren had made these choices on his own and all Levi could do was protect him from any consequences  
"That's because you care too much"  
"It sucks"  
"I know, but it's very you. You just want to make everyone happy, no matter how much you hurt"  
"I need to apologise to Hannes..."  
"Then we can do that when he gets back with the boys. They went to get lollies"  
"Oh god"  
"Pretty much..."  
Eren went silent for a moment, before whispering in what seemed to be shock  
"Levi... I yelled at Hannes"  
"I bet he was just as shocked as you sound right now"  
"Let me down, I have to tell him I'm sorry"  
"Baby. I am knotted inside of you. You can't apologise to Hannes while my knot is buried in your arse..."  
Eren let out a small and somewhat adorable "oh", and all Levi could do was shake his head. His fiancé was definitely more of a weirdo than he was.


	102. Chapter 102

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mini chapter... 'cause, well, fuck.

After stumbling into the shower, Levi was still supporting Eren. His mate apparently now in cling mode, though he was definitely not going to complain. He'd happily carry Eren around all the could, and was enjoying washing down his naked form. Eren was so beautiful, even if he didn't think so  
"Princess, you need to raise your hips for me"  
Eren shook his head against him  
"I need to clean you up baby, I can't stay inside you forever"  
With an unhappy whine, Eren slid off his half hard erection and let out a whimper  
"Hey, shhh... I promise you don't have to move until it's time to dry off"  
Eren didn't reply and Levi set about cleaning them both throughly, before just enjoying standing under the running water. Unfortunately their moment was cut short by the crying of the pups and Eren sniffled against him  
"It's just the pups. They missed you today"  
"I missed them too"  
Of course he did. He was completely crazy about them. Turning the shower taps off caused Eren to start shivering and the omegas legs tightened their hold around his waist. Nipping playfully on Eren's earlobe, caused his omega jumped  
"Sorry, you're just too adorable"  
"'m not"  
"Yep, you are"

Drying Eren down was an experience, his mate wasn't just clingy, but super clingy. The moment Levi's hands weren't touching him, the smell of fear would slip into Eren's scent and it had the alpha wondering if maybe something else had happened. Struggling to push the thought from his mind, he was forced to finally give up and ask  
"Baby, did something else happen today? You smell scared every time I have to stop touching you"  
"When Hannes touched me I felt revolted... I don't know... maybe because it wasn't you... but I feel so drained"  
He felt revolted... his alpha was a total jerk, unexpectedly happy that no one else could touch his mate   
"Ok, well, I need to get you clothes..."  
"It's ok... I'll be ok"  
Eren didn't look ok, and Levi nearly tripped over his own feet trying to rush to the suitcase and back with sweats and a singlet. Completely forgetting his own clothes  
"Do you need help?"  
"Levi, I can dress myself"  
"Ok. I'll dry off and then we can cuddle on the sofa with the pups"  
"Really?"  
"Of course. Hannes and the boys will be back soon"  
"I wouldn't comeback if I was him"  
"Yes you would"  
"Probably"  
Eren gave him the tiniest smile, but Levi's heart skipped a beat. It was a true smile, meant for him alone.

With Eren sitting in his lap facing him, Rei was laying to their left while Eren fed Viren  
"He's getting big"  
"Yeah... 3 months and he'll be making escapes"  
"Don't babies usually start that at like 10 months?"  
"It's our wolf blood. They're a lot sturdier than full blooded human babies"  
"And they look adorable with their ears and tails"  
"I know... I really wish they didn't. I had to wait like years to see Ren and Eli's ears and tails out..."  
"I wonder if there's a way to only partially shift"  
"I don't know... Shinganshima has always had a lot of Wolfblood's, but not all of its pure anymore... most of the town carries it, but not everyone can shift"  
"Good. I don't want all those mangy alpha's coming after you"  
"Don't you mean those omegas after you... you're kind of massive in your wolf form"  
"I'm kind of massive in other ways too"  
"Not in front of the baby"  
"Fiiiiine. But you know it's true"  
"Mmm... I know it feels really good. Like you're made for just me"  
"You don't feel half bad yourself..."  
"Down boy. Don't make me use the baby"  
"He'd totally win. They've all got me wrapped around their little fingers"  
"Just wait until you get a really shitty nappy, the kind where the poop up their backs"  
"Nooope, no thanks"  
"Yep and the smell..."  
"Ok! I won't tease you anymore, can we just enjoy watching the baby?"  
"He is pretty cute. I love that they got more of your pelt than mine"  
"There's nothing wrong with your pelt"  
"But I like yours, it's always so silky soft and smooth. Mines all brown and poofy"  
"Like your hair when you wake up"  
Viren pulled away from Eren's nipple and Eren sighed  
"What is it?"  
"He's too cute"  
At least it wasn't something depressing.

When Hannes finally returned with the boys, the kids had balloons and their faces painted. The twins immediately ran across to them  
"Daddy! Look!"  
Ren was a lion, of course, while Eli seemed to be Spider-Man   
"Very cool"  
"Mum?"  
"Mum's asleep, but he's going to love seeing you all dressed up"  
"Hannes got us so many lollies..."  
"Did he now?"  
"And we went on the jumpy thing"  
"There was a fair thing just down the road, I noticed it this morning so I took them there"  
"So the jumpy thing is the bounce castle?"  
"Yep"  
Closing the door, Hannes slid the chain across before coming to join them in the lounge area  
"You got him to sleep?"  
"I'm awake..."  
Eren had only really just drifted off...  
"No you're not, go back to sleep"  
"Nooo... Hannes"  
Hannes looked to him  
"Eren wants to apologise for losing his shit at you"  
"Oh. I would have lost my shit at me too. It wasn't the nicest thing having to be professional today"  
"Hannes... I'm sorry..."  
Eren's words were full of sleep, and Levi hushed him as he started kneading the small of Eren's back  
"He knows"  
"It's ok, Eren"  
"It's not..."  
"Come on baby, back to sleep for you"  
Eren nuzzled against his neck and the boys grew tired of standing there, the pair running and jumping on the bed they were sharing   
"Have you heard anything?"  
"No. I don't know if that's good or not"  
"No news is good news?"  
"Hopefully. Did you get anything else out of him?"  
"No, he just told me about what happened in court today. You could have told us he had Marley blood"  
"Oh, they talked about that..."  
Hannes frowned and Levi readjusted his hold on Eren   
"What is it? What's wrong? You know something don't you?"  
"It doesn't matter"  
"Hannes, if it's to do with Eren, it matters"  
"It's to do with you"  
"Me?"  
"Yeah"  
"Then just tell me already"  
"Hannes... tell him... I want to sleep"  
Hannes barely even smiled   
"Levi, your blood also comes from Marley"  
Levi frowned  
"It does? You aren't going to say we're related are you?"  
"No. The Marley government, though they deny this, experimented on Wolfblood's. They took bloodlines from across the world and breed them down for specific traits. Size, temperament, litter size..."  
"So my bloodline was an experiment?"  
"Yes and no. These Wolfblood's served the Marley government, tracking down and killing Wolfblood families that Marley deemed vermin"  
Levi felt sick. No wonder Hannes hadn't told him. Eren gripped him tighter, the omega could probably smell his anger and disgust   
"You have Asian wolf blood from your father's side, but you're more like a generic throw back. You show higher markers in most things than Marley Wolfblood's today"  
"I knew you were special..."  
Eren's words were whispered and he could feel his mate smiling. His head however was spinning   
"Is this why the boys are so big already?"  
"Yep"  
"It's not going to hurt them is it?"  
"No, they'll grow up perfectly normally"  
"Oh thank god"  
"Just because you have these markers, it doesn't make you who you are. You aren't going to go after Eren or the boys over it"  
"Good..."  
He didn't know what to ask or what to say. He understood well enough why Hannes had hid this now  
"Alpha... shhh..."  
Pressing a kiss to Eren's hair, he nodded against him  
"I know, you just want to sleep. You didn't sleep at all last night, did you?"  
"No..."

Both he and Hannes fell silent again until Eren finally fell asleep  
"So about Grisha. His blood was vermin blood right?"  
"Yeah. His family would have copped a lot of shit over it"  
"Is that why he came here?"  
"I don't know. I didn't know about his blood until I tested Eren. Like I said, I thought he was German"  
"Do you think they'll use my bloodline against us?"  
"No. They don't know about it. It wasn't like I wasn't going to tell you, just not until things had settled"  
"Hannes, that's asking for a miracle"  
"I know. Are you alright with all of this?"  
"Knowing I come from a family of killers? It explains why mum left home... but they're not me... right?"  
"No they're not and the boys really will be fine"  
"Good... I think they'll probably be bigger than me"  
"Possibly, but I think they'll probably plateau just below you. They do have Eren's blood after all"  
"It's hard to believe he can be so tall, but his wolfs kind of small"  
"And you're a short arse with a huge form. I've always found that kind of funny"  
"Thanks..."  
Eren mumbled against him and they both fell silent  
"Thanks for reminding me. Hannes, is there a reason a touch would make an omega feel physically sick?"  
"If they were feeling intimidated, or under a lot of stress, why? Is Eren feeling sick?"  
"No. He was upset that when you touched him before he felt sick and wanted to know why"  
"Oh, that would he because he was basically screaming for you. He was curled up on the bathroom floor, and his scent was going crazy"  
"So it'll settle down?"  
"Yes Levi, it'll settle down"  
"Are you alright?"  
Hannes blinked at him, before nodding  
"Yeah. Just a long and fucked up day"  
"I bet Eren didn't help"  
"I honestly deserved it"  
"I highly doubt that"  
"Grisha's lawyer got under my skin. He's slimy like a leech"  
"Sounds fun"  
"He tore Eren's life apart, and turned it all back into Grisha's favour. I couldn't even explain anything. It..."  
Hannes just shook his head  
"I'm sure you did the best you could"  
"I don't know..."

 

*  
The wall between him and Eren felt impossibly thick. He'd wanted desperately to join his mate behind the courtrooms thick doors, but he wasn't exactly trusted to keep his cool, so he was sitting and waiting with their 4 kids. Feeling Eli wriggled besides him, he caught the hem of the boys shirt   
"I know you're bored, but you can't run around here"  
"There's nothing to doooooooo"  
"It shouldn't be too much longer"  
"Why do we have to be here? It's so stupid!"  
"You're hear because mum and Hannes have to be here"  
"Can't you take us somewhereeeeeeee?"  
"Not just yet"  
"This is stupid"  
"If you can get my phone out my pocket, you can play whatever game you want"  
Eli beamed up at him before working Levi's phone out the pocket of his jeans  
"Any game?"  
"Yeah, just share with your brother"  
Readjusting his hold on Viren, he rubbed the silky pups ears. It was weird not to see Rei by his side, but the pup had screamed all morning obviously not wanting anyone but his mum.

When the doors creaked, Levi jumped up, his arse had gone numb with how long the wait had been and the first thing he noticed was the unmistakeable scent of Eren in pain   
"Boys, time to go"  
Sliding off the bench, neither boy looked away from the phones screen, which was probably for the best given how blotchy Eren's face was when he appeared. Levi's heart began to pound, the news obviously wasn't great. Not saying a word, Eren walked over to him and placed his forehead against Levi's shoulder   
"Baby?"  
His mate shook his head, and Levi looked to Hannes for an explanation   
"Grisha's to serve the remainder of his sentence in a secure mental facility for his alcohol addiction. No parole and no added time"  
Levi saw red and his long snarl filled the whole corridor  
"Time to go"  
"No! How fucking could they?!"  
Despite him pretty much roaring the words, Eren didn't move his head from his shoulder, both pups however began bawling, and Hannes had to force them towards the doorway  
"No, let me at him!"  
"Levi. No"  
"How could do they do this!"  
"Yes, well threatening to go him in front of everyone isn't the smartest plan"  
"I'm not going to go him. I am going to tear his throat out"  
Completely blind to the fact that the twins were now crying too, Levi was thirsting for blood. His teeth were actually throbbing with the need to tear Grisha apart. This was fucking ridiculous. He got 6 fucking months for building a fucking deck, but try and kill some one maliciously... less than two years and he'd be free.

Eren was like a doll as he stumbled along beside him, the omega didn't even seem to realise when Hannes lifted Rei from his hold. This was a fucking nightmare. With the boys placed into their seats, Levi pulled Eren into the trunk of the car, sitting the omega in his lap so they were face to face. Even having Eren sit just in front of him was too far, and he probably would have taken a swing at Hannes had the man tried to seperate them. 3 fucking years. Less than two left. What a goddamn joke. The whole drive back Eren was still like a doll. No matter how much he whispered to him or nuzzled at his neck, his mate just stayed still and silent.


	103. Art

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry! Me and coding aren't friends... but at least I tried??
> 
>  
> 
> https://dammitadolfnomorecake.tumblr.com/post/166866107519/rforever-commission-delivered-explicit
> 
> Here's the link!!!  
> Please send rforever some love!


	104. Chapter 104

Levi had thought that maybe after the initial shock had passed, Eren might finally respond to him... he'd spent the night just holding him close and stroking his hair, anything to let him know he wasn't alone. But it was like everything was washing over him. He feed the pups when Hannes brought them over, and he hugged and kisses the boys when they went to bed, but... he just wasn't there. The eyes that Levi loved to much were just so scared and he found like he was suffocating each time he looked into them. How did it all go so wrong?

With the kids around, they hadn't had the chance to speak, but Hannes returned from settling all four boys down and sank down heavily next to them. Eren didn't even blink  
"Hannes, how did this happen?"  
"Because people are stupid. They blamed it all on his alcoholism, that's why he going to be in the mental facility. To learn how to live without alcohol and how to be a functioning member of society again..."  
"That's fucked..."  
"Yeah... It doesn't matter what he's done since. They only cared about what caused that one incident, nothing about Eren's pain and suffering, nothing about the things Grisha has done since... even though they tore your lives to pieces"  
"How..."  
"I don't know"  
He was getting angry all over again, his hands tightened on Eren's arms and warmth filled his lap. Realising what he'd done, he forced his fingers to release Eren   
"We're going for a shower"  
Hannes cast a glance at them and closed his eyes with a deep breath, the man tactful enough to say anything, though Eren's face burnt bright red. The grab marks he'd left were already bruising and he felt like an arsehole. Shuffling to the edge of the sofa, he rose with a wince. Pee was not his favourite thing, but hurting Eren was even worse  
"I'm sorry baby"

Carrying Eren into the bathroom, he sat him down so he could strip him down  
"Eren, I'm sorry"  
"'s ok..."  
It was so low he nearly missed it, but Eren's voice sounded so rough  
"Well I'm still sorry. I'm just so mad..."  
"'s ok..."  
Oh... no. It definitely wasn't. Struggling out his own clothes, he lifted up into his arms again and carried him into the shower  
"Princess, its all going to be alright... we can work something out and he has money to start somewhere far away from here and we have the restraining order..."  
"'s ok..."  
"No it's not! It's not ok! He has no right to be living it up like that while you're suffering! I hate him, I hate him so much! He hurt you and you're still not ok! I miss you baby. I miss you laughing and smiling. I miss you being happy and I miss..."  
Letting out an angry sigh, he shook his head   
"I'm just so mad... I feel so mad. You're my everything, and they didn't listen or even try and understand... they don't know what it's like to see you hate yourself so much. I hate it Eren, I really hate it. You are so, so amazing... and I hate that you're going through all of this"  
Shit. Shut up Levi. The isn't helping... his whole body was trembling, and his chest was heaving  
"L-Levi..."  
Eren's hands came to his face, before moving to brush his hair back  
"Eren... I don't know how to make things better now..."  
"I don't know either"  
"I truly thought he'd be away for longer... that they'd listen and that they'd understand..."  
"My life doesn't matter..."  
"That's where you're wrong! You're the one who told me to never talk like that. That it wasn't something to joke about... you know how important a life can be and you're life is that important to me. I don't want to be in a world without you"   
Eren sniffled and nodded   
"I feel so numb. Like this is happening to someone else"  
"I know..."  
That was clear as day  
"I don't want to talk about it"  
"Ok... but baby, please talk to me when you're ready or even if you're not. I love you"  
Moving to rest his forehead back against Levi's shoulder, Eren's hands slid down from his face and to his chest.

The house had long since gone silent when Levi woke. Eren had fallen asleep in his arms, having shut back up after their shower, but now the walls had finally crashed down and his mate was curled up in the corner of their room crying. At some point Eren had slipped from his hold and crawled into the corner behind the door. Climbing down to join him, he found his mate was still asleep, and he gently lifted Eren into his arms, carrying him back to their bed  
"Eren"  
He didn't want to scare Eren, but the sobs and whimpers hurt  
"Princess?"  
Shaking him gently only lead to Eren crying harder  
"Eren"  
He winced at how hard he shook Eren, but his eyes finally opened  
"L-Levi!"  
Eren's arms wrapped tightly around his waist and his mate buried his face against the crook of his neck as he started to wail. Levi just held him as he cried. Eren needed this, so it was no time to try and hush him.

It wasn't surprising when Hannes let himself into their room, the man standing there silently while Eren wailed. Catching his eye, Levi gave him the slightly shake of his head. Hannes would probably won't to drug Eren, and normally he'd be all for it... but not so much now that he understood Eren needed to vent more... although that in it's self was dangerous. If his fiancé asked for it, it was ok, otherwise no. Letting himself back out, Hannes closed their door with a small click and he felt Eren jump  
"I've got you. Let it all out"  
Sucking in a deep breath, Eren was trying to say something. It took a moment for him to finally catch it  
"No. It was Hannes, not the boys. They're still asleep, so are the pups"  
"W-w-want m-my p-pups..."  
God that stutter. Stutter, sobs, wails and struggling for oxygen didn't make for an easy translation   
"You want the pups?"  
Eren nodded  
"Let's get you laying down and then I'll place them next to you"  
Easier said than done. The moment Eren was out of his hold, his mate was whining in distress, calling for him though he was barely a few metres away. Fucking Grisha. He wished he knew how to give the man what he deserved while he was in the loony house. Clean clothes, meals, meds and a warm bed... it was all more than the man deserved. 

Laying the pups in front of Eren, the omega immediately curled around them, nuzzling against the as he continued to cry. The pups didn't make a sound, but they were wide awake, so it was probably just a matter of time. Sliding back under the blankets, he spooned up behind Eren and snaked an arm around his waist. Someone was getting an angry phone call later today...

Eren didn't fall back to sleep, so neither did Levi. When morning came, Eren's tears finally came to an end, but his mate was so miserable his ears and tail were both showing  
"Baby, are the boys going to school today?"  
Eren shook his head   
"Ok, I'll let them sleep"  
"Y-you s-should g-go..."  
Levi drew his brow in confusion  
"I should go where?"  
"S-school"  
"Not today baby. Not when you're like this"  
"P-please..."  
"Eren, I can't leave you like this"  
"I n-need some space"  
Eren could have space in the form of staying in bed while Levi stayed outside the bedroom, anything else seemed too far  
"I can't. I can't leave you here and be in Trost. I love you too much to leave you that far behind"  
Eren slowly pushed himself up and lifted Rei into his hold  
"The pups need to be fed"  
A whole sentence without stuttering, yet it hurt more than if Eren had stuttered. It felt like he was being dismissed, especially when Eren went about feeding Rei without saying anything else. Reaching over his mate, Levi lifted Viren. The boys eyes were wide, and he swore he got a cheeky smile from the pup as he rubbed his chubby belly  
"Let me stay home. I'll stay in the living room or the bedroom, and you can have the space you need, but I won't be too far away"  
"Work"  
"I'll call in..."  
"No..."  
Dammit Eren, why couldn't you just shut up and be loved  
"If I go to work, can I skip school?"  
Eren finally looked to him, it took a few moments, but the omega finally nodded  
"We should do something then... I know you don't want to go out, but we could go for a drive or a run?"  
Eren sniffled and nodded  
"Run..."  
"You want to go for a run? Hannes will be home today, so we can go after you've fed the pups?"  
Giving him another nod, Eren turned his attention back to Rei.

After feeding the pups, Eren disappeared into the bathroom on very shaky legs while Levi settled the pups back down. A run was probably the worst thing his mate could do in his exhausted state. He was an idiot for suggesting it, though it did get Eren out the house and the day did look good. With the pups now back in their cots, the alpha changed into a shirt and sweats, before kissing both boys on the forehead and heading out to find Eren. He didn't have to go far. Eren was sitting in the hallway already in his wolf form, Levi knew it wasn't possibly, but the omega definitely seemed smaller than he remembered   
"Ready to go?"  
Eren replied in the form of rising and padding towards the back door. Taking that as a yes, Levi slipped ahead of his mate and unlocked the door for him, letting Eren run out onto the grass head of him... instead of waiting, Eren kept going and Levi rushed to close the door and shift. From the way the omega was moving, he definitely had a destination in mind that wasn't their spot.

 

*  
Having let Eren take the lead, Levi was definitely feeling it by the time he realised where they were. It hasn't seemed like his mate was going to stop any time soon, that was until they finally emerged from the tree at Shinganshima cemetery. He kicked himself for not realising sooner, he knew how attached to his mother Eren was, even after death his mate still loved and needed her. Falling slightly further back, he watched Eren walk through the neat rows of graves before finally climbing up on one and laying his head against the headstone. Padding up behind him, he stopped a metre of so short, just watching as Eren nuzzled the cold marble. Life wasn't fair. Grisha should have died instead of Carla. Carla has actually cared and been there for Eren when he should have been. It was Carla that had turned Eren into a great mum, though Levi was sure that most of it had been his mates own strength... not that Eren would admit that. When Eren finally stopped nuzzling, Levi shifted back and walked the last few steps over to Eren, before sinking down to kneel next to Carla's grave. His hand moved to gently stroke Eren's head, the fur soft against his fingers   
"So this is your mum... I really wish I'd gotten to know her, but as it is, all I can do is thank her for having you"  
Eren turned to look at him, and Levi nodded  
"I'm serious. You don't know how bad things were for me before I had you. I did so many drugs, and so many petty crimes. I slept with way too many people and drank almost every night. I did everything I could and I thought I was happy... I never really was. Not until I had you. And now I'm the father of 4 amazing boys and your mate... and all because your mother gave birth to you"  
Shifting back, Eren threw his arms around him  
"I miss her! I miss her everyday!"  
"I know you do baby"  
"It's not fair! Why'd she have to die?!"  
Rubbing Eren's back softly, Levi shook his head  
"I don't know"  
"The people who love me die! I don't want you to die!"  
"I'm not going anywhere, not for a long long time. Besides, do you really think I could leave that arse of yours behind?"  
"Levi! Not in front of my mum!"  
"Sorry... but you know, she's kind of my mum too, we are bonded and engaged after all"  
"She liked you. She was happy I had a friend... and she knew I liked you as more than a friend..."  
"She was a smart woman"  
"Yeah..."  
Falling silent, the pair continued holding onto each other, as if they were the only two people left in the world. Eren no doubt lost in thoughts about Carla and Levi lost in thought about Eren. They stayed that way until Eren finally nodded   
"Can we go home now?"  
"Yeah, next time we come, we should bring flowers"  
"She'd like that. I never wanted to come here after she was buried, it seemed too final"  
"I understand that... but I think she missed you. We should bring the boys and the pups to meet her"  
"It's ok Levi, I know you don't really believe in this kind of thing"  
"But you do, and that's more than enough for me. Besides, if we Wolfblood's can exist, who says everything else can't either"  
"I don't know if I want mum haunting us... she'd know when we were having sex"  
Eren actually blushed and Levi couldn't help but smile   
"I don't want to think about your mum watching us"  
"I didn't say watching..."  
"Yeah, this definitely isn't something I want to talk about with your mum just here. Can you shift? Or do you want to ride on my back?"  
"I'll shift"  
"Let me know if you get sleepy, I can carry you the rest of the way home. I don't mind"  
Eren nodded and pulled back from him, his hand moving to the headstone and his fingers traced the letters  
"I miss you mum..."  
Shifting into his wolf form, Eren moved off Carla's grave and back towards the way they'd come. Levi took an extra moment   
"I'll protect him... no matter what it takes"  
Shifting into his own wolf from, Levi caught up to Eren easily, staying close to him as they made their way back home.


	105. Chapter 105

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started playing state of decay again...  
> I'm a terrible person for making you all wait!

With Eren curled up in their bed, Levi put his own exhaustion aside. His mate had practically passed out the moment they arrived home, letting him carry him through to their bed and settle him down with the pups. Brushing back Eren's fringe, he pressed a kiss to Eren's warm cheek  
"I'll be back soon"  
Heading out into the kitchen, Levi grabbed a bottle of water out the fridge  
"When did you guys get up?"  
"About an hour ago, didn't expect the pair of you too be gone"  
"We went for a run to help clear Eren's head"  
"Did it work?"  
"No idea, he didn't sleep last night, so he's pretty much out cold now"  
"I didn't think he did. Did you get him talking?"  
"Not as much as I would have liked, but he's still in shock"  
"I think we all are"  
Downing half the bottle, Levi placed it down on the counter, before crossing into the living room and sitting down on the floor where the boys were playing Lego  
"How goes the dinosaur?"  
Ren wrinkled his face  
"You smell"  
"Yeah daddy! You need a bath!"  
Pulling Eli against him, his son tried to push him away  
"Noooo you're smelly and Hannes already made us have a bath!"  
"Then it's a good thing you aren't going to school today"  
With Ren's help, Eli escaped his hold  
"Is this 'cause mum's sad?"  
"Yeah, he just needs all the loves right now"  
"I don't like it when mums sad"  
"I don't either"  
Ren let out a dramatic sigh  
"Dad, I can't think because you smell so bad"   
"Levi, I think you've being told"  
"I think I have too..."

Having showered as the boys wanted, Levi was finally allowed to sit and play with them. Eli happy to climb into his lap this time   
"Dad, what were the dinosaurs with the funny faces?"  
Pretty much all of them...  
"What did it look like?"  
"If i knew that, I wouldn't be asking you"  
"Is it on the boxes?"  
Both Ren and Eli groaned as if checking was effort   
"I think it had those things on its face"  
Ren put his hands to sides of face as if making bull horns   
"You're missing one"  
Reaching over, Eli jabbed Ren in the nose with his finger  
"Ow! What was that for?"  
"It has another one there"  
Ren nodded, his annoyance disappearing as quickly as it had come. So three horns   
"Do you guys mean a triceratops? Like the one Aunty Izzy bought?"  
Eli nodded  
"Those things are called horns"  
"Well it has 3"  
Ren proudly held up 4 fingers, his son so happy that he couldn't bring himself to correct the boy.

Having entertained the boys until lunch time, Levi left them eating to go check up on Eren and the pups. His mate hadn't moved at all, snoring his head off while looking completely innocent as he did. Placing a kiss on Eren's forehead, Levi then grabbed his phone and checked the pups. Both boys were awake, but happily squirming and blowing bubbles  
"My two handsome little men..."  
Now he was sounding like old man Arlert, but they were completely adorable  
"Daddy has to make a phone call, so don't go waking mummy"  
Viren kicked his legs, before yawning and closing his eyes  
"Good boy, now you Rei"  
Rei wasn't going to be so cooperative, he opened his mouth and started to cry  
"Didn't I just say don't go waking mummy"  
Lifting Rei from his cot, Levi carried him through the house and out to the back step. Sitting down slowly, he laid the pup in his lap and sighed  
"You might hear some naughty words, but that doesn't mean you can say them"  
The pup cooed and kicked. Yeah, they were definitely going to be a handful like their big brothers.

Reiner took his sweet time to answer, making Levi more than a little pissed. Out of the two, Bertholdt was definitely more understanding, but he didn't want understanding  
"Levi! What's up?"  
"Grisha's case was yesterday"  
"Fuck. I knew I was forgetting something, hang on, Bertholdt's with me so I'm going to put you on speaker"  
"Hi Levi, how's Eren?"  
"Shit, he's having a complete breakdown thanks to Grisha ending up in a psych ward instead of staying in jail like he belongs"  
"What?"  
"Grisha gets to live the next two years in a cushy mental hospital, while Eren is falling apart. He's convinced Grisha is going to murder him the moment he gets out"  
"Wait. So he didn't get any added time or sent back to jail?"  
"No. Your fancy lawyer did nothing. They didn't give two shits about Eren's life. Grisha is just an alcoholic who didn't mean it"  
"Levi..."  
"No. You guys don't know what it's like. You aren't there for the screaming and the tears or when he hurts himself over it all. I have four kids who need their mother!"  
"Levi, we had no way of knowing..."  
"What am I supposed to do now?"  
"Look, we'll call around and see if we can find out more. I know it's not much, but we are sorry. We had no idea this was going to happen..."  
"Well it did. Now I'm left trying to put Eren back together again"  
"Let us know if we can help..."  
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I think you've done enough helping"  
"Ok... we'll let you know how we go..."  
Levi ended the call with a growl. He'd held his tongue as much as he could, but he was still pissed. Looking down to Rei, he shook his head with a sigh   
"You're fathers an idiot... so let's not tell your mum about this"  
Lifting Rei to his chest, he pressed a kiss to the top of the pups head  
"Let's get you back to your brother, and daddy back to mummy. Daddy needs to try and have a nap before work"

 

*  
"Big Brother! How was the court case?! You didn't tell me anything!"  
Great. One foot through the door and Izzy was yelling at him through the restaurant. A dozen or so confused customers turned to look towards him  
"Not my case..."  
Why was he explaining? It wasn't anything to do with them. Ignoring the stares, he headed into the staffroom and sank down with a sigh. The moment he'd headed back into the bedroom, after calling Reiner, the pups had both started crying, meaning he didn't get to nap  
"Big Brother?"  
"Not now Izzy"  
"But what happened?"  
Looking over towards the girl, he frowned at the fact Erwin and Hanji were now standing behind her  
"Levi, what's this about a court case?"  
"Eren's dad had his court case..."  
"He did? Levi, what happened?"  
Great, now he knew the pair wouldn't get off his back until he told them   
"Grisha's of to a mental hospital. He'll be out in less than two years"  
"What!"  
Izzy staggered over and sank down next to him  
"How..."  
"Because people are fucked. Look, I don't want to talk about it and don't you dare say anything to Eren"  
"He's my friend too, how can I not say anything?"  
"Because he doesn't need people treating him differently"  
"Is he ok?"  
"He's fan-fucking-tastic..."  
Clenching his fists, Levi shook his head  
"Just. Can we just get to work. I don't want to think about that arsehole right now"  
"I think I'll message Eren later..."  
"Don't you dare. He's not in a good head space and this will just make it worse"  
Izzy fell silent  
"Izzy, I'm serious"  
Hanji stepped forward from the doorway  
"Levi, let me know if I can do anything to help"  
"Do you know how to get someone killed? 'cause if you don't, there's nothing we can do"  
Hanji shook her head  
"Can't say that I do... but I doubt Eren would want you to become a killer"  
That might just happen anyway. If Grisha dared come near Eren or the boys, he'd rip him limb for limb  
"I think we should probably get back to work before Rico gets mad"  
Trust Erwin to be the rational one of the group.

Levi wished that was the last of it, but every chance she got, Izzy was bringing it up. In the girl's head appeals always magically worked out. By the end of his shift, he was angry all over again. Being the nice person he was, he dropped Izzy home, though that was mostly to drive home the fact that Eren didn't need her messaging him about it all just now... he'd hoped she'd gotten the message, but it wasn't until the next morning that he found out she wasn't the one he needed to worry about.

 

*  
Waking up to his ringing phone, Eren wanted to throw the device across the room. The omega wasn't feeling loving at all towards people... except for Levi and the kids. Hannes was a work in progress. He just couldn't forget the things the man had said on the witness stand. What he needed was some space and time, he had things to get into order and not just in his head.

When his phone started ringing again, he groaned and tried to hide under the pillow  
"Want me to get it?"  
"Just make it stop ringing"  
Levi nodded against him, the arm that had been wrapped around his waist lifted and cold air rushed under the blankets causing him to shiver. A few seconds later both of them were blinded by the stupidly bright screen of his phone   
"It was Armin"  
Armin shouldn't be calling, especially at such an ungodly hour... as if knowing the device was now in Levi's hands, his phone displayed Armin's name as it began to ring again  
"I suppose I better answer it..."  
Sliding his thumb across the screen, Levi then put it on speaker phone  
"You're on speaker and this better be good Armin"  
"Have you guys been on Facebook this morning?"  
"No, you just woke us up"  
"Hanji put up a status, she didn't name Eren, but given it says..."  
There was a moments pause  
"... The legal system is so fucked. My friends fiancé was nearly brutally murdered by his dad, but he's not even in prison anymore. How does this even happen? #wheresthejustice"  
Levi groaned, while Eren tensed. Now everyone knew... everyone in their circle at least...  
"Fucking shitty glasses"  
"Well it's on Facebook and like everyone is talking about it. You guys should probably stay off for a bit..."  
"Le-Levi..."  
"Armin, we've got to go. Thanks for the heads up"  
"I'll be down on the weekend, we should get together for dinner with grandpa"  
"Maybe... bye Armin"  
"Bye guys"  
Letting the phone drop to the bed, Levi pulled Eren back up against him. His alpha felt so warm, but it did little to defrost the cold sickness that had set in. Hanji might not have meant any harm, but now everyone knew his business. He'd probably end up with messages from everyone and everyone asking why his dad got away with it... it was too much  
"She asked how the trial went... I didn't know she was going to put it on Facebook"  
Eren's whole body started to shake as the tears began to roll down his face. He was so sick of tears, but what else could he do?  
"Baby, I'm so sorry"  
"T-they all know... t-they know my life isn't worth anything"  
Sliding away from him, Levi forced him to roll over and face him. He couldn't even look his alpha in the eyes, he felt too embarrassed   
"Your life is worth more than anything to me. I think maybe we should do what Armin says. We can deactivate our accounts and just ignore what everyone says until it settles down"  
Because that was totally going to work... If someone told Mikasa and Mikasa told her parents then her brother would probably find out too and if they said something... the rumour mill never really died in Shinganshima, half the time people didn't even realise they were fuelling it... he didn't want everyone looking at him like he was a freak, or even worse, with pity. And what about the boys? What if someone said something to them? And Hannes too... wouldn't he be guilty by association? Burying his face against Levi's shoulder, he shook his head  
"Le-Levi..."  
He didn't even know what he wanted to ask  
"I'm here baby, I'm here and I'm not leaving"  
"Everyone's going to be talking about it"  
Levi let out a measured breath   
"Honestly. Maybe. We both know Hanji's well... Hanji. She never would have meant to hurt you, she was just really angry about it. Her, Erwin and Izzy care about you too..."  
"Wish they didn't"  
Nuzzling against Levi's neck, his alpha pulled him up so he was straddling his lap, before wrapping his arms back around him  
"I seem to remember you liking sleeping like this"  
It felt like an eternity since he last had, but the moment he was laying back down, chest to chest, he did feel slightly better. Even if it didn't look that way because he still couldn't stop crying  
"T-thank you..."  
"What are you thanking me for?"  
"I-I don't know"  
Levi pressed a kiss to the side of his face   
"Anytime baby"

Despite Levi and Armin telling him to stay off of Facebook, he pulled his old laptop out and set it up in his lap. Levi wasn't there to tell him not to, and boys were now with Hannes, the pups asleep... there was no one to stop him. Logging into the laptop, he grew impatient having forgotten just how long the thing took to load. He'd grown too used to the speed of his phone, but there were some things he couldn't do on his phone.

After taking a good five minutes to finally load, Eren connected to his phones internet and then promptly opened google chrome. Letting his homepage of Facebook load, he opened another tab. With his father getting out soon, there was so much to do and this was the first step. He was organising his will. Everything would be left to Levi and the pups of course, but he didn't want anyone being able to contest it... well, he didn't want his father being able to. He wanted to leave something to Hannes, but had no idea what. Without meaning too, he stayed lost in the world of online will information until the boys came running in and jumped on his bed  
"Mum! Hanne says its food time!"  
He really didn't feel like food, but he hadn't been eating enough lately and the pups relied on him for their own food. Closing his the lid of the laptop, he wrapped his arms around the twins   
"You're squashing us!"  
"Sorry babies, mum needed a recharge of your love"  
"Well that's enough!"  
Without letting go of them, Eren wriggled off the bed and hefted both boys out to the dining room  
"I hope you're hungry! It's breakfast!"  
Hannes placed the plate down in front of him  
"Why are we having breakfast for dinner?"  
"Because we can"  
It had been a while since they'd had bacon and eggs, but he struggled to choke it down. His mind was on both the will kit he'd ordered, and on the fact he hadn't checked Facebook yet  
"Mum, you're making a funny face"  
Jumping at Ren's voice, he realised his son was staring at him  
"Am I now? What did it look like?"  
Ren hooked the corners of his mouth and pulled while sticking his tongue out  
"Oh wow, I didn't even realise..."  
Eli smacked his brother  
"It didn't look like that, it looked like this..."  
Scrunching his face up, his son looked more constipated than anything, leaving Eren shaking his head  
"I'm sorry babies, I was just thinking"  
"What were you thinking about?"  
His sons didn't need to know he was planning for his death   
"I was thinking we need ice cream after this"  
Both boys rushed to wolf down the rest of their food while Eren was still eating long after everyone else has finished.

With Hannes on twin duty still, Eren got his own bowl of ice cream, the chocolate sauce, a spoon and a bottle of water, before retreating back to bed. This way he was totally prepared for what he was about to read on Facebook.

He definitely wasn't prepared.

It was all over his Facebook, and Levi's... well, more than one of their friends had posted on their timelines asking if he was alright and what happened, to him it was obvious were just being nosy. It was nice to know he didn't rate a phone all or a text. Armin had been right, he should have avoided Facebook. Opening Hanji's page, he tried to find that status, but it was already gone... Levi had been mad when he'd left and now he hoped his mate hadn't gone off at the girl. It wasn't like Levi had a lot of friends... Closing his laptop, he didn't stop the device as it slid to the floor. Levi said they all loved him, but just who did his mate mean? His friends apparently didn't... Hanji was Levi's friend, not his... but she seemed to care more than they did... letting out a small sob, he wanted Levi to come home already. 

 

*  
Eren wasn't going to be happy. Pulling into the driveway, Levi looked to the house in guilt. Thanks to Hanji not understanding how badly she'd upset Eren, and shitty customers that had no idea what they were on about, he'd lost his job. The fact he'd poured a plate of spaghetti into a customers lap had nothing to do with it all. The man totally had it coming, but Rico hadn't seen it that way. Climbing from the ute, he grabbed out his uniform and threw it down in disgust. Rico could get fucked... that would probably make her nicer anyway.

Letting himself into the dark house, the first thing he heard was the pups crying. Both boys sounded miserable. Rushing through to the bedroom, he found Eren trying to calm them both, but it wasn't exactly working given the omega was sobbing as he did. Crossing to Eren's side, he lifted Rei from Eren   
"Baby, it's ok, I'm here now"  
Eren grabbed his shirt and pulled him close, burying his face against his neck   
"Levi..."  
"It's ok, let's get that these two calmed"  
Eren shook his head, the omega slumping into him. Well fuck. This was awkward. Backing up the best he could, he had to lower Eren down first before sinking down next to him, his mate once again burying his face against him, though he was now at least trying to calm  
"Levi... I love you"  
"I love you too baby. You look exhausted"  
Eren nodded, sucking in a breath   
"T-the boys won't stop crying"  
"Then I'll help you settle them"  
"It's been hours..."  
The boys cried and cried, no matter what he did. The sun creeping up just as they finally settled. Eren was a whimpering mess, so after laying both pups down, the omega had his full attention. Lifting his mate easily, he moved Eren into his side of the bed  
"Just let me get undressed and we can finally sleep"  
"Levi, I... I checked Facebook"  
Of course he did... 

Sliding into bed, Levi really didn't want to deal with talking right now. His head was throbbing like a drum and he was so tired he felt sick  
"Levi..."  
Eren snuggled up against him  
"Yeah princess"  
"It was all over our Facebook walls"  
"I know. I wish you hadn't looked"  
"No one cares... they just want to know what happened"  
He'd actually thought the same thing... not that he'd ever say that to Eren   
"I care"  
"My friends don't... I always wanted to be a good friend... but I'm not and I'm not a good mum"  
Eren broke down into tears again, but instead of sobs it was pained whimpers  
"Shhh, come on. This can wait for the morning, we're both exhausted"  
That sounded harsher than he'd meant...  
"Sorry..."  
"Eren, that's not what I meant. You just sound like you're in pain"  
His mate didn't reply and Levi bit down a groan. They'd both done through their own personal hells yesterday thanks to one shitty glasses and he still had to drop his bombshell. Closing his eyes, he mentally told the day to fuck off, he'd be quite happy to sleep through until all this shit was sorted and Eren was feeling better.


	106. Chapter 106

Levi fell asleep almost instantly, and Eren wished he could but his brain just wouldn't cooperate. He was beyond every word to describe exhausted both mentally and physically. Leaving Levi sleeping, the omega slipped from their bed and stagger out to the kitchen. Promptly jumping when he realised he wasn't the only one awake at whatever time this was  
"I thought you and Levi would finally be asleep"  
Shaking his head, Eren continued to stagger as he made his way over and grabbed a glass   
"I can't..."  
"If it's because of the boys, I've already checked on them. Their both sleeping still"  
"No it's not that..."  
Yawning as he went to fill the glass with water from the tap, it slipped from his weak hold and smashed on the bottom of the sink. Without even thinking... not that he really could, he reached for the shards only to Hannes grab his hand  
"Go sit down, I'll bring you a bottle"  
Oh... that's right. They had bottles of water   
"It's ok"  
"Eren, you probably haven't seen yourself yet, but you look a wreck. I'll get the boys up and ready for school. You on the other hand should really and try get some sleep"  
"I told you I can't"  
"And I'm saying you can"  
Shaking his head with a low moan, Eren immediately regretted the action. It fucking hurt. I literally felt like some one had screamed and cried in his ears for hours... wait, they had  
"My stupid head won't stop"  
Wrapping an arm around his shoulder, Hannes guided him over to sofa   
"Just wait here"  
Confused and somewhat irritated, Eren didn't bother even trying to move. It might be alright for Hannes to help out, but the man had basically been taking care of the boy's nonstop since Wednesday and it wasn't fair on him. He really was a shitty parent.

Jumping yet again because of Hannes, he scolded himself mentally. It wasn't like this was the first time he'd been kept up crying because of the pups  
"Put your hand out"  
His hand shook as he tried to obey  
"2 panadol for the headache and a sleeping tablet"  
"How did..."  
"How did I know you have a headache? You're jumping and wincing at every little noise. Now be a good boy and wait while I get you that water"  
"The boys lunches..."  
"I will take care of"  
"It's my job"  
"It's your job to look semi human and you're failing miserably at the moment"  
It only took Hannes a few moments to fetch a bottle of water, which Eren promptly spilt on himself as he downed the three pills. Tearing up again, his head throbbed like a drum as the tears dripped onto his chest  
"Hey, it's no good crying over split... water"  
"It... it's not that..."  
"I take it this is due to whatever happened yesterday and had you crying before the pups even started?"  
"H-have you been on Facebook?"  
"Not recently"  
"Everything's all over Facebook.."  
"What do you mean everything?"  
"With dad..."  
"I'm sorry to hear that"  
"Everyone knows..."  
Moaning miserably, he closed his eyes and leant his head back against the sofa  
"Maybe it's not that bad"  
"It is"  
Hannes let out a long breath  
"Look, I'll check it out once I've dropped the boys off, but I want you to stop thinking about it for now and try and get some sleep"  
"It's not fair"  
"I know"  
"No, the fact you've been looking after the twins"  
"Oh, that. It's fine  
"No it's not"  
"If I say it is, it is. Now I expect you to go sleep. Doctors orders"  
He felt way too gross to sleep, but the sleeping tablet was kicking in... maybe sleep would help? He was just about to succumb... and then the sound of two unhappy pups reached his. Whimper as he pushed himself up, Hannes halted his progress by placing his hands firmly on his shoulders  
"You stay here. I'll go check them out"  
"But nothing worked last night..."  
"So let me handle it"  
"I should... you and Levi have to work"  
"Eren, stop arguing with me. We both know I know best"  
Hannes continued to hold his shoulders firmly until he finally nodded  
"Good"

 

*  
Levi woke on the first cry. His head was pounding and Eren wasn't by his side. Glaring at the world, he pushed the blankets back in annoyance. They had way too many blankets on their bed, but he tolerated it because that's what Eren wanted. However, right now, he wanted to throw the shitty things across the room. Stumbling off the bed, he moved to lift Viren up first. His son wailing unhappily... last night had been horrible. The boys had been fed and changed and bathed and held and sung too... nothing had calmed them. Sinking down on the edge of the bed, Levi rubbed Viren's back as he hushed him. Where the fuck had Eren gotten to?

"Eren said you were sleeping"  
Groaning, Levi nodded without bothering to turn around   
"You've seen him?"  
"Yeah, he's in the living room"  
That explained that  
"Is he alright?"  
"Not really. He told me Hanji posted what happen on Facebook"  
"Don't even go there"  
Leaning over the side of the cot, Hannes lifted Rei out  
"Come on, what's with all the tears?"  
"Don't even bother asking. They've been fed, changed, bathed..."  
Shaking his head, Levi let out a sigh, before looking down to the pup in his arms. Viren was still serenading them, and it was just as unappreciated as it was all night  
"And yet they still want all your attention"  
"They're going to be getting a lot more of it"  
He might as well tell Hannes, the man was sure to take it much more calmly than Eren would  
"I got fired last night"  
"Oh Levi..."  
Hannes practically groaned the words, it was as if the man had heard them a million times   
"Do I want to know what happened?"  
"Hanji did something stupid"  
"Is this to do with the Facebook thing?"  
"You heard about that?"  
"No, Eren just said everything was on Facebook"  
"Hanji got mad because the courts didn't do anything. She took the status down, but it was too late. Her and Izzy spent the whole shift following me around until I finally lost it"  
"What did you do?"  
"I poured a plate of spaghetti into a customers lap. He tried to say my hair was in it. I saw the fucker. He looked at his dinner, screwed his nose up and plucked out some of his own hairs and dumped them on top"  
"That's revolting"  
"He tried to complain, and got shitty when I called him out... so I poured the lot in his lap"  
"I can't say he didn't deserve it, but Eren's not going to take it well"  
"I know... so this was the last thing I need"  
"Look, you know they're fed and you've done everything you can to settle them, why don't you put them down in the boys room? Or my room?"  
"I can't just leave them to cry. They sound so miserable..."  
"You're not going to be any good to them if you're exhausted"  
He really didn't want to settle the pups in another room, it just felt wrong given how upset they were  
"I'm way past exhausted"  
Hannes nodded sympathetically   
"I'll take care of the boys, and I'll pick them up after school"  
"That would be awesome. I'm sorry we've been relying on you so much"  
"What else have got to do?"  
"Have your way with all those nurses that have their eyes on you..."  
"If I did that, I'd never make it home"  
Groaning at the idea, he winced in pain. God. Sleep would be so good  
"I gave Eren a light sedative and some panadol, do you want some too?"  
"No, I think I'll just lay the pups down and try calm them..."  
"Ok, well I've got to the boys up and moving, but call me if you need anything"

With the boys laying on his side of the bed, the both continued to cry. All he could think was they probably felt as shitty as he did right now. Their poor throats had to be raw from all the screaming, which was probably why they kept crying... feeling like he might be onto something, Levi dragged himself from the bedroom and into the bathroom where Hannes was preparing a bath for the twins  
"Hannes, is it possible the boys are in pain from crying so much?"  
"Possibly, what are you thinking?"  
"You get baby panadol right? Will it help take the edge off. I know my head is throbbing, so I can't imagine how they feel"  
Hannes nodded slowly  
"It'll have to wait until the boys are at school or we won't have enough time to get ready"  
The pups continued cries left him feeling helpless and it wasn't the greatest feeling. He had to do something to ease their pain  
"I'll take care of the boys... please Hannes, I can't stand having them cry like this"  
Turning the taps off, Hannes sighed   
"Alright, I'll go get some now. But I expect those boys in the bath by the time I get back"  
"You're a life saver"  
"I'm a sweet round circle of candy?"  
Raising an eyebrow in confusion, Hannes shook his head  
"What the hell are they teaching you kids these days"

Ren and Eli were awake when he walked in. The boys were trying hard to pretend they were still sleeping, but tickles soon had them laughing and begging for mercy  
"Daaaaaaddy! Stooooop it!"  
"Nope, not until you guys get up"  
"We can't get up with you tickling us"  
Ren made a fair point. Stopping his attack, both boys lunged up at him, giving him no choice but to lift them both onto his hips  
"God! What is your mother feeding you? Your so heavy!"  
"You're just weak dad!"  
"Ooooh, you might be right"  
Pretending to stagger, both boys tightened their holds  
"Daaaaad!"  
"Fine, but it's bath time"  
They were adorable, even when they were doing nothing to help his headache. Carrying them into the bathroom, he stripped them down and lifted them into the bath   
"Dad, why won't they stop crying?"  
Eli sounded annoyed and Levi bit down a sigh   
"Because they can't tell us what's wrong. All the can do is cry when they're unhappy about something"  
"They're cuter when they're quiet"  
Ren nodded his agreement  
"Hannes has gone to get some medicine, that should help"  
"It better. I don't wanna come home if they're still crying"  
It was a good thing Eren wasn't around to hear that...  
"What would Titan do if you didn't come home? He'd miss you"  
"He could run away and live with us"  
"And where are you going to live?"  
"With grandpa!"  
Their plan had obviously been thought through. Eli hadn't hesitated at all  
"But what about me and mum? We'd miss you too"  
"You can visit"  
Oh, well that was something...   
"I think I'd rather have you living here. I'd get lonely without you and so would mum"  
Ren shook his head   
"You have each other"  
"But we want you"  
"Then make them stop crying"  
Groaning as he sank to the floor, Levi leant back against the wall. Why did all this shit have to happen at once? Surely they didn't deserve this much drama... both boys soon dropped the subject, happy to play with their bath toys until it was time to get out.

Herding the boys into their room, neither wanted to get dressed and Levi felt like he was going to snap at any moment. All he wanted was for the pups to stop crying, and then to curl up with Eren. Instead he was trying to get both boys dried and into their school uniforms. The highlight of the whole experience was turning his back on Eli to deal with Ren and turning back to find his son peeing on his towel. Letting out a growl, he grabbed Eli by the arm, his son finally stopping and a firm smack came down on the boys bare bum. Eli let out a shriek, before bursting into tears  
"Eli, you know that's naughty!"  
"You're a mean dad!"  
Running from the room naked, Levi could only watch him go. He felt like an arse for smacking his son, but who goes around peeing on towels. Ren ran and jumped and off the bed, chasing after Eli. Gathering up the boy's school uniform, he took a few deep breaths before heading out the door.

Ren and Eli were both hiding behind Hannes. The man looking at him with a look clearly asking what happened  
"Eli got his bum smacked for peeing on the towel"  
"Ewww, that's not cool kid"  
"Nope, and he wasn't washed his hands either"  
Hannes wrinkled his nose as he looked down at the boys  
"Eli, go wash your hands and then we'll have breakfast"  
"He's still got to get dressed"  
"Fine. First he washes his hands and then he puts his clothes on and then breakfast"  
"I'll do his clothes if you do the pups"  
The look on Eli's face told him his son felt sad and sorry for himself, he didn't object as he washed his hands and then let Levi finally get him dressed  
"You wouldn't have gotten a bum smack if you'd just gotten dressed"  
"But I really needed to pee"  
"Why didn't you pee before your bath?"  
"You didn't give us a chance!"  
Ok. Maybe the kid had a point there, but no way were his kids going to get anymore feral then they already were...

 

*  
The whole house was finally silent. The pups had stopped crying not long after Hannes had given them the panadol and upon inspection both were fast asleep. The boys were at school, Hannes at work and Eren was asleep on the sofa, though he didn't look comfortable at all. Picking his sleeping beauty up, Eren didn't stir at all as Levi carried him into their room and stripped him down to his singlet and underwear. He wanted proper cuddles, and pyjamas were in the way. Laying Eren carefully next to the pups, Levi stripped himself down and climbed in to spoon up with his mate. He was so beyond ready for sleep and Eren felt so warm and comfy in his arms. Nuzzling his omegas neck, he let out a sleepy sigh  
"I love you baby"  
The words barely made it out his mouth before he was completely dead to the world.

Both pups slept through until lunch time, waking them for a feed and not just to continue their serenade. Eren was still groggy as he fed the boys, and Levi took charge of burping them and then settling them back down. Both happy to fall back to sleep immediately. Now that he knew they were alright, and not in any pain, he settled them down in the twins room. Eren definitely needed more sleep, and he didn't want his mate worrying about anything. Returning to the bedroom, he found Eren just as he'd left him  
"Go back to sleep princess"  
Eren yawned and nodded  
"I wanted to wait for you..."  
Fuck he was adorable. Climbing back into bed, Levi pulled Eren awkwardly against him. It probably would have worked better if his mate wasn't still sitting up  
"You feeling any better?"  
"I'm still really tired"  
"Other than that?"  
"My head doesn't hurt so bad now"  
"At least that's something"  
"Levi... can I sleep on you?"  
Snorting lightly, the alpha nodded  
"You really like sleeping like that"  
"I do... it... it makes me feel safe"  
"Then by all means, feel free to sleep on me"

This was a terrible idea. His senses were filled with Eren's scent and his mate smelt so fucking good. It didn't help at all that Eren's sleepy breaths were falling across his that sweet spot just beneath his ear, of the his mate would nuzzle against him... and even worse was when he'd wriggle his hips and shift and press his breasts harder against him. Levi wanted to sleep, but this was just a torturous heaven. He didn't want to disturb Eren, but his mates defences were nonexistent and he knew how soothing the omega found his knot... or maybe he was just making excuses after feeling so frustrated by everything since Grisha's trial. Whatever it was, he was hard as fuck and kind of amazed Eren hadn't woke up yet. Closing his eyes and trying to sleep didn't help in the slightest. Letting out a sigh of annoyance with himself, his hands slid down Eren's back and cupped his mates arse, massaging it lightly as he did. He really should let Eren sleep...  
"Levi..."  
Sprung... maybe if he stopped moving Eren would fall back to sleep  
"Don't stop, felt nice"  
Snorting Levi shook his head before pressing a kiss to the side of Eren's head the best he could  
"I thought you were sleeping"  
"How can I sleep like this?"  
Rocking his hips against him, Eren yawned   
"Sorry. I guess I'm just frustrated. It'll go away"  
"No..."  
"No what?"  
"I don't know"  
"Eren, just go back to sleep"  
Wriggling harder in his lap, his mate pushed himself up slightly before his lips brushed against Levi's   
"You aren't the only frustrated one"  
Moving clumsily, Eren's lips claimed his in a kiss and his mate moaned into his mouth. Not sure what to really do, Levi's hands slip up to hold Eren's hips and he pushed him back slightly  
"Baby, you're too tired for this"  
"I want you..."  
"You want my knot don't you?"  
Eren nodded against him  
"Please alpha"

With Eren beneath him, Levi set a merciless pace. This was totally his alpha's fault, the beast was a total whore for Eren's sweet arse... but fuck, Eren was so beautiful. Each moan and pant was perfect, the way his breasts bounced and the way his heels were digging into his back... it drove him fucking crazy. Sucking dark possessive marks against Eren's neck, his mate seemed just as happy to wear them as he was to bestow them  
"Levi... I'm gonna..."  
Pulling back from Eren's neck, he claimed his mates mouth as he nodded, his own orgasm wasn't far off and he hoped Eren was feeling just as good as he was. He'd definitely needed this, and given how Eren like to work himself up, he probably needed it even more. Feeling Eren clench around him, his mates back arched and splattered across his stomach. It only took two more thrusts before he was cumming hard and Eren was a mewing mess as he did. Nuzzling Eren's face, Levi fought to breath   
"I love you... I love you"  
"I love you too... you have no idea how much I needed that"  
Nodding, he peppered kisses to Eren's face  
"Me too baby"  
Flipping them over, Eren whined at the tugging of his knot  
"Shhh, go back to sleep. I'm here"

It was almost laughable how fast Eren did fall back to sleep. Smirking at the sight, Levi couldn't stop himself from running his hands over as much of Eren's smooth skin as he could. Feeling a lump form in his throat, he realised his eyes were growing wet. He could lose all this one day... he was yet to tell Eren about his job or talk to him properly about Hanji...it was entirely possible Eren would blame himself... and as much as he hated to think it, Eren wasn't in a good place. This could be the very thing to push him too far... wrapping his arms around his fiancé, he sniffled sadly. He couldn't lose Eren. Not to himself and not to Grisha. He wanted to marry Eren. He wanted to make him happy and keeps him safe, but how were they supposed to save for a wedding when he couldn't even keep his shitty job...


	107. Chapter 107

Having been left to sleep, Eren woke up confused when he found Levi wasn't in bed with him anymore. The sounds coming from the living room told him the kids were home and feeling slightly sooky still, he grabbed his clothes and headed into the bathroom for a quick shower... that didn't end up being all that quick. It would have been fine if his omega side hadn't been so hurt by the fact Levi hadn't been there when he awoken. Grabbing out his hooded dress and yoga pants, he tried to make himself look semi human before heading into the living room.

"Hey mum"  
"Hey babies, what are you up to?"  
"Drawing"  
Sinking down to sit between the boys, Eren smiled softly at the boys sketches   
"These are definitely fridge worthy"  
"We know..."  
Eli was working on flowers, while Ren was drawing what seemed to be dinosaurs  
"How was school?"  
"Boring... our teacher gave us something to give to you, but I don't know where I put it"  
Oh god... that couldn't be good. At least being with the boys, he could pretend he wasn't so miserable  
"Ren, can you get your bag for me?"  
Ren sighed as he dropped his pencil   
"But muuuum, it's so far away"  
"I know, but the sooner you get it, the sooner you can start drawing again"  
Letting out another sigh, Ren rose and ran over to get his bag, before returning and shoving it him. Ignoring the boys clear annoyance, Eren opened his son's bag and began rummaging through it, finally pulling out a crumpled piece of paper. Setting Ren's bag down beside him, he smoothed out the piece of paper. By the seems of it his class was having a parents day. All the parents were invited to a morning tea put on by the kids  
"You guys didn't tell me about this"  
"What is it?"  
"The parents day"  
"Oh... I forgot"  
Ren didn't look up from his colouring, and behind him Levi moved to sit by Eli   
"When is it?"  
"Tuesday"  
"Do you want to go?"  
Of course he wanted to go. He wanted to see what the boys had been up to... or maybe Levi was hinting he didn't think he should...  
"It's from 9 until 1"  
"You guys don't have to come"  
"What if we want to?"  
Eli shrugged and Eren swallowed hard. He felt like his boys didn't want him there   
"Do you want me or dad to go?"  
"Dad... you've been busy mum"  
So he wasn't wanted... Passing the note to Levi, he pushed himself up and walked into the kitchen  
"Eren?"  
"I'm just getting dinner started"  
His voice shook slightly and he didn't dare look to Levi. He knew his mate would be looking at him with his usual pitiful of concern.

Trying to concentrate on dinner wasn't working. His hands shook as he prepped the vegetables. It was probably a little late to be making a slow cooked lamb casserole, but he hadn't realised that was what he'd set about making until he was halfway through the prep. It was the first proper meal his mum had made after the boys were born. Apparently he'd needed the nutrients or something... feeling himself begin to tear up, he wiped at his face with the backs of his hands  
"Eren?"  
"Onions"  
"Ok..."  
Levi clearly didn't believe him. Throwing the diced lamb, onion and garlic in to fry pan to brown, he didn't even get to place it on the oven. A loud knock on the front door interrupted that. Looking at the clock, he frowned. It was too early for Hannes to be back yet, and the man would have just let himself in. Placing the fry pan down, he wiped his hands  
"I'll get it"

Padding down the hall, he opened the door, before promptly wishing he hadn't. Hanji was standing there with a bouquet of flowers  
"Eren, I'm so sorry"  
Without waiting for a reply, he was drawn into a hug  
"Hanji, you can't just be here because of that"  
"That's true, but I really am sorry... I also wanted to apologise to Levi. If I hadn't pissed him off so much yesterday, he wouldn't have lost his job"  
Levi lost his job? How? And why hadn't his mate told him? Letting go of Hanji, he nodded mutely and Hanji began towards the living room, leaving him with the flowers. They really were beautiful, and he hadn't expected her to show up in person to apologise... it made him feel just the tiniest bit carried about. Closing the door, he headed back into the kitchen. His new distraction was finding a vase... of course it really didn't work as a distraction. He felt like shit... In the living room, Hanji was already chatting away with the boys, but that was just background noise, drowned out by his racing heart. Finding an empty spaghetti container he filled it with water and stood the flowers in it   
"Hanji, you didn't have to come out here"  
"I wanted to. You have no idea how bad I feel... and I wanted to make sure Eren was alright"  
Blinking in confusion over hearing his name he looked to her  
"Me?"  
"About that Facebook thing. I wasn't thinking. I was just so mad that it could happen..."  
"You were mad?"  
"Of course I was mad. You're adorable! And what happened... its scary"  
She was mad on his behalf? His own friends hadn't called or messaged... but here was Hanji. The girl beamed at him as he looked over to where she was with the boys"  
"I told you he was doing alright..."  
"No, you yelled at me for being so stupid and then wouldn't listen as I tried to tell you I was sorry"  
That sounded about right  
"Hanji, it's ok. Thank you for being bad, but maybe not post it on Facebook next time"  
Levi gaped at him, clearly not expecting him to be so forgiving so fast. The alpha didn't seem to understand that now he understood she didn't mean any harm and only did it because she cared, he couldn't be mad at her. Everyone else, yes. But not her  
"I promise I won't. You have no idea how bad I feel. I wanted to come down sooner, but had to finish my shift first"  
"As long as you're here, do you want to stay for dinner? It's going to be a while until it's ready"  
"I'm not going to turn down free food..."  
Nodding, he moved to pick the fry pan up. Levi clearly didn't want Hanji staying any longer than necessary, but his alpha was terrible at making friends and couldn't afford to lose the ones he did have.

With the casserole in the oven, Eren moved to join everyone on the floor again, sitting behind Ren, he loosely wrapped his arms around the boy and rested his chin on the top of his head  
"Muuuum"  
"Shhh, I want cuddles"  
"That's what dads for"  
"But I want your cuddles"  
"It's embarrassing"  
"Yeah, we all know I'm embarrassing"  
He could feel Levi watching him and shifted uncomfortably under his stare. Couldn't Levi take a hint?

Loading up everyone's plates, including Hannes's for later, his own looked sad in comparison, but despite the fact he was kind of starving his stomach felt gross. Laying out the plates, he sank down last  
"Eren, you've got like nothing on your plate"  
"It's ok, I ate while I prepped"  
Hanji let out a loud laugh   
"I do that all the time. Mum hates it"  
Nodding at her words, he forced himself to eat. Each mouthful left him missing his mum even more. Her version was soooo much better, so much so that his sucked in comparison  
"Aunty Hanji... did you bring us anything?"  
Once again Hanji let out a loud laugh  
"No I did, just flowers for Eren. Is my being here not enough of a present?"  
"No"  
Choking on his mouthful of food, he shook his head as he coughed   
"Eli, don't say things like that"  
"It's all good. He's so cute... how are the twins?"  
"They cried all night, so they're sleeping right now"  
"Aw, I was hoping for cuddles"  
"You can have cuddles after dinner"  
"Yes!"  
"Maybe it would be better to let them sleep? They have to be pretty exhausted..."  
"She came all this way, it'll be fine"  
"Yeah Levi, it'll be fine"  
"Shut up shitty glasses"  
Biting his tongue, he stopped himself from telling Levi off. He had to make it through dinner, and see Hanji off. Then he could go for a walk and think. His emotions were dangerously close to betraying how not ok he was, and Levi didn't need to know about that.

By the time Hanji finally left, it was nearing 9pm. Having Levi home at this time of night was weird, but the boys loved it. The pair were seated between Levi and Hannes watching some silly movie. With the pups fed and changed, Eren made sure the kitchen was clean before heading towards the front door  
"I'm going for a walk, I'll be back later"  
Both Levi and Hannes frowned at him  
"Isn't it a bit late?"  
"I was going to go before, but Hanji came"  
"Ok, well be careful then..."  
Nodding at Hannes, he flashed the man a brief fake smile  
"I will"  
Escaping before Levi could follow him, he shifted the moment he was outside and took off running. Finally free to cry the tears he'd had to hide in front of everyone. Despite how timid he'd become, he'd actually liked having Hanji's warmth and bubbliness around. The girl hadn't put her foot in it once, and her being there pissed Levi off. The fact that Levi didn't think to tell him he'd lost his job felt like a slap to his face. Yes last night had been long, but it wasn't like they couldn't have talked about it then... Maybe Levi thought he'd blame himself? It was true. He really did blame himself. If Levi hadn't gotten with him the alpha could still have his own life. He wouldn't have to worry about all the bills coming in and the fact they now had no money to pay them. Food, gas, power, water, their phones, home and contents insurance, insurance for the Range Rover, rates, things the boys needs... none of these things paid for themselves. If he was a better mate, Levi wouldn't need to work so hard for them. He would have his own job, he'd be helping to support their children... Levi kept saying they were a team but he was letting the team down. Stumbling badly, he shifted back and sank down where he was. His ankle was sore, but he found himself liking the pain, to the point where he welcomed it. Levi would be so mad if he knew, but he felt like he needed to be punished. He was no where near as good of a person as everyone made out. 

Eren had no idea how long he sat out there. The night was beautifully clear, stars twinkling in between the canopy above. Once again he found himself thinking how small and insignificant everything was. Levi had been mad last time he'd tried to act like everything was ok, but the fact he now felt he had a time limit on his life couldn't be denied... and if that was the case didn't he owe it to Levi and the kids to be the best mum and partner he could be? Even if the boys one day forgot him, everyone else would be able to tell them how much he cared. Pushing himself up, he began towards home.

 

*  
"He's taking too long. What if something's happened? We never should have let him go off on his own"  
Rocking Rei as he paced, Levi couldn't help but be on edge. Eren had been gone for hours, and Hannes seemed to think it was alright   
"Levi, Eren can look after himself. He obviously needed some time and space"  
"Which he can have without taking off in the middle of night for hours"  
"If he's not back in the next half an hour, you can go looking for him. But I really do think you're overreacting"  
No. Hannes was totally under reacting. Eren had been almost too happy that Hanji was there. His mate had even let the girl stay for dinner, and completely snubbed him while he was at it. It wasn't like he'd done anything wrong... or at least at the time when Eren started ignoring him he hadn't. Turning around and hushing Rei, his eyes widened at Eren standing there  
"Where have you been?"  
"Out walking?"  
"You've been gone for hours"  
"Sorry, I was looking at the stars. Are the pups alright?"  
"What? Oh, yeah. They were a bit grizzly, but they seem happier now they're getting cuddles"  
"And the boys are in bed?"  
"Yep. I put them down after the movie ended"  
"In that case I'll see if these two will feed and then I'm off to bed"  
Eren crossed and sank down next to Hannes, lifting Viren from him   
"Eren, what's going on with you?"  
He was way too calm. His eyes were still slightly red, so Levi knew he'd been crying, but his mate was acting too normal   
"Nothing? I just feel better after going for a walk"  
Organising himself, the omega settled Viren against his chest, the boy finding Eren's nipple immediately   
"Aw, were you hungry? Mummy's sorry. He just needed some fresh air. How about we go to the park tomorrow or we can go see Grandpa Arlert. We haven't seen him in aaaaages"  
Looking to Hannes, the man just shrugged. How was he not worried about this?

With the pups fed and in their cots, Levi thought he was finally going to get some time to talk to Eren about what was going on. It didn't happen. He'd thought Eren had gone to the bathroom, but when he didn't reappear Levi went looking. His mate was curled up with Eli, the pair fast asleep with Titan sleeping up beside their heads. Feeling a prang of jealousy towards Eli, he climbed into bed with Ren and pulled the boy up against him. His son sleepily snuggled back against him and Levi pressed a kiss to the top of his head. Eren wasn't the only one who he could cuddle.

 

*  
Before Levi knew it, the weekend had passed and it was Tuesday morning. He hadn't really gotten to talk to Eren, or rather, whenever he had his mate told him it didn't matter and they'd figure something out. The alpha had to worry if this was some kind of dream. Pushing those thoughts aside, he pulled into the carpark at the primary school. Given he didn't work anymore, they were both at the parents day. The boys had clearly enjoyed all the attention Eren and Grandpa Arlert had showered on them, and now were clinging to Eren almost all the time   
"Levi?"  
Looking to Eren, he forced a small smile  
"Sorry, I was off in my own head. You ready?"  
Eren nodded, his eyes sparkled as he did. It had been too fucking long since he'd seen that look in his mates eyes...   
"Muuuum, we need to goooo"  
"I know babies, give me a second"  
Levi was left staring as Eren climbed from the Range Rover, his mate looked gorgeous. He was dressed black high waisted shorts, with a neat blue blouse, and his hair was pulled back into ponytail and gold hoop earrings swung lightly with his every move  
"Levi, are you coming?"  
"Right"

With the pups in their slings, and holding hands with the boys, they were lead through to twins classroom  
"Hello, welcome to parents day!"  
The desks and chairs had been pushed to the outside of the room and the floor was covered in blankets like it was a huge picnic. Leaving the boys to hang their bags up, Eren walked into the room ahead of him  
"Has it changed much?"  
"Not really"  
Moving to sit in a free spot, Eren sank down happily enough while Levi just felt weird. He wasn't used to seeing so many other parents here, and he didn't even know how parents were supposed to talk to each other. He didn't know anyone here, but they all seemed to know about them. Sitting down next to Eren, he tried not to look so pissed off at all of them. This was for the boys and not the time to call everyone out on their shit.

Clapping her hands once, the boy's teacher managed to bring the whole room to silence. The woman smiled brightly as she stood at the front of the class  
"Welcome to our parents day! It's so lovely to see so many familiar faces, and some new ones"  
Rei let out a sleepy yawn as if he knew he was definitely one of the new faces around here  
"Now before we begin, the class has prepared a special song to start the day"  
The special song was "I can sing a Rainbow" and all the kids looked super proud of themselves. Standing in the second row, the twins were trying poking at each other not so covertly while singing, and Levi couldn't blame them. They were so bad it was cute.

With the singing over, the boys were sent to wait on them. This involved the pair of them bringing over a slip of paper, with what was prepared listed on it, and a pencil  
"Now mums and dads, don't be shy. This day is for all of you after all"  
People in the country were weird. Ticking the box for a juice and a brownie, Levi passed it back to Ren and Ren ran it over to the teacher. Eren took a little more time before handing his to Eli, the boy running off in much the same manner as his brother  
"So, can you listen with your eyes?"  
Snorting at Eren's question, Levi shook his head  
"Not lately I can't. Whatever they were on when they wrote that song must have been some good stuff"  
Eren nodded  
"Yeah, but we probably shouldn't say that too loud, we're still getting stared at"  
"I can say something..."  
"No, just leave it. This is about the boys remember"  
"If you're uncomfortable..."  
"Dad!"  
Ren appeared from no where with a plastic cup of juice and a small brownie on a plate   
"Thanks kiddo!"  
It was clear the boy wanted some of the brownie and Levi couldn't say no. Given that some of the other kids were back and sitting with their parents he placed the two items down and the pulled Ren down to sit against him  
"It's only small so you can only have a little bit"  
The boys eyes lit up and Levi snapped the brownie in half, handing the lager piece to his son  
"You're such a push over"  
"Yeah. Here comes Eli, I bet you do the same thing"  
Eren had ordered a cupcake, and like Levi had done, he spilt it and shared it with Eli  
"So what do we do now?"  
Eren shrugged  
"Don't look at me, I don't even know if we had these back in my day"  
"You most certainly did"  
Both mates jumped at the sound of the teachers voice and Levi felt like a little kid as he looked up at the woman   
"He did?"  
"Yes, from what I remember he got into a fight that day too"  
This he had to hear  
"Oh he did now? I'd love to hear all about that"  
The woman looked to Eren   
"I don't remember"  
"Of course you don't, you were only 5 at the time. Back in those days Armin was always picked on for being so tiny, it didn't matter how many times we told them to stop, so you'd taken on the role of chasing them all away. Well that day I was busy with some of the parents when we all heard this might crash. Looking around we found you standing over this other kid, I won't name names, with a bloodied nose and Armin was hiding behind you. I think if I'm remembering correctly, Armin's parents had passed by then and someone had said something about his Grandfather not being his parent. You weren't going to stand for that. Standing there pointing down the kid you yelled at him "Grandpa is so a parent and if Armin doesn't have parents he can share mine!". Needless to say your mother found it completely adorable. It was such a shame she passed away so young"  
"Yeah... but Grandpa's still going strong"  
"He is? I haven't seen him... oh, I can't even remember now"  
"We saw him on the weekend, he's great with the boys"  
"Oh that's wonderful. And how about these two, how are they going?"  
"Yeah, good. A few sleepless nights, but they're healthy. Would you like a hold?"  
"No, no, I better go check in with the other parents"  
Eren smiled as the woman left them to it, while Viren started to squirm in his hold  
"That's so like you, rushing in to play the hero"  
Eren snorted  
"That was back then. Armin hardly needs me to protect him now"  
"No, but I think you still would if something happened"  
"Maybe. But it would probably be upset him if I did. An insult to his alpha or something"  
Levi nodded, he didn't know what else to say about the topic. Eren had definitely been through his fair share, but because of that he also knew how fragile life could be.

After everyone had eaten, they were shown around the classroom by the kids. Ren and Eli seemed to have a few friends, a couple wanting to meet the pups. Eren had insisted on beanies so the boys ears weren't showing, and Levi now understood why. None of the kids smelt like Wolfblood's and they'd probably freak out over a baby with wolf ears. Still, Eren was nice to all of them, repeatedly explaining they were both boys and their names, his fiancé was so much better with them than he was and if things were different he could definitely see Eren working with kids. Maybe once the boys were bigger his mate could actually study childcare or something... as it was the pups were way too full on for that. They'd behaved themselves so far, but that didn't mean the it would continue until they got home  
"Mum, we can go now"  
Eli took Eren's arm, pulling him up before running off towards the door  
"I think we've been evicted"  
Reaching his hand down to help him up, Levi stared at it a moment before taking it and slowly rising   
"I do too... it's so weird being in a primary school again"  
"At least you didn't go here... I have so many memories of this place..."  
Eren let out a long sigh before rubbing at his face  
"Are you ok?"  
"Yeah, just tired"  
"You can take a nap when we get back home"  
"Nah, I'll be alright"  
"Eren, you do know it's fine if you want to nap"  
Eren scrunched his brow as if confused   
"I know?"  
"Ok... it's just you've been acting funny again since Hanji came and I know you keep saying it's nothing, but I'm still worried"  
"Levi, its fine. I'm ok, just a little tired from sitting on the floor all morning"  
"You know that's not what I'm talking about"  
"I do, but it's ok and now really isn't the place or time to talk about it"  
Biting back a reply, he expected Eren to release his hand, but instead his mate lead him from the classroom. They'd talk once they got home... he wasn't letting Eren do something stupid again, nor was he going to let Eren keep pushing him away.


	108. Chapter 108

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry the last 2 chapters have been so tiny, so here is a third as an apology.

Filling out the last of the papers for his will, Eren let out a sigh of relief. Levi was at school, which had meant he'd been able to ring around and get his alpha put on to everything he could legally. It was a relief to finally have it all done and have Levi have none of the wiser. His alpha had kept trying to talk about the loss of his job, and Eren had lied through his teeth, telling him he understood and logically he did, but that didn't mean it didn't plunge them into a bad situation financially. While they had a bit of savings, there was Christmas and Levi's birthday coming up... if he only had two Christmas's left, he wanted both of them to be amazing for everyone.

Pushing his chair back from the dining table, he grabbed the envelope with all the paperwork in and headed into the bedroom. He needed somewhere Levi wouldn't think to look... or he was too short to see... the top of the wardrobe. Or rather the shelf there. It's where the family photos were stashed... the perfect place. Moving to the wardrobe, he slid the door open and stood on his tiptoes to slip the envelope behind the albums. Thank fuck that was over. Writing a list of everything he was leaving Levi and the boys had driven home how little he'd accomplished with his life, after all, he owned very little of his own things. Closing the wardrobe again, he moved over to where the pups were laying in their cots  
"Hey guys, you want to come watch a movie with me?"  
Squirming and cooing up at him, Eren lifted both boys up carefully and pressed kisses to the sides of their heads. They were growing so fast now, but then again they were two months now. One more week and Levi would have finished his course and then 11 more days and it would be Christmas. He was so unprepared. Shaking his head, he couldn't let himself think about it. He was in an actual good mood, and didn't want to ruin it.

Settling down on the sofa with the pups, he slouched down so he could hold both pups better  
"What do you guys want to watch?"  
Rei kicked against him and Eren snorted lightly  
"Does that mean action? Let's find something that's action then"  
Scrolling through the channels, he came across the second half of "A Million Ways to Die in the West". Armin had once "forced" him to watch it with him, and he'd had the Moustache song in his head for days afterward. Rubbing the boys backs gently, the pups grabbed his shirt so adorably. He didn't want to leave them behind... fuck it. The boys finished school soon enough, and Trost wasn't that far away. He could get some shopping done without Levi there, most importantly, he could get the presents the boys wanted to give their dad.

Having changed the pups into fresh nappies and clothes, he checked the nappy bag, before nodding to himself. Keeping busy really was the best therapy.

 

*  
Arriving in Trost, Eren drove straight over to the shopping centre he'd used to frequent when he'd lived in the city. With four kids, he didn't particularly fancy trying to navigate somewhere new. As expected, parking was a nightmare and he'd looped the carpark at least a dozen times before finally getting a space  
"I need you two to wait here for me, I'll be back in a minute"  
"Can't we come with you?"  
"Not just yet"  
Climbing from the car, he locked the doors so the boys couldn't escape while he was gone, it wasn't like he had to go far to find a trolley, but his kids could cover an insane amount of ground in just a few seconds and the last thing he needed was them getting lost. Pulling out the first 4, the fifth was his goal as it was designed for twins. They really should invest in a pram, but it wasn't like they went anywhere often enough to really justify the costs. Returning the car, it took way too long to get both boys and the pups settled into the trolley  
"Mum, is daddy going to meet us here..."  
Fuck. He'd forgotten all about messaging Levi   
"Um... maybe baby. Let me get my phone"  
In the last month he'd barely used the thing as anything other than a camera. He hadn't been on Facebook and the only people he really messaged were Armin, Grandpa, Levi and Hannes. He hadn't even heard from Reiner and Bertholdt, he supposed the pair were busy with married life and school, still part of him missed them. It might have been Bertholdt's mothers fault that shit ended up the way it had, but Reiner and Bertholdt had still tried their best to help. Sliding his phone out the pocket of his skirt, he passed it over to Eli   
"You can call daddy and tell him we're shopping"  
"Ok!"  
Leaving the twins to that task, he plunged into the world of Christmas chaos.

It had always blown his mind how busy this time of year could be, people had had all year to prepare for this time of year, but somehow it always ended up being last minute and he really wasn't in much of a position to judge. Last year they didn't have a tree due to Levi not being there, but this year he wanted one. He wanted to decorate it together as a family, which was probably incredibly cheesy. Heading for the department store, that was the first thing he wanted to get. He'd barely stepped into the store when the boys jumped up  
"Mum! Look at that"  
Eli was waving his phone about, and Eren had to snatch it from his hand before it went flying. Both boys seemed just as excited over a Christmas tree as he did, and nodded at them, before looking down and finding the call to Levi was still connected. Raising the phone to his ear, he used his shoulder to keep it in place as he made his way over to the display of trees  
"Hi Levi, did Eli tell you we were shopping?"  
"He mentioned something about it. Where are you?"  
"Trost"  
"You should have messaged me and let me know you were coming"  
Sighing to himself, Eren nodded  
"I know, it slipped my mind. I'm taking the boys to do their shopping for you"  
"They don't have to get me anything"  
"Levi, that's not how being a dad works. Now, I'm not telling you not to come meet us, but I am telling you no peaking at what you're getting"  
"You're lucky I have my own shopping to do for the 4 of you guys. You've got my card right?"  
"Yeah. Don't worry, I don't intend to blow all your money"  
"Eren, it's our money"  
No... it really was more Levi's than his... not that he could say that, so he changed topic  
"What colour Christmas tree do you want?"  
There was a moments pause  
"What?"  
"Christmas tree. What colour do you want?"  
"We're getting a tree?"  
"Yep. It's our first proper family Christmas"  
"Um... what colour do you like?"  
"This isn't about just what I like"  
"Well I don't know. I've never done the tree thing"  
"If you had to choose one, what would you choose"  
"Maybe white?"  
The alpha was clearly not sure about his answer  
"Ok. Well I'll talk to the boys about it and see you when you get here"  
"I don't know "where" is"  
"Oh, right. Do you remember the shopping centre near where I used to live? We're there. I'm parked in the underground parking, but it was pretty hard to get a spot"  
"I'll keep that in mind. Do we want to meet up around 6 in the food court?"  
"That works. Ok. I have to go before the kids break something"  
"I love you princess"  
"Love you too"  
Ending the call, he looked to the line of trees  
"Babies, which ones do you like?"  
"The white ones... can we get a big one?"  
"Not too big"  
At least they were all in agreement that it should be white.

Over the next hour and half, his patience was tested to the max. The boys wanted pretty much everything they saw, and when that didn't work, they started saying they wanted to give it to daddy. Yeah, because Levi really needed kids toys. By the end of it he'd gotten Levi a set of pyjamas saying "worlds best dad" from the pups, a book on big cats from Ren and Eli was gifting him a 3D dinosaur model thing. He also threw in a few smaller things like an iTunes gift card, a tradies belt and a bright pink hammer because it was also his mates birthday. That just left his present for Levi and he had no idea what to buy his alpha. He'd picked up some lingerie for himself, but that was only because Levi had gone crazy when he'd last worn it... which now felt like a lifetime and a half ago. He'd opted for a negligee instead of just a bra as he still hated looking at his stomach. He'd dropped a lot of the weight, but he still needed to work on getting back into shape... basically it was a mess to look at and the scar did nothing to help. When his mum had been around, she'd known what to use to help with stretch marks, and though they hadn't had much sex in the last 2 months, he missed the connection he felt each time Levi knotted him.

Wandering around the stores on the way towards the food hall, Eren came to an abrupt stop and back tracked a few metres. His eyes were on a white evening dress and he fell in love with it as first sight. It was kind of like the wedding dresses he'd seen in Marley, but not at the same time and he couldn't help himself from staring. He wanted it that badly. Wheeling the trolley into the entrance of the store, he left the boys in it while he went to check out the dress. It had a Queen Anne neckline, that dipped into a sweet heart cut, with crisp white lace covering the exposed chest area and its 3/4 sleeves   
"Can I help you there?"  
Jumping at the voice, he felt guilty at being sprung, he looked to the short woman with burning cheeks  
"S-sorry..."  
"It's fine, I take it you see something that's taken your fancy"  
Nodding his head, he looked back to the dress  
"Um..."  
"That ones $380"  
His heart dropped. $380 for a dress just wasn't doable  
"Thanks... I was just looking"  
The woman seemed to realise she wasn't going to get a sale from him, and gave him a tight smile   
"I'll leave you to it"  
Escaping from the store, he couldn't help himself as he snapped a couple of photos of it in the window. It really was gorgeous. Letting out a long sigh, he scolded himself over it and headed off to find Levi.

His mate wasn't that hard to find, the alpha was standing near the Chinese store like he knew that was what Eren wanted. Giving them a small wave, Levi moved over to place his bags of shopping in to the trolley, further burying the twins  
"You guys look like you've been busy"  
"Yes and no. We went with white by the way"  
"White really is best"  
"Dad, can we get out now?"  
Snorting at the uncertainty in Eli's voice, the alpha moved to lift both boys out the trolley and took their hands firmly   
"Mum bought too much stuff"  
"Mum bought Christmas tree stuff. He still has to buy your presents and daddy's"  
"Princess, you don't have to buy me anything"  
Of course he did... and it kind of hurt that Levi was telling him it was ok not to. Swallowing down his patheticness, he looked over at the Chinese store   
"So Chinese for dinner?"  
"Sounds good to me"  
Even through dinner, Eren couldn't stop himself from brooding. If he asked Hannes, Hannes would give him the money for his dress, but the thing was he wanted to buy his own dress. Even if he had no idea how he was going to manage that. Maybe they should just elope and get it done with  
"Earth to Eren?"  
Jumping as Levi poked his shoulder, he looked to his alpha in confusion  
"What were you thinking about?"  
"Eloping..."  
Levi looked shocked, but Eren shrugged his shoulders. It wasn't like he had many friends anymore and he now the thought was in his head, he couldn't get it out. Things would be so much easier for Levi after he was gone if they were married and it wasn't like he wanted to be with anyone else, ever. Levi was his first crush and his first love. Nothing had changed that all  
"You want to elope?"  
"Not this very second..."  
"Mum, what's elope?"  
"It means getting married"  
"You want to marry daddy?"  
"Yeah. One day I do"  
"Aren't you two already married?"  
"No baby, we're bonded and engaged"  
"That sounds like effort"  
"It means I love your mum and I want to be with him forever"  
"And you have to be married to do that?"  
"No baby, plenty of people stay together forever without getting married"  
Ren shook his head  
"I don't want to get married"  
"Some day you might and you'll have kids all of your own"  
"I'm going to stay with Eli. Girls are weird"  
"You don't have to marry a girl"  
"Well I haven't met any boys I want to marry either"  
From the look on Ren's face, his son was having an internal meltdown over the issue  
"How about we leave all this until your older and finish dinner"

It was nice spending time with the boys like this. They were clearly excited about Christmas, and all the sounds and colours that came with it. Levi walked him to the Range Rover and Eren sent the twins home with the alpha. He wanted to keep them with him, but Levi needed daddy time too. Casting a finally look towards the glass entry doors, he shook his head. He totally couldn't afford that dress.

 

*  
Levi groaned as pulled into the driveway. He hadn't told Eren but he didn't have to go into class next week. It wasn't like he was hiding it... but he kind of was. He'd made Eren's presents, and didn't want his mate finding out they were sitting in the ute. Helping the boys out the ute, the pair ran off towards the front door without looking back, leaving him to gather his things. It was weird to think that he'd finished his course now and he had no idea what to do next. Hannes had promised him work fixing up the hospital, but he didn't have many power tools of his own, so he completely understood if the man fired him before he even began. Carrying everything inside, he headed straight to the bedroom to hide Eren's presents. Cursing his shortness, the alpha was forced to backtrack to the living room and grab a dining chair. The best place in the house to hide anything was in the top of their wardrobe. It was where Eren kept the photos of the boys. Hannes had never ended up giving him the ones they'd printed and he was working under the assumption the man intended to gift them for Christmas. Standing on the chair, he slid the door open and slipped the two wrapped gifts behind the photos, dislodging an envelope as he did. Frowning at it, he lifted it out to read what was written on it "Last will and Testimony of Eren Yeager". What the fuck... his head started to race and he felt like he'd seen something he really shouldn't have. Stuffing it back in the wardrobe, he sank down on the chair and buried his face in his hands. Eren still thought he was going to die? Or maybe he was planning on saying goodbye. Whatever it was, it cut him deep. He knew Eren wasn't in a good place, but this... he had no words. Eren wasn't allowed to die. He wasn't allowed to leave him behind. Memories of Eren's "dying" phone call flashed through his mind and he threw up in his mouth. He couldn't go through that again  
"Levi! Can you help me?!"  
Jerked out of his thoughts, Levi quickly wiped his face and closed the wardrobe. He hadn't even realised tears had formed and as he moved the chair aside, he wondered how he was supposed to act. If he clung to Eren, Eren would probably get either pissed off or suspicious. Possibly both. But if he didn't and his mate did something, he'd never forgive himself. 

Ignoring the slight tremors of fear running through his body, he headed into the living room to find Eren holding both pups   
"Can you take them? I need too get everything out the car"  
Staring at his mate, his body moved before he could think. Striding across the room, he pulled Eren close to him and claimed him mouth in a long deep kiss, only pulling back with the pups started fussing   
"What was that for?"  
"Because I love you more than anything"  
Eren looked down as he nodded and Levi couldn't stand it. Moving to cup Eren's face, he forced the omega to stare into his eyes  
"Lets do it. Let's just elope. I know things are shit without me working, but baby, I want you with me forever"  
"R-really?"  
"How could I not. You're my world. I love you Eren and I will always love you. I promise one day you will have that big white wedding you deserve, but for now, I want you to be mine in the eyes of the law"  
Eren's eyes filled with tears  
"Princess?"  
"I don't deserve you"  
"No, I'm the one who doesn't deserve you. I mean it baby. You're everything to me"  
Leaning into kiss Eren again, his mate nodded as he did. He already knew he wanted to marry Eren. He would t have proposed if he hadn't, but right now it seemed like Eren needed something to live for, and if this was it, he wasn't going to complain.


	109. Chapter 109

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I have the sick.
> 
> Also, the rabies vaccine is hot pink, it's so pretty.
> 
> For a third point, the date is December 18...
> 
> Comments give me life, even if you're telling me off ;p

With the boys at school for their last day, Levi and Eren were in Trost with the pups. Hannes had promised to pick the boys up if they weren't home in time, so Levi was making the most of being with Eren. The whole time they'd been shopping, he'd stayed by his mates side, enjoying small simple touches. His aim was to make Eren forget everything except for how loved he was. Wrapping an arm around Eren's waist, he nuzzled into his fiancé shoulder  
"Levi, stop. We're supposed to be finding presents for the boys and the pups"  
Eren's tone was more playful than annoyed, so Levi continued to hold him tight  
"I can't help myself... I love you too much"  
"I know, you been so clingy these last few days"  
"That's because I finally have you all to myself all the time"  
"So you're bored"  
"No, I'm just being a dork"  
Eren snorted and leant to place a kiss on his forehead, he totally expected his mate to agree or something, but instead Eren pulled back and held up the two patterned onesies he was holding   
"Do we get them elves or do we get them reindeer"  
"Reindeer"  
"Good, the elves were kind of creepy"  
"They are. Their eyes are evil"  
Placing two matching onesies into the trolley, Eren started to slip from his hold, Levi barely managing to keep hold of him with the tips of his fingers  
"Levi, are you sure you're alright?"  
"Yep, I just don't want to let go"  
Eren frowned at him, before brushing a stray strand of hair back behind his ear  
"Is this about eloping? We don't have to if you don't want to"  
"Eren, I want to marry you and honestly, right now I'm just enjoying being with you. That's all"  
His mate didn't seem convinced, so Levi moved to close the small gap and placed a light kiss on Eren's sweet lips  
"I hope you know you're totally going to get it when we get home"  
Blushing brilliantly, his mate looked away  
"Not in front of the pups"  
"Fine, but your sweet arse is mine tonight"

Continuing to hover by Eren's side, Levi followed him around the department store. Deciding to splurge a little, the boys were getting a combined gift of an Xbox one s with half a dozen games. It would be a while before they could buy them anything nicer and Levi could tell Eren felt bad about not being able to do more for them. Their shopping was soon completed by a thick book Armin had posted on Facebook about wanting, 3 nice silver photo frames for the photos they were giving Grandpa Arlert and finally a new watch for Hannes, and from boys a DVD set of one of the cartoons they usually watched together. After paying for it all, Levi did the mental maths, he should have roughly a grand or so left, which meant they could buy the last thing he wanted to get while they were here. Their rings.

Leading Eren from the department store, he paused at the window of the first jewellery store they reached. Eren's eyes were practically shining as he stared through at the glittering display   
"Do you see anything you like?"  
"If I was rich"  
"What about rings"  
Eren's head snapped up and he looked to him in shock  
"You want to buy rings?"  
"We can't elope without them"  
"But we can't afford..."  
"I'm not saying get the most expensive, I told you one day I was going to get you the diamond you deserve. But I do want to get you something you love"  
"I love you, can't I just gave you?"  
Shit. That was adorable. His alpha's ego swelled, and he was forced to take a moment before nodding   
"Yeah baby, but you've already got me"  
Eren looked back to the window, his mates eyes filling with tears as he did  
"Hey, it's ok princess"  
"I'm just... you're more than I deserve"  
"Nah, I'm not really. So anyway, do you see anything you like?"  
Eren shook his head, looking slightly guilty  
"It's ok if you don't, it just means we'll keep looking. I want to marry you as soon as I can"  
"But..."  
"No buts"  
Moving along the display window, Levi soon found Eren had come to a stop behind him. Backtracking the few steps, he found his mate staring down at a ring that was very much like his engagement ring, or at least that's what he assumed his mate was staring at, it was the only emerald piece in sight  
"Do you like that one?"  
"It's too expensive"  
Looking at the small price tag, it wasn't that bad. $299 down from $399, which meant it was still cheaper than Eren's engagement ring   
"Princess, if price wasn't a problem, would you like that one?"  
Eren nodded and Levi smiled  
"Then we have our ring"  
"Levi! You can't!"  
"I can too. I know we have no money coming in at the moment, but Hannes promised me work at the hospital if u completed my course and despite everything, I did. Please just let me buy this for you"  
"But what about your ring?"  
"We can look inside, it's not like it needs to be fancy"  
Looking to him, Eren sniffled sadly  
"We... we can't afford to..."  
"Then consider it your Christmas present, though I'm not sure marrying this short and cranky excuse for an alpha is much of a present"  
"You're more than that..."  
Snorting at Eren's words, he pulled Eren close   
"I love you Eren Yeager and I can't wait to be your husband"  
"I... I want to be your husband too"

Having made it inside the jewellery store, Levi explained to the woman behind the counter which ring Eren wanted, while Eren was looking more rings. When the woman went to retrieve it, Levi moved to his side  
"So, do you see anything that seems "me like"?"  
"I see you"  
"You have no idea how cute you are, but I was talking about rings"  
"I like that one and that one"  
Pointing to the two he'd picked, Levi had to agree. Both were solid gold bands, but the first was rounded on the edges and the second flat  
"I like the second one"  
"You do?"  
"Yeah, its not like I need diamonds or emeralds, you're all the fancy I need"  
"That doesn't even make sense"  
"Sue me"  
Unlike Eren's ring, the one his mate was had chosen was only $189. Which was a little painful, but it's the one Eren had picked for him. Standing together, he waited until the woman came back, before asking to see the ring. Turning the small band carefully, he nodded and turned to Eren   
"You should try yours on, that way we'll know if its needs to be adjusted"  
"The same goes for you"  
Taking Eren's hand, his mate giggled as he slipped the ring onto his finger, before rushing to do the same for him  
"How does it feel?"  
"It's a good fit, does it look alright?"  
"It looks perfect. How about mine?"  
Holding his hand up, Levi watched Eren nod  
"And it fits alright?"  
"Yep"  
It was a perfect fit, almost like it was made for him  
"We'll take these two"

Leaving Eren with the pups, Levi followed the woman up to the counter, he wasn't sure why he was filling in paperwork, but while he was both rings were being cleaned  
"That comes to $488"  
Sliding his card out his wallet, he passed it over  
"Savings"  
The woman nodded and stared to ring up the sale while he checked the paperwork. Pausing to punch in his pin, he couldn't help but feel a small rush of excitement, which soon turned to confusion  
"Sorry sir, your card has been declined"  
It really shouldn't have been. He checked before they'd left. He couldn't tell Eren no after everything and he said a mental apology to Hannes before pulling out the man's card. It was supposed to be for emergencies, so hopefully the man wouldn't mind the temporary deduction. The first thing he'd be doing when they got home would be figuring out why his card had been declined. Pushing down his feelings of embarrassment, he was soon leaving the store with Eren   
"So we have the rings, and we can just go to the courthouse when we're ready..."  
"You make it sound so unromantic"  
"I didn't mean to, I just meant... I'm ready for this whenever you are baby"  
"Really?"  
"Yeah. Eren Ackerman... Mr and Mr Ackerman"  
"Mmmm, I love you Mr Ackerman"  
"And I love you Soon-to-be-Mr-Ackerman"  
"That's terrible... I think there's a limit on Facebook when it comes to how long your last name can be"  
Eren poked his tongue out with his words, and Levi just shook his head  
"You're a damn dork"  
"I'm your dork"

 

*  
With the boys and the pups in bed, Levi finally had Eren all to himself. Hannes was at work, something about some idiot hanging lights and falling off the ladder, which meant they may as well have had the whole house to themselves. Turning off the TV, Levi nuzzled against Eren's cheek, gently forcing his omega to turn so he could kiss him. One small kiss turned to another, and then into awkward fumbling as they tried to strip each other down while battling to dominate each other's mouths. Sliding Eren's skirt up, his hands worked and massaged Eren's arse, the omega mewing into his mouth and Levi smirked as his mate pulled back  
"We have the whole house..."  
"Nooooo. Need you now"  
Slipping his fingers to tease Eren's opening, they slid in easily due to the ridiculous amount of slick the omega was leaking, pulling his fingers back, he shimmed down the sofa  
"Levi?"  
"Sit on my face, I want to taste you"  
He didn't have to see Eren's face to know his mate would be blushing, but the omega cooperated enough for him to pull Eren's underwear down, the smell of Eren's sweet slick had him moaning before he even tasted it.

Loud lewd moaning filled the room and Eren fucked himself on Levi's tongue. With his thighs shaking like crazy, Levi knew his mate was close to cumming, but he wanted to be inside Eren when he did. Pulling back, Eren groaned above him  
"L-Levi..."  
The word was clearly a struggle as Eren panted for air  
"I want to be in you"  
He was less than sexy as he slid back up the sofa, but Eren moved to present himself as did and Levi's erection throbbed harder. His underwear was already soaked from precum, and he really wasn't going to last long, the sight of his omega so clearly and desperately wanting him spurred his ego on. It only took him a few seconds to be free of his accursed clothing and buried as deep into his mate as he could get. Taking it slowly, he savoured the resistance as the slid until his tip was just breaching Eren, and the slammed in hard. Each time he did, Eren cried out louder, enjoying teasing his mate, he forced himself not to devour the meal in front of him, instead he worded his mate back into a frenzy, bringing him to climax, before turning him into a whimper mess by fucking him as hard as he could and finally knotting him. Secretly he was pleased at how long he'd managed to hold off his own orgasm, though it wasn't like he'd say so... if he could. Panting against Eren's back, he wrapped his arms around his mates waist and pulled him back until Eren was seated in his lap. Nipping and tugging on Eren's ear, his mate laid limply against him  
"Feeling good?"  
"Mmmm..."  
Snorting lightly, he let Eren's earlobe slide from his teeth and he nuzzled the teen until he finally gave in and turned to kiss him. Breaking the kiss, Eren sighed, his hands coming up to rest on Levi's   
"You ok baby?"  
"Yeah... my skirts a mess though"  
Moving his left hand between Eren's legs, he nodded in agreement. Eren was completely soaked down there  
"We'll wash it, but not until I've fucked you senseless in the shower"  
"I swear all you care about is my arse"  
"It's a very nice arse, so perfectly curves and so warm and wet"  
Eren whimpered as he rocked his hips up  
"Levi... the sofas going to get dirty"  
"I don't mind"  
"I do. It'd be different if it was just us"  
And just like that, he was pulled back into dad mode... kind of  
"So that just means I need to stay inside of you and we won't need to worry so much about the mess"  
"You think you've got this all planned, don't you"  
"I don't think, I know"

By the time they were done in the shower, Eren was completely limp in his arms. His mate seemed to be purring and put up no resistance to him cleaning him down properly and then carrying him to bed. He'd literally only just laid Eren down when the pups began to cry. He probably shouldn't have gone so far overboard, but it was Eren's fault for being so erotic. Moving to sit Eren up, he then had to help support the pups while Eren fed them. His mate mumbled a tired thank you, even falling asleep while feeding.

After tucking Eren back into bed, and burping and settling the pups back down, Levi returned to the living room. The idea of Eren's slick and cum on the sofa was hot at the time, but his fiancé had been right. It wasn't just them here. Making sure I traces showed, Levi sank down on the sofa. Today had been something like a dream, like when they'd first gotten together. He wondered if it was selfish or stupid to be this happy. He hadn't talked to Hannes about the fact he'd used his money, nor had he had the chance to check his account. He really needed to do both, but he probably wouldn't get the chance to while Eren was around, which meant he should do it now... but he was just too tired. Pushing himself up, he stumbled to the table and grabbed his phone. His thumbs hovered over the screen, not sure what to say to Hannes... or more like how to say it. He didn't want to seem like he was asking for money, but he wanted to explain what happened properly. A few moments passed and he let out a sigh. The whole truth would be best  
Levi: Hannes, I had to use your card today... I went to use mine after making a big show over buying Eren what he wanted. My card was declined and I'm going to check why my account tomorrow. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. Please don't let Eren know.  
He sounded so pathetic, but hopefully Hannes would talk to him later about it.

Leaving his phone in the living room, he headed into the bedroom. Eren was snoring his head off, and with a smile, Levi crawled in beside him, rolling his mate up against him and pressing kisses to Eren's face  
"I love you baby"

 

*  
Waking to screams, it took Levi a few seconds to realise Eren was the one screaming. Tears were pouring from his mates eyes and the alpha rushed to shake him awake  
"Eren!"  
The moment Eren woke, the threw himself on Levi, sobbing against him while the alpha lifted him into his lap properly  
"It's ok, you're alright. I've got you"  
"N-nightmare"  
It had been ages since he'd had one this bad, Eren's whole body was trembling in his arms. Across the room the pup were also crying and he wasn surprised when he heard knocking on the door  
"Come on in Hannes"  
Hannes ignored the pair of them, moving straight over to the pups  
"Hey you two, no need to cry"  
The man lifted Viren, moving to lay him in with his brother  
"Nightmare?"  
"Bad one"  
Eren nodded against him, his mate was trying to calm, sucking in deeps as he did  
"S-sorry"  
"It's ok, do you want to talk about it?"  
Eren shook his head  
"Are you sure? You might feel better"  
"I d-don't t-think so"  
Looking up to find Hannes still busy with the twins, Levi pulled the blankets up higher to hide the fact that Eren was very much naked. Rubbing his mates back, he kept at it until Eren finally settled  
"Better princess?"  
"Yeah, sorry"  
"It's alright"  
Levi had wracked his brain, but couldn't think of anything that would have triggered his mate so badly, Eren didn't seem to want to tell him what his nightmare had been about, well other than obviously Grisha.

"Eren, why don't you tell us about?"  
Eren jumped at the sound of Hannes's voice, apparently he hadn't realised he was in the room   
"It's..."  
"It's not stupid or anything like that if it got you this upset"  
Nuzzling at the side of Eren's head, he whispered to his mate   
"It's ok baby. No ones going to be mad or upset, it was just a dream"  
Eren nodded against him, but didn't move to stop hiding his face  
"Dad was at our wedding... he was so mad at me, kept saying I was shaming the family and that the kids were an abomination... he... he... k-killed them"  
Levi hadn't even been the one to have the dream, and still his blood ran cold. His hold on his mate tightened  
"Never baby. He isn't going to be there when we elope and he isn't going to be there when we have our really big wedding"  
"I... I know..."  
The edge of the bed dipped as Hannes came to sit near Levi's legs   
"When are you eloping?"  
"We don't know yet... we only got the rings to-yesterday"  
"Do I get an invite?"  
Eren nodded quickly  
"You and Grandpa... and Armin..."  
"And the boys. Just the 9 of us"  
"What about you? Don't you want to invite anyone?"  
No. Fuck no. He wouldn't even really invite Armin. It wasn't like he hated the kid, but he just wanted the moment to be private and small. Hannes and Grandpa had to be there, Hannes was practically their father and Grandpa Arlert meant the world to Eren and the boys. But that was it   
"No, just the 9 of us..."  
"Let me know when you've decided the date. We can dress the boys all nice and Eren, you'll need to find something nice to wear"  
"Shit baby, I didn't even think. We should have gotten you a dress"  
"It's alright... n-next time?"  
"Sure, next time you're going to have the biggest and puffiest dress you want"  
"But not too puffy"  
"Alright, not too puffy. Just the right amount of puff"  
Hannes snorted as he shook his head  
"You two are idiots"  
"No, we're dorks. Isn't that right Eren?"  
"Yeah. Levi's a dork"  
"And you're going to be marrying this dork soon. Hannes, do you know when the court house is open?"  
"Hardly ever, its not like we have a lot of use for it, buuuut I might know a guy"  
"And can your guys legally marry us?"  
"He's married with kids Levi, I don't think he wants to marry you and Eren"  
Levi shot Hannes a scowl, the man was a menace  
"I'll give him a call later, but don't be surprised if he expects you to come down later"  
As in later that day? That was a bit fast... weren't there papers to submit? Maybe Hannes just meant to head down and find out what was what. Whatever the man meant, Eren at least seemed to understand. His fiancé nodding against him, before letting out a sleepy yawn   
"I'll let you get back to sleep. Eren, no more nightmares"

Waking to the sound of Hannes singing, Levi wanted groaned. He couldn't blame Eren for trying to snuggle closer to him. His mate hadn't woken again, so that was a plus  
"Levi, make him stop"  
"I think he's happy..."  
"He's terrible..."  
"But he's nicer than our normal alarm"  
"I don't even know what he's trying to sing"  
"Do I really know a song you don't?"  
Scrunching his face up, Eren lifted his head up  
"You know what it's supposed to be?"  
"Hotel California"  
"This is supposed to be Hotel California?"  
As if their talk about his bad singing had summoned him, Hannes walked into their room  
"Guess who's getting married?"  
"You?"  
"Ha. Ha. Ha. No, he's happy to wed you guys any day before the 20th"  
Looking to Eren, his mates eyes were wide in shock  
"He is?"  
"Yep. Now who's the most awesome person you know"  
"Eren?"  
Hannes pounted  
"That's nice"  
"Today... can we get married today?"  
It was Levi's turn to be shocked  
"You want to get married today?"  
"If it's alright..."  
"I'm happy to if you are, but what about Armin?"  
Shrugging his shoulders, Hannes seemed unconcerned   
"I'll call him"  
He needed a fucking second. He thought he had weeks until this happened. Yes he wanted to marry Eren, yes he loved him and said whenever his mate was ready, he was... but he'd thought he'd a little more time  
"Levi?"  
Pulling back from him, Eren covered himself with the blankets as he did  
"We don't have to get married..."  
"No... its not that... it's just happening so fast"  
Eren's face fell, his mate tried to recover, but it was clear he was a little hurt  
"Do you really want to get married today?"  
"I don't want to miss the chance"  
Biting his lip, Eren looked towards the pups   
"Hannes, go call Armin. Eren, you need to pick something to wear and the boys need to get dressed and we need the rings and I need to get dressed. Oh, you need flowers and do we make a cake..."  
"Levi, calm down. We don't need any of that... just each other right?"  
"Yeah princess... I..."  
I what? I'm fucking terrified? Was this the right thing to do? It was hardly planned, and Eren still had to be exhausted from his nightmare... maybe that was why he wanted to get married immediately, or maybe this was coming back to the whole will thing. He still hadn't asked him about it...  
"... I love you"


	110. Chapter 110

Having showered, Eren was now sitting on the edge of his bed. His heart was racing and his stomach filled with butterflies. He was marrying Levi... it was all happening so fast, but after the nightmare he'd had he didn't want to risk it becoming reality. It might not be the best reason to marry someone, but he couldn't deny the fact Levi would be the only person he'd ever love or could love. His alpha always bent of backwards to make him happy, even when he was being a stupid and spoilt arsehole. Rising from the bed, he let the towel fall to the floor as he walked over to their wardrobe and slid the door back. He had no idea what he wanted to wear, but did know what to start with. Starting to dress, he slipped on the bra and thong set that Levi had bought him for Valentine's Day. His breasts filled the cups completely now, and he was sure he wouldn't look as sexy in it as he'd done back then, but it was his wedding day and he wanted to surprise Levi when they finally got some time alone. The last few weeks had been so much better, he'd had a few depressive episodes, but each time he did he'd hurt himself ever so slightly and remind himself that he only had 2 years. He was on borrowed time as it was and he'd wasted it so much by being a slave to his hormones and mental instability. He wasn't saying he was magically better, but he wanted to be and was trying to work towards it. It had also helped that both Hannes and Levi had stepped back and he was able to do more things for himself. Even simple things like cleaning the house or making dinner without help made him happy. 

Letting out a long breath, he started flicking through his clothes, before looking to his stomach. He still had a lot of things from before he'd gotten pregnant and the early stages, though he had no real idea if they'd fit. His fingers met the black dress Levi had bought him for Valentine's Day and he snorted, Grandpa would probably have a heart attack if he wore that. Flicking through his whole side, he started all over again. Finally stopping at the clothes he'd bought for their Marley trip. Sliding out a white sundress, he supposed it was the closest thing to a wedding dress he could wear. He didn't want to wear the dress he'd worn to Reiner and Bertholdt's wedding. That dress held its own memories, and this wedding would be nothing like that one... slipping it off the hanger, he held it against himself and moved to look in the mirror. Yeah, this would do.

With the sundress on, he was now tasked with finding shoes and jewellery, he also had no idea how he wanted to do his hair and felt himself tearing up. He wanted to look perfect for Levi... just in case they never had that big wedding. If he was honest, he didn't mind if they never did. It was probably completely unfair to their friends, but he just wanted Levi to himself. Sorting through his shoes, he found a pair of white ballet shoes and slid them on. He had way more clothes and shoes than he remembered, but it was now coming in handy. Looking down at his engagement ring, he span it slowly. It was kind of totally like them to be getting married like this really. They hadn't exactly gotten engaged in a conventional manner either.

With his hair brushed back into a pony tail, he sighed, it was too simple. Nice, but simple. Sliding the hair lackey out, he shook it free. Down looked better, but was it formal enough? He was starting to work himself up, and he couldn't show up with red rimmed eyes. Taking a few breaths, he left his hair down and grabbed the gold hoops off the bed. Given his promise ring, engagement ring and wedding ring were all gold, his accessories had to be gold to. He'd thought about weird his Dior watch, but thought against it. This was about him and Levi. No one else. When he finished dressing, he sank back down on the bed, only to jump at the light knocking on the door  
"Eren?"  
"Come in"

Hannes let out a long whistle as he walked into the room  
"You look nice"  
"Thanks... is everything ready?"  
"Armin's on his way, he's going to meet us there"  
"And Grandpa?"  
"Levi's going to drive the boys to the courthouse and we'll go pick Grandpa up. I told him you needed him to sign some papers..."  
"And he believed you?"  
"Probably not. But he doesn't know Armin's coming, so we should be safe"  
"That means we have to leave soon doesn't it?"  
"Yeah. Levi's just finishing dressing the pups, the boys are already done"  
"Good"  
Biting on his lip, he looked back down at his hands  
"Eren, are you alright?"  
"What? Oh, yeah... just nervous"  
"We can reschedule if you want to"  
"No... why? Did Levi say something?"  
"No. I just didn't want you pushing yourself"  
"Like I said, I'm just nervous"  
"Ok, well it shouldn't be too much longer"  
Hannes let himself and closed the door behind him. Only a little longer and he'd be Levi's husband... 

It felt like forever before Hannes came back for him  
"Levi just left"  
Rising from the bed, Eren nodded  
"Did he take the rings?"  
"I've got them here"  
"Ok... I guess that means it's time for us to go get Grandpa then..."  
"Eren, before we do. I just want to tell you I'm proud of you. You grew up to be a great kid and Carla would be besides herself with pride"  
"I'm not too sure about that, but thanks"  
"It's true. Now let's go get you hitched"  
Nodding quickly, Eren tried to remember how to walk and breathe. Why the fuck did he have to be so nervous?

 

*  
Armin was pulling up just as they arrived, the teen had borrowed Mikasa's car from the seems of it and was brandishing a bouquet of bright flowers as the climbed out the vehicle. He was obviously confused as to what was going on. And so was Grandpa. The poor old man was suspicious, but they hadn't filled him in, which was probably just a little mean. Climbing from the ute, Eren straightened out his dress as Armin came over to him  
"Eren! What the hell is going on? I got a phone call from Hannes saying it was an emergency and I had to bring flowers for you and a cake"  
Taking the flowers, Eren smiled down at them  
"They're perfect"  
"They're very you, you mean"  
"That too"  
Moving to the side, he waited as Armin helped Grandpa down  
"Now, will you please tell us what's going on?"  
"Levi and I are eloping. We didn't want anyone at all to know, outside of you guys. So no posting this on Facebook"  
Armin gaped  
"Eloping?"  
"Yeah. We're practically married in every other way..."  
"But married"  
Rolling his eyes, he nodded again  
"Yeah. I needed Grandpa here to walk me down the isle with Hannes, and that means you're on..."  
"Camera duty. Got it. Where's Levi?"  
"Inside already"  
The Range Rover was parked a little distance away, so at least that meant Levi should be here  
"I can't believe you're getting married"  
Coming up behind him, Hannes placed a hand on his shoulder  
"Nice flowers. You did a good job. Did you remember the cake?"  
"Yep! Damn, I would have bought champagne if I'd know about this"  
Champagne sounded really good, but he couldn't   
"It's probably a good thing you didn't, I'm still breast feeding"  
"Oh... I forgot about that. Apple juice it is!"  
There was a vast chasm between champagne and apple juice, but if it was the best off he was going to get, he'd just have to roll with it. Linking arms with Grandpa, the old man's hand found his  
"You have no idea how happy you've made this old man"  
"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. You took me in and my kids, when you had no reason at all too. You helped me escape, and you helped me have a real life. You've always helped us out, and I have no way to repay you. So please do me the honour of walking me down the isle"  
Grandpa Arlert had tears in his eyes as he nodded  
"The honours all mine"  
Turning back to look at them, Hannes winked  
"And mine. Don't forget it"

Ren was standing in the doorway of the office room they'd be using, his son obviously didn't know he was supposed to be behaving  
"Dad! Mums here!"  
Armin snorted as he moved ahead of them   
"I'll go make sure they're sitting, but I hope you know I'm using camera man privilege to film you from whatever angle I want"  
"Levi will kick your arse if you try and film up my dress"  
"Ewww... I'm not that much of a pervert"  
"Keep telling yourself that. I'll have you know, I look nice"  
"You do, but I value my beautiful bruise free face"  
Letting Armin disappear into the room, Eren took a few breaths to ground himself. This was really about to happen, in less than an hour he'd be Eren Ackerman. Moving towards the room, Hannes slipped on first, followed by him and then Grandpa. They couldn't all fit through the door at once, and Grandpa didn't seem to be letting go of his arm any time soon. Closing his eyes, he let out another long breath and opened them again. At the end of the small "isle" Levi stood. His alpha looked so handsome in his crisp white shirt and tight black dress pants. His hair had been combed back, and he was smiling so happily that Eren's heart stopped for a moment. He hadn't seen Levi this happy since the alpha had birthed their pups. Linking arms with Hannes, he nodded. A shy blush spreading across his face as he did.

Given there was no music, Armin hummed a very bad version of the wedding march, while the twins watched on with confused faces. The justice of the piece in front of him seemed to be taking it all in his stride, which lead Eren to wonder if Hannes had prewarned him. Coming to the end of the "isle", Hannes placed a kiss on his cheek, before releasing his arm and then Grandpa did the same, taking the flowers from his hold as he did. He took the last two steps to Levi by himself, his alpha taking his hands in his immediately  
"You look stunning"  
"You didn't clean up too badly yourself"  
The man cleared his throat, and their tiny ceremony began. Honestly Eren didn't remember any of the start of it, not until the vows. He'd expected to purely repeat what he was told, but Levi had other plans  
"Eren Yeager. You are my world. You are my everything and I never knew how happy I could be until I found you. My life hasn't been the best and we both know I've made more than my fair share of mistakes, but even after everything, you still love me... and I can't describe how happy that makes me. I promise I will love you and our children with everything I have. I will never cheat on you and I will never ever leave you alone. I know I might stuff up, so I ask you please be patient with me, and I'll be patient with you. You're my omega. My mate. My partner and My husband. Always and forever princess"  
Hannes passed Levi his ring, and the alpha slid it onto his shaking hand, before raising it to his mouth and pressing a kiss to it. How the fuck was he supposed to follow that... he swallowed hard and nodded. He could do the English... hopefully   
"Levi Ackerman. You are My alpha. My mate. My dork. You are the father of my children and the only person I have ever loved or could love. When I first met you, I had no idea that the weird kid sitting in my spot would turn my life upside down. But even so. You've always been the only one for me. You're the only one that understands, the one who knows what I'm really like and still you stay with me, even through all the bed times and the good. You have no idea how much you mean to me... and no idea how grateful I am to have you in my life. I love you and I love our 5 boys..."  
His vows were interrupted by a gasp from Armin   
"You're not pregnant again are you?"  
Levi snorted and shook his head  
"Our fifth child is Hannes"  
Hannes gave Armin a thumbs up and the teen looked enormously relieved   
"I didn't think I'd ever be this happy, and I know I'm not perfect, but I ask that you stay by my side as I work on getting better. I love you Levi"  
Wiping the tears from his face, Eren sniffled as Hannes passed him Levi's ring and he slid it on  
"Oh... I also promise not to cheat on you"  
"I know you never would"  
"Neither would you"  
There was another small speech thing from the Justice of the Peace, and then the words he'd been waiting for  
"I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may now kiss your husband"  
Levi pulled him close before dipping him and kissing him deeply. They were finally married. Levi was his. Not just bonded to him, but married too. When Grandpa gave a small cough, Levi finally stood him back up  
"I love you Eren Ackerman"  
"And I love you Levi Ackerman"

Armin insisted on an insane amount of photos, but Eren couldn't care. He was just too happy and the boys looked adorable in their black pants and white shirts. The pups were even dressed up, their ears and tails both on display though. After signing all the paperwork, that they apparently should have signed before they went through with it, Eren found himself still smiling like a moron. Both Hannes and Grandpa witnessed the certificate, making it all that more special and when it came to leaving the room, Levi swept him off his feet  
"I'm in a dress!"  
"I don't care, I want to carry you"  
"But my arse is showing"  
"Just giving everyone a good view of what they're never going to get"  
Burying his face against Levi's neck, he let his alpha carry him out the building  
"Guys! What's the plan now?"  
"We didn't really have one"  
Hannes moved to place his hand on Armin's shoulder  
"We let the newlyweds have some alone time, and while we do, we organise dinner at our house"  
"Wouldn't Eren and Levi want to..."  
Levi coughed  
"Not in front of the kids... besides, we can take the ute and then head out into the wood, Right princess?"  
"Yep"  
Nuzzling against Levi's neck, Eren let out a happy sigh, before pressing a small kiss to the spot and "whispering"  
"Hannes has the keys..."  
Levi looked straight to Hannes, the man laughed as he pulled the keys from his pocket   
"Ok, ok, go enjoy married life, but come back before it gets dark"  
"Will do"

The whole drive back home, Eren teased his alpha. One hand was firmly rubbing at the tent in his mates pants, while he sucked and nipped at his mates ear. The cabin of the ute was filled with Levi's pheromones, his mate clearly struggling to keep his cool. The moment they pulled up in the clearing at home, Eren was out the ute, shifting as he ran. He knew Levi would catch him, but he couldn't help but feel playful. Levi let him run until the house was long hidden by the trees, before moving into catch him by the tail, feeling his mates teeth close around it lightly, he dropped immediately, rolling onto his back as he surrendered to his alpha. Waiting until Levi had moved to stand over him, Eren rubbed his muzzle against his mates face, earning himself a long and lick along his face. Shifting back, he couldn't stop laughing as he wrapped his arms around Levi   
"You win! You win!"  
Shifting back, Levi nodded, the alpha straddling his lap while claiming Eren's lips in a deep sweet kiss  
"Mmm... I hope you're prepared Mr Ackerman"  
Eren hummed as thinking before nodding  
"I think I am, Mr Ackerman"  
Giggling as Levi kissed him again, his heart felt like it would burst at any moment. He was just too happy.

Sliding down his body, Levi nuzzled and nipped through his dress, but when the alpha finally slid his dress up, he let out a possessive growl  
"You like?"  
Levi nodded, before lowering himself down, the alpha mouthing at his leaking erection through the thin fabric of the thong. The omegas hands moved to Levi's hair as he whined and moaned at his husband's actions. Sliding his hands up his thighs, Levi's thumbed hooked the lace band of the thong and Eren raised his hips so his mate could pull the flimsy fabric away  
"God... you taste so good"  
Alternating between sucking him off and eating him out, his husband's tongue and fingers seemed to be everywhere, his mind was blank from the pleasure he was receiving as wanton moans filled the area. Feeling his orgasm building, his whole body trembled in anticipation only for Levi to pull back, the alpha crawling back up his body, before rutting up against him. Taking his face in his hands, Levi claimed his mouth, the taste of salty precum and sweet slick filled his mouth and he found himself moaning and feeling the kiss. He wanted to devour his alpha, to shackle him and keep him close forever. Every part of Levi was his and every part of him was everything he could ever want. Breaking the kiss, Levi's shimmering grey eyes stared down into his  
"You are so beautiful"  
Leaning back down, this kiss was so much sweeter this time, it wasn't quiet so hungry and desperate, it was filled with love and Eren's own eyes filled with tears, pulling back, Eren nuzzled against Levi's face  
"Levi"  
Changing the angle of his hips, Levi's erection slid to rub against his needy opening, his mate pushing in hard and Eren's eyes rolled back as he did. Each time felt amazing, but here with no one around and no fear of waking anyone, he didn't have to hold back.

It was completely obscene. The space was thick with their pheromones, so much so Eren could taste it on the tip of his tongue, their moans and pants spilled freely and unashamedly to the sound of wet skin hitting wet skin. His body felt like it was melting and no matter which way Levi fucked him, he couldn't get enough. Drawing yet another orgasm from him, cum dribbled down his well and truely spent penis as a whimper came from his lips. Immediately Levi pulled him closer, the alpha even sitting up so he could  
"Baby, are you ok?"  
Nodding, he snuggled closer to Levi   
"We might have gotten carried away"  
"I think we got just the right amount of carried away"  
"Is that your way of saying it's time we should head back?"  
"I don't want to let you go"  
"Eren, you don't ever have to let me. After all, I don't intend to ever let you go"  
"Levi..."  
Breaking down into tears, he cried weakly against his husband   
"I mean it. You and me princess, forever and ever"  
Trying to pull himself back from the emotions swirling, he sniffled and nodded   
"Yeah... I'm so happy"  
"Me too"  
Levi gave him another sweet kiss  
"Do you want me to carry you?"  
"It's too far for that"  
"You can ride on my back. Just leave your clothes here and we'll shower when we get home"  
"A shower sounds really good"  
Sleep sounded better, but he didn't want to close his eyes and open them to find it was a dream.

 

*  
Levi carried him all the way back to the clearing, before lowering himself and letting the omega slide from his back. Shifting to his wolf form, he let out a small whine as Levi tugged on his ear playfully. They'd been gone long enough that pink and orange hues were beginning to fill the sky. Padding slowly across the clearing, Levi kept nuzzling and nipping at him gently. It was like his big bad alpha was a pup, just wanting to be loved. Pausing at the front door, Levi scratched light against it, asking to be let in. Of course it probably would have been quicker to just shift and open the door themselves, but that was too much like effort and as it was, he was saving all his strength for the shower. Hannes opened the door with a snort  
"I'm not even going to ask"  
Moving out the way, Levi slipped into the house first, leaving him to follow, both of them ignoring everyone as they disappeared into the bathroom. He'd barely shifted back and closed the door when Levi's hands were all over him again  
"Levi... we can't... everyone's waiting for us"  
"I can't help it"  
Sliding his hands down to massage at Eren's arse, Eren gave a weak mew as Levi lifted him easily. Wrapping his legs around his mate, he slid down easily onto the alpha's erection, moaning at the feeling of being filled further  
"So perfect... you're so perfect Eren"  
Carrying him across to the shower, Levi pinned him up against the wall while fumbling to turn the taps on. No sooner had the water begun to fall, Levi was thrusting into him and Eren could do nothing as waves of pleasure filled him again.

The only mercy his alpha showed him was pulling out just before he came. The alpha then showered him with love as he washed him down completely, even taking the time to gently untangle the leaves and twigs from his hair  
"My beautiful husband..."  
Laughing lightly, Eren nodded  
"All yours... and only yours"  
"Yeah. I suppose it's safe to tell you I was freaking out"  
"You weren't the only one, but now it's done... I just feel so happy"  
"Me too baby. You have no idea how relieved I was when you walked into the room. I was scared you wouldn't show"  
"I had no idea what to wear... there was this dress in Trost the other day, it was so perfect, but way too expensive... I didn't know if I'd look good enough"  
"Eren, you could be in a potato sack and you'd still look perfect. You should have told me about the dress though"  
"No... we couldn't afford it... it was pretty though"  
"Do you have a photo?"  
Eren was confused  
"Why? We're married now"  
"For when we have our big wedding with everyone... I want to scream it from the roof top that you're mine, but I also don't want to tell a soul and keep you to myself"  
Brushing Levi's hair from his face, Eren leant in and kissed his mates lips as a promise   
"2 years. We'll do it in two years"  
His dad would be out of jail by then, and if by some miracle he'd survived, he wanted everyone to see him marry the love of his life... again  
"2 years... yeah, I like the sound of that. The pups will be walking and talking..."  
"And we can have a proper honeymoon"  
"Mhmm, I like the sound of that even more. We should go to the beach... the idea of you running around in a tiny bikini"  
Eren snorted  
"You just love me for my body don't you"  
"No baby. I love you for you, you're gorgeous inside and out. Don't ever forget that"  
The sincerity of Levi's words had him tearing up again. He didn't deserve Levi.

Levi had carried him into their bedroom, and helped him both dry and dress. His alpha was no where near as gentle as he dressed himself, rushing so much he nearly fell over. Giggling behind his hand, Levi shook his head   
"That never happened"  
"I'm pretty sure it did"  
"Nope. Are you ready to face our weird arse family?"  
"I suppose... I miss the boys"  
"I'm sure they've missed you too. Come here and let me carry you"  
Wriggling to the edge of their bed, he clung to Levi as his alpha lifted him up, once again his arse was hanging out and he swore Levi did it just to annoy him. Carrying him out to the living room, everyone went silent... apart from Hannes. The man clearing his throat  
"Presenting Mr and Mr Ackerman!"  
Armin and Grandpa clapped, the boys were confused for a moment before joining in. Eren blushed from the attention and Levi crossed to place him down on the sofa. Pressing a kiss to his forehead before moving to get him their pups  
"Soooo, what does it feel like to be married?"  
"Good... really good"  
"Do we get to see the ring now?"  
Reaching his hand out, Armin let out a whistle as he took the tips of his fingers into his hold  
"You picked this didn't you?"  
"Mhmm... well Levi did pick the promise and the engagement ring..."  
Pulling his hand back, he took Rei into his hold, his son cooing happily hold. Grandpa reached out ruffled the boys wispy locks, Rei let out a small yawn before smacking his lips  
"They both missed you"  
"That's because they're probably starving... I'm sorry bubba"  
Settling back to feed the pup, Levi moved to sit at his feet, the alpha holding Viren   
"Mum, I'm hungry. Can we have cake yet"  
Looking over to where Ren and Eli were colouring at the table, Eren shook his head  
"After dinner baby"  
"But I want cake"  
"And you'll have to wait a little longer"  
"It's not fair. You and dad were gone for ages and you got to wolf"  
Eren felt his face redden  
"That's because mum and I got married today"  
"That doesn't help us"  
Laughing at his son, Levi nodded  
"I know, but didn't mum look pretty"  
"He did... I still don't know why we were there"  
Placing down two apples in front of the boys, Hannes sighed  
"We were there because today is very special to mum and dad. Dinner shouldn't be too much longer"  
"I don't want an apple, I want cake"  
"You just have to wait"  
Ren kicked the table, before starting to cry. It was hard to explain to the boys why they had to wait when they didn't understand what was going on. Rising from the end of the sofa, Armin crossed over and lifted the boy from his chair   
"Uncle Armin to the rescue"  
"I want cake!"  
"And I want a million dollars"  
Ren didn't know how to respond, the boy letting out a small hiccup while looking confused  
"Good job Armin, you broke him"  
Nodding at Hannes's words, his friend carried Ren over and sat back down with the boy in his lap. Grandpa Arlert immediately lifted him into his  
"How about this, if you behave until after dinner, I'll give you some of my cake"  
Ren perked up immediately, the boy wriggling round in Grandpa Arlerts lap so he could face the man  
"Really?"  
"Yep. But no more tears"  
Ren nodded quickly, the boy clearly over his mini-tantrum  
"Mum, Grandpa says I can have his cake"  
"Grandpa says you can have some of his. Not that you can have it all"  
Ren sighed dramatically  
"Close enough"  
Looking down to Rei, his son had finally finished feeding   
"Levi, swap with me"

Levi turned and made things much more complicated than needed as he took Rei while trying to offer him Viren at the same time. Settling Viren against his other breast, his son found his nipple immediately, suckling greedily the moment he'd latched  
"No wonder they're getting big"  
"Yep. My two big pups, they're going to grow up and be big and strong like their brothers"  
Armin nodded at him  
"It's still weird there's four of them"  
"That'd because you never visit"  
"I'd visit more if I could. As it is, I had no idea what was going on, I thought it must have been some kind of emergency. That's why Mikasa let me use her car"  
Chewing his lip, Eren took a moment before asking  
"How is she?"  
"Busy, like all the time. But she's alright. Oh! You wouldn't know this, the funniest thing happened. Jean went to give her his mark and she kicked him in the ribs and threw him out"  
"So they broke up?"  
"Yep! I don't think she was ever really serious about him"  
"Then she shouldn't have gone out with him"  
Armin nodded  
"You have no idea how awkward it was. We met up with Connie and Sasha for drinks, and Jean was there... he kept sighing all night and then Mikasa left with someone else"  
Wrinkling his nose, Eren shook his head  
"I sooo don't need to think about that. I just wanted to know if she was doing alright"  
He really was pathetic at getting over things. She'd ended the friendship, but he still cared   
"She's good. You know, she misses you too. But I don't think she's ready to tell you yet"  
Levi sat a little straighter as he looked to Armin   
"Good. I'm still not impressed by her behaviour at all"  
"Guys can we not. Levi, yes she hurt me... a lot, but she was a really important friend and a huge part of my life. I do miss her, but it's enough to know she's alright"  
"That's because you're a much better person than I am"  
"No, you just worry too much"  
"That's rich coming from you. If worrying was an Olympic sport, you'd win gold"  
He couldn't deny that, not wanting to start a fight, he changed topic  
"You said you saw Sasha and Connie?"  
"Yep! They're still the same. Still together, still eating ungodly amounts"  
"You're just jealous"  
"A little. If I ate that much it would go straight to my hips and thighs"  
Snorting lightly, Eren shook his head  
"It still amazes me you turned out to be an alpha"  
"Hey, I'm tough and stuff"  
"Mhmm"  
Looking at each other, the pair dissolved into giggles. Even Grandpa couldn't help but smile. 

Dinner that night was a little bit of everything. There were party pies and sausage rolls, but there was also stuffed potatoes, lamb chops, Ravioli and pizza. Eren got the feeling that the group had arrived home and realised they had no idea what to make for dinner. Still, the sentiment was muchly appreciated and by the time it was cake time, he was completely full. Armin insisted that he had to film the event, and the boys didn't care to wait. Eli and Ren both swiped icing from the side of the cake as Levi held his hand around the knife and sliced down   
"You're not going to feed me are you?"  
"Of course"  
"But I'm full"  
"I don't care"  
Cutting a stupidly thick piece, Levi set it aside and placed the knife down. Before he could comprehend what had happened, his mate had lifted him, placed the cake on his stomach and moved to sit on the sofa  
"Levi, we're supposed to serve it"  
"I don't care, I want to feed you already"  
Running his finger through the icing, Levi brought it to his lips. Opening his mouth, Eren let his teeth run along the sides of Levi finger before closing his mouth and sucking as pulled back. Levi's finger slid from his mouth with a wet pop while Eren did his best to look innocent   
"You are so getting it tonight"  
"Mhmm, that's the idea of the wedding night"  
Running his own finger through the icing, Eren bopped the tip of Levi's nose, his alpha looking less than impressed   
"Really?"  
"Yep"  
Leaning in to lick the icing off, Levi caught him before he could pull back fully and the alpha's kiss left him breathless  
"Oi! Theirs innocent kids in the room"  
Jumping at Armin's voice, Eren nodded   
"It was Levi's fault"  
"Was not, it's Eren's for being so cute"  
"Nooooo, I'm innocent"  
"That makes a change"  
Rocking his hips upwards, Levi was already half hard and Eren bit down a whine. His body was already responding and his underwear was growing wetter by the second  
"Down boy"  
"Fine, but I'll remember this"  
"I bet you 10 bucks you won't"  
"You two are being gross again"  
Looking to Eli, his son was standing in front of the sofa staring at them. Blushing hard, Eren hid his face against Levi's neck  
"Sorry kid, I can't help it. I just love your mum too much"  
"I love him too, but I'm not gross"  
Eren couldn't help but laugh, Eli had insulted Levi and he had no idea at all. Sliding into the space next to Levi, he held his arms open  
"In that case, come give me a cuddle"  
"But I'm eating my cake"  
"You can eat your cake and be cuddled"  
Eli looked down at his plate, obviously not so sure. The boy eventually moved over and sat on the very edge of the sofa. Grabbing him awkwardly, Eren lifted him into his lap  
"How's the cake?"  
"Good"  
"Can I have some?"  
"Noooo, ask dad"  
"Not even a little bit?"  
Eli sighed, and the tiniest bit of cake was mooshed against his mouth  
"Yum! Thanks baby"  
"Just don't ask for any more"

Reiner and Bertholdt's wedding night have been spectacular in every sense of the world, but for Eren, his day had been a million times better. He didn't have to pretend to be anyone he wasn't and his "family" had been there. The people in his life who'd known him the longest. Even Armin seemed to have settled back down, and the awkwardness he'd worried about being there wasn't. Grandpa and Armin put the boys to bed for them, while Eren and Levi stayed curled up on the sofa together with the pups. Hannes was cleaning the kitchen, so he wouldn't have to worry about that tomorrow. Today really had been like a dream, but as he laid there, he had to worry that all this happiness wouldn't last and he found himself chewing on his lip until it became bloody  
"Are you ok baby?"  
"Oh, yeah. Just thinking"  
"Well don't. Today isn't a day for thinking"  
"I don't think it works that way"  
"There you go thinking again"  
"I'm sorry, I can't help it"  
"You do know what that means though?"  
"What?"  
"We haven't had enough sex"  
Groaning at his mates words, he had no reply   
"But seriously. Just let yourself enjoy the rest of the night. You've been trying so hard to get better, give yourself the night off and let me take care of all your worries"  
"Levi, I think getting married has gone to your brain. You're being even more of a dork than normal. Don't you know alpha's are supposed to be all manly and never show their emotions?"  
"That's because I'm a dork in love with the most amazing and dorky omega in existence"  
"You really know how to woo me, don't you?"  
"It's my special skill"


	111. Chapter 111

Feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket, Levi ignored the device. He was supposed to being professional and answering a personal call wasn't exactly professional. With Christmas and his birthday coming and passing in a wonderful haze, Hannes had made good on his promise and Levi was now wandering around the hospital making notes and sketches of everything that needed fixing. He had no idea how much of the work he'd be allowed to do, but he was determined to do a good job and to do things properly. Feeling his phone vibrate yet again, Levi grabbed the device out, turned it off and slipped it back into his pocket. Sketching the damaged to the skirting board, he squatted down to take the measurements for the bit that would need to be replaced. Hearing the sound of running feet in the hallway, Levi looked up to find Eren running towards him, his ears showing and he was in obvious distress  
"Princess?!"  
Dropping his things on the floor, he caught his mate as he launched himself on him  
"Eren! What's wrong?"  
Shaking his head, his mate struggled as he tried to take catch his breath   
"Baby, deep breaths. Tell me what's wrong?"  
"L-Levi... t-there w-was an accident"  
"The boys?!"  
"F-fine... c-car..."  
Hannes was fine, Grandpa didn't drive...   
"T-they t-tried c-calling y-you"  
"Eren, I can't understand. Take a big breath for me"  
Eren sucking in a big breath, Eren let out a sob  
"Izzy..."  
Levi felt his blood turn cold and his hands gripped Eren's forearms as he pushed his mate away from him  
"Eren, what do you mean Izzy? Do you mean she was the one in an accident?"  
When Eren didn't reply, he shook his husband hard without thinking. Eren whimpered out the words he was so afraid of hearing  
"Sh-she's d-dead"  
Releasing Eren in shock, his mate dropped to the floor and Levi felt himself running. Izzy might be frustrating as fuck, but that didn't mean he didn't love her in his own way. There was no way she could be dead, she was due next month, her and Farlan were making a family... she'd called him to sing him Happy Birthday last week...

Throwing himself into the cab of the ute, he fumbled his keys out, before remembering his phone had been vibrating all morning. Eren had said someone had tried to call. Letting out snarl of frustration, he couldn't get the stupid device to turn back on and the stupid car wouldn't start. Slamming his hands against the wheel, he choked down a breath. Jumping at the sound of something slamming into the side of the ute, he glared at source of the sound. Before he could lock the ute, Eren was climbing in  
"Levi..."  
"Get out Eren"  
Eren shook his head, though he looked completely out of it  
"N-no..."  
"Eren, get out!"  
"I'm coming with you... you shouldn't be alone"  
Glaring at his mate, Levi finally got the car to start  
"Do whatever the fuck you want"  
He knew he shouldn't be snapping at Eren, but he was just so fucking scared that what his mate had said was the truth.

Holding his phone to his ear as he drove, he played Farlan's message over and over. He sounded cold and empty  
"Levi, its Farlan. It's, it's Izzy bro. She... she's dead. There... there was an accident... she fell... their gone. They're both gone"  
Pressing his foot harder on the accelerator, he blinked away the tears. He hadn't felt like this since the day he'd thought Eren was dead... 

 

*  
Eren watched Levi, he forced himself to keep his mouth shut. His alpha was so angry and in so much pain. So it hardly mattered how scared he was. He'd never believed that this could happen, and Farlan has seemed so empty when he'd called. Apparently he'd been trying to reach Levi all morning, Eren could tell he was upset, and when Farlan had broken down on the phone, he'd felt like he'd been punched in the gut. Izzy had called the other day, the girl's bubbly voice had been loud enough for him to hear as she'd sung happy birthday to Levi. Despite everything that had happened and despite how cranky at her Levi had been, it was clear the girl had loved him. Arriving at the hospital, the words had fallen out in a jumble as he tried to explain to Hannes what had happened. He hadn't wanted to leave the pups, both boys were screaming as he did, but he needed to find Levi and the moment he saw his alpha at the end of the hallway, his heart had broken. 

Jerking forward as Levi pulled to an abrupt stop, his alpha scrambled out the car and was off and running into what had been Izzy's apartment building. Rushing to undo his seatbelt, Eren raced from the car, trying to catch up with his mate.He didn't know how he could help, but he didn't want Levi dealing with this on his own. Panting hard, he pushed himself harder as he ran up the stairs. Levi had long disappeared from his view and he was honestly scared about what would be waiting in Izzy's apartment.

Jogging along the hallway, he collapsed against the doorway into the girl's apartment. Stumbling forwards, he didn't know where to look, but Izzy's room seemed to be the best bet. Opening the door to the girl's room, he let out a small gasp as he heart dropped even further. Half the room had been turned into a nursery, and painted a light blue. Soft toys sat in small groups and bright car decals were on the wall. Stumbling backwards with a sob, he looked around for Levi   
"Levi!"  
Moving into the living room, Eren forgot how to breathe. Levi was sobbing as he worked on Farlan, even from where he was, he could tell Farlan was gone  
"Levi!"  
His husband didn't answer and Eren tripped over himself as he fell to his knees. Trying to pull Levi off Farlan, his mate came up swinging, landing a hard blow on his face. Reeling back in both fear and pain, Eren fell on his arse as Levi went back to doing chest compressions on Farlan. Vomit had crusted around Farlans lips and a syringe hung from his elbow  
"Stop it! He's gone!"  
"No! No he's not!  
Levi worked on Farlan in clear denial. Fighting against his fear, he pushed himself up and grabbed Levi around the waist, pulling his alpha back. Levi snarled and fought, but Eren held him as firmly as he could. His alpha soon dissolving to sobs, repeating the word "no" over and over. At some point the noise they were making had drawn attention, a young girl let out a scream causing Levi struggled harder against him. Jerking hard, Levi's elbow smashed into his chest, winding him in the process. Finally breaking his hold, Levi threw himself back over Farlan.

Winded and afraid, Eren curled into a ball, rocking back and forth. His whole body was throbbing and he couldn't breathe. When a hand landed on his shoulder, he whimpered and tried to escape  
"Are you ok?"  
The hold on his shoulder stopped him as he tried to scramble away  
"It's ok, I'm a police officer"  
"Leave him alone!"  
Levi roared the sentence and silenced the whole room, for a second he thought his husband was talking to the police officer holding his shoulder, but instead he was fighting the other officer holding him back from Farlan. The anger rolling off Levi had him practically gagging  
"Can you tell me your name?"  
Whimpering back, he tried to force his tongue to move  
"E-Ere-Eren A-Ackerman..."  
"Alright Eren. Can you tell me how you know the deceased"  
Flinching at the word deceased, he nodded  
"F-Farlan Ch-Church... h-he's m-my alpha's f-friend"  
"Is there anyone we can call for you?"  
Eren shook his head, wincing and flinching away as the officer raised his hand. He couldn't do this... feeling the vomit rise in his throat, he barely turned in time before heaving across the floor. If he was this bad, he couldn't imagine how Levi felt. Farlan and Izzy had been his family... and he'd lost both of them... and his soon to be born nephew. It was incredibly selfish of him, but right then, all he wanted was to be home and holding his babies close.

Trying to get off the floor, he fell hard back onto his knees, the same officer that had been asking him questions moved to help him up, and Levi snapped. His husband lunged towards them, thrusting them both apart   
"Don't you fucking touch him"  
"L-Levi"  
Reaching for his alpha, Levi snarled towards the officer and Eren's hand dropped. He was supposed to be there for Levi, but now he just getting in way  
"Son, your omega needs you"  
"Don't call me son, you're not my fucking father! Stay the fuck away from him"  
"Levi... he was trying to help"  
"Eren, shut up"  
Levi's voice was icy, clearly dismissing him. Retreating further, he ignored the fact he was in the mess he'd made. His hands shook as he tried to pull his phone out, he could barely see as he called Hannes   
"Eren?"  
"H-Ha-Hannes... h-h-help"  
"Eren, I can barely understand you"  
"F-F-Farlan..."  
"Eren, is there someone you can pass the phone too?"  
Looking towards the officer, he weakly held his phone out. The man took the phone, seemingly understanding he needed to talk to whoever was on the other end.

Remaining curled up, Eren blocked everything around him out. He couldn't cope with this. Levi's anger had slowly dissipated, turning to profound sadness. Eren wanted to reach for him, but was just too scared. His whole body throbbed in pain, Levi had been hard to hold back and he had the feeling if it hadn't had been him, his mate would have fought harder. When a familiar scent entered the room, he looked up to find Hannes  
"Eren!"  
Moving through the room, Hannes lifted him easily  
"F-Farlan..."  
"Yeah. I know"  
"T-the..."  
"The boys are all with Grandpa Arlert"  
"S-safe?"  
"Yeah, they're safe. What happened here?"  
"L-Le..."  
"Levi did this?"  
"F-found Farlan"  
God. He couldn't get his tongue to work and he had no idea how Hannes would able to understand him  
"I'm going to take you out of here, is that alright?"  
Levi had made it clear he was being a nuisance. He nodded and Hannes moved to carry him from the room.

Once outside and in the elevator, Eren finally caught a look at himself. His lip was split, his right eye blackened... Levi had done this. Rationally he knew it wasn't Levi's fault. He'd lost his head, but it scared him to see himself like this. Closing his eyes tight, his grip tightened on Hannes   
"Let's get you cleaned up while we wait for Levi"  
Eren shook his head, mumbling against the man   
"He doesn't want to see me"  
So now he could talk... why did he have to be such a fuck up when it counted?  
"He's just in shock"  
"I wanted to be there for him, but I was just in the way"  
"I talked to the officers. Now he's calmed, they can take his statement and he'll be brought down"  
"Just his?"  
"For now. I explained you have PTSD, you did really well not passing out"  
"Too scared... and it hurt too much"  
"Well get you cleaned up, and make sure you're alright. Levi's going to be pretty upset when he sees you"  
"I don't want him to see me like this"  
"That's going to be pretty hard, he's coming back with us"  
"Can I drive home?"  
"No, not in this state you can't"  
Carrying him outside and over to the jeep, Hannes finally placed him down to stand so he could open the the boot of the jeep. Taking his arm, once it was done, Hannes sat him down in the back and wrapped a thick blanket around him  
"I'm ok..."  
"You're in shock. You've lost two friends today"  
"Levi's the one who..."  
"Yes, I'll check Levi out too. But he's not the one with a bleeding lip"

By the time Hannes had fixed up his cuts and bruises, the police were done with Levi. The same officer who'd tried to help him now had a hand on his shoulder. Levi's eyes were red and puffy, snot down his face, but when he reached for Levi's hand, his alpha drew away  
"I'm sorry for the loss of your friend. Hannes was it?..."  
Hannes nodded  
"We've got your details and we'll be in touch"  
"What happens to them?"  
"If no family can be found, they'll be given what's called a "pauper funeral", given a number if their lucky"  
The police officers frankness had Eren catching his breath. Izzy and Farlan deserved so much more  
"We'll bury them. They were practically family and they deserve better"  
Eren sniffled with a nod, but Levi didn't even reply  
"We'll be in touch"

 

*  
The drive home was silent. Levi sat on one side of the back seat and Eren on the other. He didn't know what to do or say to comfort his alpha, he'd never seen Levi like this and it fucking hurt not to be able to make him feel better. Hannes drove them to Grandpa Arlert first, Levi didn't even seem to notice when they'd pulled up. With a shaking hand, Eren reached for Levi's   
"Levi?"  
Jumping and pulling away, Levi shook his head  
"How did this happen?"  
"I... I don't know"  
"Izzy died last night. I called in a favour..."  
Levi's head shot up as he looked to Hannes  
"What?"  
"She tripped over a curb coming home from shopping. She smacked her head on the pavement. It was instant..."  
Levi let out a sob before burying his face in his hands  
"They were supposed to be happy! They deserved to be happy!"  
"I know..."  
"You don't! You don't know!"  
Flinching away, Eren looked towards the doorway. The kids wouldn't understand...  
"Levi. In there are 4 boys, 2 of which aren't going to understand why you're upset and angry, nor why Eren is bruised and hurt. I know you hurt, but you need to be strong for them, just until we get home"  
Levi looked up and nodded  
"Eren, do you want to wait here?"  
No, he didn't. He wanted both his pups and his sons... but he couldn't leave Levi like this... even if his alpha didn't want him, he couldn't leave him like this  
"I'll stay"

The upon climbing into the car, the boys immediately tried to cheer Levi up, but Levi didn't respond. Both soon becoming upset and Eren tried to pull them closer to him, which was hard as he was already trying to hold the pups against him  
"Mum, is daddy mad?"  
"Not at you guys, he just needs some space"  
"Is it to do with why you're hurt?"  
"I'm fine babies, it doesn't hurt"  
Ren reached out and touched his lip, Eren tried his hardest not to react  
"Hannes fixed me all up, isn't that right?"  
"Of course I did! Nothing to worry about now boys"  
The short drive between the Arlert's and home seemed to take forever, trying hard not to show how much having the boys poke and climb on his was hurting, he wished Levi would at least reach out and try connect with their sons. Reassure them that he was in no way mad at them.

Hannes parked the jeep with a heavy sigh. Opening the door for them, Eren bit his lip as both boys climbed out over him. The pain was so much worse now, and each breath hurt. He was forced to wait until Hannes had climbed from the car and taken the pups before he could move. Sliding from the car, Eren's knees folded and for what felt like the upteenth time, he landed hard on them, yelping as he did  
"Are you ok?"  
Nodding at Hannes, he pushed himself up, fighting not to fall down again as he did   
"Can we just go inside now?"  
"Only if you promise to rest"  
"Can I shower, I stink"  
Being able to breathe something other than Levi's sad scent, he became aware of the fact he stank of his own vomit   
"I wasn't going to say anything..."  
Hannes flashed him a sad smile and Eren appreciated the sentiment.

Hannes was watching the kids, and Levi was... he didn't really know. Shut in the bathroom, he shrugged off his clothes painfully, letting them fall to the floor and not caring if they stayed there. He couldn't have picked them up even he'd wanted. Looking to bathroom mirror, he winced at the sight of his body. A nasty black bruise sat in the middle of his chest, along with small purple ones across his stomach, arms and even thighs. His eye was more swollen than he'd realised, the boys must have been so scared... lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice the door opening behind him  
"E-Eren?"  
Trying to grab his towel to hide the damage from Levi, his alpha strode across the room and grabbed his wrist. Levi's eyes filled with tears as Eren's heart broke that little bit more  
"Did I... did I do that?"  
He couldn't lie, Levi would figure it out if he thought long and hard enough  
"Yeah..."  
"Oh god..."  
The alpha swayed alarmingly, Eren catching him as he broke down. Holding him close, he rubbed Levi's back as his mate sobbed again him  
"I can't believe I hurt you"  
"You didn't mean it... it's my fault"  
"It's not! I'm supposed to protect you!"  
"Levi, I know you didn't mean it. It's been a hard day"  
Behind them, a hand reached in and pulled the door closed lightly. Saying a mental thank you to Hannes, Eren nuzzled against Levi's face, trying to reassure his mate without hurting his eye  
"It still doesn't excuse this"  
"You were in a panic"  
Levi was more than panicked  
"Levi, I don't blame you, I'm scared, but for you, not of you and I'm probably going to fall over in a minute. Can you please help me shower?"  
Levi nodded slowly, but made no move to strip. Biting down a pained sigh, he stripped down Levi the best he could  
"You need to take your shoes and socks off"  
Nodding mutely, Levi did as he was told, leaving him to lead Levi into the shower. With their arms wrapped around each other they both cried out their frustrations and pain under the water.

 

*  
It was 10 days later that the funeral was held for Isabel and Farlan and last 10 days had been horrific. Levi alternated between clinging, and not being able to let Eren or the boys from his sights, or ignoring him to the point where if he disturbed him or the boys were too loud, he'd yell at them all before leaving to go for a run. 

Everyone who gathered at the funeral all seemed to be just as shocked over the deaths and Eren held his tongue over what had happened. Izzy had been found a little before 11, and Farlan had been notified about an hour later. He'd stayed with her body all night, which meant there was more than 9 hours before he'd tried to call Levi. Eren bitterly regretted not saying something to Farlan. He'd been so shocked, not wanting to believe it was true. He'd promised to tell Levi, that Levi would be there as soon as he could... He'd said he was so sorry, but he should have done more.

Hanji, Erwin, Armin and Grandpa Arlert were there. Mikasa and Jean hadn't shown, and Sasha couldn't come due to some exam. Despite sitting with them, Ymir and Krista had never been that close to the pair, but they at least sent flowers for both of them. Levi hadn't reached out to Farlan's other friends, they weren't exactly the best of people, or so Levi said. The service was short and simple, Levi held his hand tightly the whole time as tears rolled down his face. Izzy and Farlan were being buried together in same grave. It was so tragic and romantic at the same time. Farlan couldn't live without Izzy and now their family would rest together forever.


	112. Chapter 112

Since the death of Izzy and Farlan, Levi had tried to keep himself busy, but neither of them were far from his thoughts. There were so many things that needed to be done, and his marriage was practically nonexistent. When he'd realised what he'd done to Eren, he'd felt a degree of self hatred he hadn't known possible. Eren might say he understood, but he shouldn't have to. So he'd distanced himself from his husband, scared he'd hurt him again without remembering. As it was, he'd sent Eren spiralling into a relapse, his omega couldn't sleep through the night without nightmares plaguing him, finally getting so bad that Levi couldn't sleep at all in the same bed as him. He'd fucked up so badly and didn't know how to come back from this.

That's why Eren was at home, while he was in Trost with Hannes packing up all of Izzy and Farlan's possessions. Armin had volunteered to help, but Levi couldn't bare to have the teen looking at him with such pity. It was just... he still couldn't believe they were gone. He'd never get mad at Izzy because of something stupid again, he'd never be the uncle to the baby that died with her... none of this was fair... and part of him hated them for leaving. If only he'd answered his phone, he might have been able to save Farlan. He didn't know if his friend had meant to overdose, or if the pain of losing Izzy and the baby had driven him to take his own life. Whatever it was, it fucking sucked. All the things he should have said, the fights they never should have had, everything was so petty now. Wiping his face, he took a deep breath. Farlan's room was now all packed, everything going to charity. Farlan and Izzy had made all this from having nothing, so if this could help other street kids, it gave some tiny meaning to their lives  
"Levi, the living room and kitchen are done"  
"Ok..."  
That meant his old room and Izzy's room were all that was left and he just couldn't bare to go into Izzy's room. It hurt so fucking bad. He was supposed to protect her, but she'd died alone... leaving the box he'd just done, he moved to follow Hannes to Izzy's room, but he couldn't go inside. The soft blue of the walls, the decals and soft toys... she'd been so happy, and this time next month she would have been a mum... why did life have to be so shit?  
"Levi?"  
"I... I can't"  
Turning to him, Hannes pulled him into a hug  
"It's ok. You don't need to force yourself"  
"I miss them..."  
"I know you do. It's not fair"  
Nodding his head, he sniffled  
"No... it's not. They deserved so much better"  
"They did. Are you sure they're isn't anything you want to keep?"  
"I don't know..."  
Everything in the room was a memory. Everything had had meaning to Izzy, even if it meant nothing to anyone else...  
"I'm going to check my old room"  
Backing out of Hannes's hold, he fled to his old room and slammed the door behind him. Sinking down, he started to sob into his hands. If he was in this much pain, how badly had Farlan been hurting?

Staying shut away, he pulled his phone out and opened his photos. He'd saved all the photos of Izzy and Farlan from their Facebook pages. This was all he had to remember then by now. Tears dripped onto Izzy's smiling face and he howled mournfully. He wanted Eren, he wanted to crawl into his husband's arm and just stay there... but he didn't dare. All too soon Hannes was knocking on the door  
"Levi?"  
Pushing himself up, he wiped his and opened it  
"It's done"  
That was fast... or maybe time was still moving differently. It seemed to be moving so slowly, each day dragged out to breaking point, before rolling into the next. Looking around his old room, he shook his head  
"Can we go?"  
"Are you sure? Once we hand the keys back, you won't be able to come back here"  
"I... I can't be here"

Hannes kept an arm around his shoulder as they left. He carried a small box with the gifts they'd given the pair from Marley and along the way and Izzy's triceratops sat atop it all. Levi kept his mouth shut as Hannes handed the keys to the building manager. The charity would be picking up everything tomorrow when they came for the furniture. The weight of saying goodbye to everything sat on his chest, crushing him to the point where each breath hurt  
"Armin's got the keys for Grisha's car and he'll be picking it up later today. The banks have closed both Isabel's and Farlan's accounts, so when the money comes through, we'll organise their headstone"  
He refused to have "Baby Boy Church" on the headstone. He'd only ever heard Izzy call the baby Ryan, so the tomb stone was going to read "Isabel, Ryan and Farlan Church". His friends might have fought, they might have broken up, they might of gotten married, he didn't know, but he did know how much they loved each other when they died, so it seemed more appropriate for it to be "Isabel Church"  
"Ok"  
Hannes seemed to want to say something more, but the man held his tongue until they climbed into the jeep.

Clipping his seatbelt in, Levi looked to Hannes expectantly   
"I know you want to say something..."  
Hannes sighed, the man doing his own seatbelt before starting the car and lighting a cigarette   
"What's going on with you and Eren?"  
Sinking in his seat, Levi looked out the window  
"I hurt him"  
Pulling onto the road, it was a few moments before Hannes replied  
"You did, but you were both distraught. The officers said you were none responsive initially"  
"That only makes it worse... Hannes, you saw the bruises... his chest..."  
"I saw, I also know that Eren fought to pull you away from Farlan because he was scared for you"  
"We haven't talked about what happened"  
"You kept trying to give Farlan CPR... Eren was trying to tell you it was too late, but you fought to be with Farlan"  
"I don't remember"  
So Eren had told Hannes... but wouldn't tell him. Each time he'd asked, Eren had said it was his fault  
"He misses you"  
"I miss him too... but I'm so fucking scared I'm going to hurt him... and the boys... I get so mad over everything. I don't want to hurt them. I don't want to upset them, but I..."  
"Eren's in pain too. I found him crying the other day, he feels like he should have done more when he was on the phone to Farlan"  
"He couldn't have known"  
"He knows that, but it doesn't mean he isn't hurting too"  
"What am I supposed to do?"  
"Cry, scream, fuck like rabbits? Anything but what you're doing now. Izzy and Farlan wouldn't want to see you like this"  
It was a low blow using their names, and he forced himself to bite down a growl. Hannes just wasn't getting it  
"He has nightmares every night now..."  
"Eren does?"  
"Yeah..."  
"He didn't tell me that"  
"I'm scared I'll lose him too"  
"Do you really think he would?"  
Taking a deep breath, he knew he was about to betray his mate  
"I found his will. Back before we eloped, I found it tucked away in the photos... Hannes, he's prepared to die..."  
"He's not going to die"  
"He thinks he is! I can't lose him, that's why I agreed to elope! I wanted him to know I wanted him to be mine forever, but I mostly didn't want him to do something stupid. You saw how much he changed after we decided to elope. He was so happy... but now we're back at square one"  
"Do you want me to talk to him?"  
"No. He'd freak if he knew..."  
"Levi, I don't think he'll do anything rash. He loves you and the boys too much and he can see how bad you're hurting. Right now, both of you need to admit to each other you're in bad places. Something you can't do if you're avoiding him so you don't hurt him"  
"Maybe"  
"No, definitely. I can take the boys to Grandpa Arlert's, give you guys a few hours..."  
"I'm supposed to be starting on fixing the hospital doors tomorrow"  
"One day won't hurt, besides, if you and Eren make up, he can help you"  
"I don't know I trust Eren with tools"  
"He's handier than you think"  
"He might get it in his head to get revenge with that pink hammer..."  
"If he was going to get revenge, wouldn't it be better to use the mitre saw we got you"  
"I don't know, you can really get rid of a lot of rage swinging a hammer"  
Feeling just the smallest bit better now he wasn't trying to shoulder everything on his own, he lifted the triceratops from the box  
"Hannes, I know we haven't really talked about it... but will you stay?"  
"Stay where?"  
"With us. I understand if you want your own life back, you've been with us both pretty much nonstop since Eren was stabbed... but honestly, I don't want you to leave"  
Hannes snorted  
"You really want an old man like me around?"  
"Yeah... Eren does too, and the boys would be lost without you. I'm not just saying this because you save our arses all the time. I've never had a father figure... and you... you're the kind of man I want to be like... someone dependable"  
"Levi, I'm proud of the man you've grown into. You need to have more faith in yourself. There's nothing an old fool like me can teach you"  
"You're not a fool. Your dad jokes might suck, but you're not a fool"  
"My dad jokes are awesome. They're supposed to be awful"  
"And you said I had nothing to learn from you"  
Hannes let out a small sigh  
"You guys need your own space, as it is, the pups will need their own room..."  
"Then we can build an extension and they won't need their own room for a while..."  
"And what about in the future? What about if you and Eren decided to have more kids"  
"That won't be for a long time. We're still both young"  
"Look, I'll think about it..."  
Levi didn't think he could handle Hannes moving out any time soon. It would be too much like the man was leaving and he didn't want to lose another family member or have them leave  
"I'll build you your own deck, and swing set"  
"Do I get a slide?"  
"I'm sure we can come up with something"  
"Like I said, I'll think about it"

 

*  
Walking into the house, he found Eren sitting on the floor with the boys. The three of them building something with Lego, while the pups were squirming around on their play mat. Dressed in just singlets and nappies, the pair were adorable with their flicking tails and ears on display  
"Hey guys, we're back"  
Both boys smiled up at him, Eren looked happy, but that only lasted a moment, before his face fell and he looked down at the Lego  
"What are we building?"  
"A castle!"  
"A castle? That sounds cool. Can I help?"  
"Ok... but me and Ren are in charge"  
Moving to sit between the two boys, he hugged both of them tightly and pressed kisses to the tops of their heads  
"I love you guys"  
"We love you too daddy"  
Eli shifted so he was sitting and leaning mostly against him, his sons face was set firmly as he concentrated. Hannes was right. He had a family who needed him, he needed to work his head space out before he fucked up everything further.

Despite how shit he felt, he still read the boys to sleep. It was the first time in weeks he'd done so, and Ren fell asleep holding him tight. Looking down at his son's sleeping face, he swallowed hard. Izzy and Farlan were never going to feel the love he felt whenever he looked to the boys... feeling his sadness once again turning into anger over his own mortality and helplessness, he slid from the bed carefully and pulled the blankets up to cover Ren, before tucking Eli in and turning the nightlight on and leaving the room. Heading into the living room, he found Eren in the kitchen, cleaning the last of the pans from dinner  
"I can do that"  
"It's fine"  
Walking over to his mate, he hovered just out of reach of him. Eren looked exhausted to the point he was wondering how his husband was even still standing   
"Eren, you're exhausted. Go to bed, I'll do this"  
"It's fine, its only 3 more things"  
Reaching to grab his mates hand, Eren jerked away from him so violently that even he seemed shocked by his own actions  
"I knew it... you're scared of me aren't you?"  
"No..."  
Biting his lip, Eren placed the dish brush down and grabbed the tea towel   
"You can't sleep because I'm next to you. That's it isn't it?"  
"Levi..."  
"It's all my fault you're having nightmares again. You haven't slept properly since they died, and we both know that's my fault. I can never do anything right! What's the point of being an alpha if I can't protect the people I care about!"  
His voice had shot up from a broken whisper to a yell, only serving to scare Eren   
"I... I'm sorry"  
What the hell was Eren apologising to him for? Looking into Eren's eyes, he found them full of pain  
"You have no reason to be sorry. I'm the one who hurt you"  
"Levi... you were out of your mind"  
"That's no excuse... and I keep snapping at you and the boys. I wouldn't blame you all if you hated me by now"  
Eren shook his head quickly   
"We don't hate you... and I'm trying. I'm not scared of you, but sudden movements send me into panic and I can't help it right now..."  
Reaching slowly towards Eren, he had to know if his mate was just trying to make him feel better or it really was the speed thing. Taking his hand, Eren squeezed hard  
"Is this ok?"  
"Yeah. If I can see you and if I know what you're doing, I can handle it..."  
Oh... he can handle it. That meant he really was just putting up with it... slowly untangling their fingers, he found Eren wouldn't let his hand go  
"Levi, the dishes can wait. Let's just go to bed"  
"I can sleep on the sofa..."  
"Or you could come to bed. We can cuddle and you don't have to talk... but after everything, I think it's what we both need"  
Maybe... but just looking at the sink of undone dishes was grating on his nerves. Izzy and Farlan had been so terrible at cleaning...  
"Levi?"  
Shaking his head, he swallowed hard before finding his voice  
"Lets go to bed"

Having Eren laying spooned to against his side felt so good after so long. His mate wasn't talking, but Eren's fingers tips were gently massaging his skin as his husband's hand moved along his side. Pressing a kiss to Eren's hair, he buried his face in it the best could, breathing in his husband's sweet scent. He had no idea what he's do if he lost Eren. The idea of his warm and soft mate laying cold and rotting in the ground hand him grinding his teeth as tears filled his eyes. Holding Eren closer, he couldn't stop himself as his whole body shook and he started to sob. How could his mate still love him so much after he'd hurt him so badly? Feeling Eren's tears dripping onto his chest, he hated the sensation. Eren had cried more than enough tears for a lifetime, but still they flowed again. He just wanted his husband to be happy, but what was he supposed to do when it felt like there was no happiness to be found.

It wasn't long before the pups were crying too and Eren moved from his hold. His body felt cold the moment his omega had. Moving to rise from the bed, Eren didn't even look back as he shook his head   
"You just rest"  
Once again Eren was trying to do everything on his own, and for some reason his anger surged to the surface. Climbing out of the bed, he strode to stand by Rei's cot, before lifting the pup into his arms. His son needed a nappy change, so he moved to snag the change mat and place it on the end of the bed  
"Levi, I can do it"  
"They're my kids!"  
His voice was a snarl and Eren paled, taking a step away from him. The omega took a moment, before bolting from the room. Fuck and that shitty phrasing... he was such an idiot. Given he had to clean and change both pups, and then settle them down, it was a good half an hour before he could go check on Eren. Checking the bathroom first, he found his wayward husband slumped over the toilet. Rushing to his side, Levi pulled a face at vomit across Eren, the toilet and the floor. Evidently Eren hadn't made it in time   
"Eren?"  
Shaking his head, Eren let out a low whimper as he held a hand out to tell him to stay back  
"Let me help you"  
"Go back to the pups"  
"I can't leave you like this"  
"I'm fine... just... I'm fine"  
Not listening to his husband, Levi lifted Eren easily, alarmed at how much lighter his mate felt in his hold  
"You're not fine. I didn't mean to snap and I'm sorry"  
"I'm fine Levi..."  
"You don't throw up when you're fine"  
Eren shook his head, struggling in his hold  
"Put me down. I need to clean up"  
"Why don't you take a shower while I clean up, and then we can try this going to bed thing again"  
Eren hesitated before nodding, and Levi sat him down on the edge of the bathroom counter. He was definitely right. In the 2 and a bit weeks since Izzy and Farlan died, Eren had definitely lost weight. This was his fault... he should have been taking better care of him, it wasn't like he didn't know Eren had a tendency to neglect himself when he was trying to look after everyone else first. Sinking to his knees, he laid his head against Eren's thigh  
"I'm so sorry..."  
"Levi..."  
"No. I am. You're sick because you're trying to be mum and dad and keep everything running around here... while I've... I've been so selfish"  
Eren's hand came to his hair  
"No you haven't"  
"You wouldn't be like this if I was a better husband"  
"You're a great husband. You have no idea how happy I was on our wedding day, it was up there in the top 3 proudest days of my life"  
"Top 3?"  
"The birth of the twins, the birth of the pups and marrying you. The three most important things that ever happened to me"  
Nuzzling against Eren's thigh, he sighed   
"I think I need to talk to Hannes. I don't ever want to hurt or scare you"  
He didn't want to admit he needed help. It made him feel so fucking weak... but Eren was more important than his pride   
"It's a big step, and no matter what you decided to do, I love you and I'm here with you"

While Eren showered, Levi cleaned up the vomit. How stressed did Eren need to be, to be vomiting like this? And how had he not noticed? Flushing the mess he'd cleaned away, Eren let out a yelp  
"Sorry, I didn't think about that"  
"It's ok. It was just cold. If you're done, you should shower too"  
"I'll wait until you're done"  
"Or you could come in here and let me wash your back"  
For the millionth time since this all started, his mate was once again throwing him a lifeline. Not wanting to upset Eren, and missing the feel of his mate, Levi stripped down and slipped into the shower. The moment he did, Eren wrapped his arms around him and rested his head against his shoulder. Nuzzling gently as he did before letting out a small yawn  
"Baby, if you're sleepy, you should go to bed"  
"No... it might be selfish, and I know my head's a mess and I'm acting crazy again, but I miss you"  
Sliding his hands down to Eren's arse, he lifted his husband easily and Eren wrapped his legs around him  
"I miss you too and you're not acting crazy"  
Eren snorted against him  
"I ran out the room because I was scared and now I want to have sex... how is that not slightly crazy"  
"Because its very you"  
"I'm sorry you married a crazy person"  
"I'm not"  
Almost shyly, Eren moved to kiss his lips. Levi was grateful his mate had rinsed his mouth at least, Eren's tongue sliding easily into his mouth as mate harden against him. They hadn't even tried to do anything intimate like this since New Years, and he couldn't help himself as he lifted Eren by his hips and pulled him down onto his erection with no prep. His husband let out a whimpered mew, causing him to break the kiss  
"Did I hurt you?"  
"No... feels good"  
Beneath the running water, they shared small secret kisses. Instead of the hard rough sex Levi knew Eren loved, it was slow and thorough, leaving them both feeling emotionally raw and crying in each other's arms when they both came. Fumbling to the turn the taps off, Levi staggered from the shower and padded into their bedroom, before sinking down and holding Eren impossibly closer. He had no idea how the omega could tolerate him when he'd been such a selfish arsehole. 

Despite not having dried down, Eren fell asleep in his arms and guilt chewed at the pit of Levi's stomach. He looked almost frail as he slept and didn't rouse at all as he moved to lay him down and cover him with the blankets. He still blamed himself for the nightmares, and moving from the bed, he dressed in sweats before heading into the living room. He'd expected to find it empty, but the twins had crept from their bed and were now watching cartoons with the TV on mute and a packet of cookies had been spilt across the sofa   
"Is this a private party? Or can anyone join"  
Both boys scrambled to hide the evidence, but Levi shook his head  
"Leave the cookies and go back to bed"  
The twins looked at each other and slid off the sofa slowly, their eyes back on the TV  
"Bed, or I'll smack bums"  
The pair raced from the room, leaving him shaking his head at the mess. He hated it, but he couldn't deal with it just now. Instead he walked to the fireplace and picked up the gift he'd made Eren for Christmas, before sitting down. It was kind of lame, but his mate had loved it. Mounted on a long base, he'd cut out the silhouette shape of 6 wolves. The first being the biggest represented him, with a slightly smaller wolf holding onto his tail, representing Eren. Behind the pair were 4 smaller wolves and space for when they had more pups one day. He'd painted it white to stand out on the mantelpiece, and Eren had been so happy when he'd opened it. The twins however weren't impressed about it lacking Hannes, so a little Lego man was blu-tacked to the end. Running his fingers over Eren's wolf, he let out a sad sigh. If this was what Eren had felt for so long now, it fucking sucked.


	113. Chapter 113

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate it. Don't read it.
> 
> Potatoes.

"Levi! Levi look!"  
Jerking up from where he was making lunch for Eren and himself, Levi frowned as he rounded the kitchen counter, but almost immediately his face lit up  
"No way!"  
Scrambling to climb onto his knees, he held his hands out  
"I didn't think they'd be crawling so soon"  
Rei dropped onto his bum, but Viren crawled towards him full of determination   
"It's the wolf blood... oh god. We need to baby proof everything now..."  
Catching Viren, Levi lifted him quickly, lifting him high above his head. The boy kicked his feet as he squealed   
"Daddy is so proud of you!"  
Still sitting on the floor Rei let out a cry, Eren rushed to pick him up, snuggling him close  
"I'm proud of you too baby"  
"Are... are they supposed to be crawling?"  
"Yeah, don't worry, I didn't believe it when I saw the twins doing it. I'm just so happy you were here to see this"  
"Mmmm, I guess we can actually thank the couriers for stuffing up the delivery"  
Eren hummed and nodded   
"You know what this means, Valentine's Day is cancelled"  
"What? Why?"  
"Because the boys are only going to be even more of a handful now that all 4 of them are able to make an escape"  
"Hannes can look after the boys for one night"  
"Are you sure? They still won't take formula, and there's only so much I can express"  
"I'm sure. I know it won't be a very long break, but I honestly think we both need it"  
Lowering Viren to his chest, the small boy grabbed at his shirt. Things might still be crappy, but they were getting better. Hannes had put him on a low dose of suppressants, which took the edge of his anger. Eren was still a little jumpy, but he was getting there too, that's why Valentine's Day was so important to him this year. He'd even booked the same room they'd had the previous year, and Hannes had paid him for the hours he'd already put into working at the hospital. He'd rehung the doors, and the couriers were supposed to deliver the timber and paints today, but they'd delivered the wrong wood so now he was to wait another 3 days. It felt good to be accomplishing something, even if their own house was yet to see any benefit yet  
"You said we need to baby proof?"  
"Yeah... these guys are going to be grabbing at everything and wanting to put it in their mouths. The first time Ren swallowed a coin, I thought my heart was going to stop"  
"I can't even imagine"  
It wasn't like he'd never seen the boys choke before and each time he'd panicked, Eren however knew what to do each time   
"Yeah. So Lego, small toys, all that stuff needs to go away and the pups can't be left unsupervised when their out their cots"  
"Ok... do you want me to watch them?"  
"It can wait for now, you were making lunch remember"  
"Is that your way of telling me you're hungry?"  
"Yeah"

Placing Viren down, the pup immediately tried to crawl again. This time he pulled his phone out and recorded until the boy toppled over. Eren let Rei go, the boy crawled the short distance to his brother and flopped down on him. It was completely adorable  
"Eren?"  
Eren looked away from the pups, tears in his eyes as he did  
"I'm just really happy"  
"Me too"  
Placing a light kiss on his lips, Levi then finally returned to the kitchen to finish their lunches.

Over the next few days, the pups got more and more confident with their crawling, anything and everything was fair game, which didn't go well with the twins. The pair couldn't play in the living room without the pups wanting to be included. Things finally got to breaking point when Rei tried to grab at the Lego Eli was using. Eli wasn't trying to be malicious, but when he'd pushed Rei over the boy had landed on another piece of Lego and cut his arm. It was hard to tell who was more upset over the incident. Rei was screaming, his chubby arm was bleeding. Eli was crying because he thought he was in major trouble for hurting his brother, though that was more his fault, he'd snapped at the boy and immediately regretted it. Eren was crying because both his babies were so upset and because he'd snapped. It took all afternoon, but the boy had calmed by the time it was bed time. Levi had thought the whole incident was over, but when Hannes had come from his night shift, he'd found both Eli and Ren asleep on the sofa, their school bags packed with clothes. Evidently they'd had to backtrack from leaving home due to the locked door. Hannes had put them both back to bed, but Eren had been in tears all over again when the man filled him in in the morning. 

By the time Valentine's Day came, even Levi was wondering if maybe they shouldn't go.

 

*  
Sitting on their bed, Eren was staring down at his jewellery box. Watching Eren just sitting there, he didn't know if he should disturb his husband or not. He was supposed to be packing so they could leave, but apparently only made it this far. As if noticing he was there, Eren closed the lid and looked to him  
"Everything alright princess?"  
"Yeah. I was just thinking"  
Moving to sit by his husband, he leant his head against Eren's shoulder  
"Want to tell me about it?"  
"Oh, its not like that..."  
Snorting, Levi reached to lift the jewellery box from Eren's hold. This was the second gift he'd made his mate. The mahogany sanded back to a smooth soft finish, and the lid inlaid with a wolf. Inside was compartmented with space for Eren's earrings, rings, bangles, necklaces and charms. It was finished with a dark green velvet lining and the latch was silver  
"Then what were you thinking about?"  
"I was trying to choose earrings, but then I got caught up staring at the box. It really is beautiful. Thank you"  
"You're beautiful and you're welcome"  
Pressing a kiss to top of his head, Eren's hand found his  
"And you're a dork. Is Grandpa here yet?"  
"Yeah. He's in the living room with the pups"  
"Good. That's good"  
"Princess, if you don't want to go..."  
Eren shook his head with a sigh, squeezing his hand firmly  
"No, I want to. It's like you kept saying, we need this"  
"Because we do"  
"Mhmm"

Grabbing their bag, Levi double checked that nothing was left behind. Like last time they'd be having dinner at the hotel, but this time he was taking Eren shopping before hand for the perfect dress, or whatever his husband wanted to wear, basically it was just a change of clothes for him and something nice to wear to dinner that night. Heading out the living room, Eren had both pups in his arms while "nomming" on their cheeks as both squealed happily. Levi snorted at the sight  
"Eren, you can't eat them"  
"Just watch me"  
Resuming his onslaught, the pups were clearly loving it, squealing again as their tails waved back and forth  
"Levi, you've got everything you need?"  
Nodding at Hannes, he moved to kiss the pups goodbye, nuzzling and pressing kisses to the tops of their heads  
"Be good for Grandpa and Hannes"  
"They'll be just fine, it's Hannes that Grandpa need to keep an eye on"  
Lifting first Rei and then Viren from Eren, he placed them down on the sofa next to Mr Arlert, both boys squirming to roll over as they planned their next escape  
"Thank you so much for this"  
Grandpa Arlert gave him a smile, before lifting Rei into his lap and bouncing his knee lightly  
"Just get going already. Everything's going to be just fine"  
Taking his hand, Eren nodded giving him a brilliant smile  
"He's right, thanks you guys. We'll be back tomorrow"  
"No need to hurry back, we all know it's going to be a long night"  
Eren blushed and looked down, so Levi tugged his hand  
"Damn right it's going to be"

 

*  
Arriving in Trost, Eren fell silent. It took him a minute to realise it was the first time his mate had come back since the day Farlan had died. Feeling his stomach clench, he let out a long breath  
"I thought we could go shopping first"  
"But were still broke"  
"Not as much as before. Hannes paid me for the work I've done so far, so I really want to take you shopping and buy you something nice for tonight"  
Eren hummed   
"I liked last years dress"  
"And I liked tearing it off of you"

Maybe shopping had been a bad idea. Idiot people were everywhere, jostling shoving people out the way. More than once he'd shoved back, but it was too little too late. Eren was jumping at shadows, scared by Levi's rising temper and the amount of people who'd walked into him. He'd wanted to take his mate out and show him off, instead Eren was clinging to his arm like there was no tomorrow. Pulling Eren into the nearest change room, he locked the door and moved to sit Eren, before squatting down in front of him, taking Eren's face into his hands, rubbing his mates cheeks with his thumbs   
"Baby, it's ok. You're ok"  
"Sorry..."  
"No. It's not your fault. I just got frustrated"  
Eren shook his head  
"I'm fine. Just tired of people walking into me"  
"Me too. Are you ready to head back out there?"  
"Yeah. Thanks"  
Levi frowned  
"For what?"  
"For this. You knew I was struggling, and you pulled me out before I got worse"  
Levi leant in and kissed his husband gently  
"Any time baby"

Eren seemed a bit more together as they made their ways through the crowds. His mate seemed to know where he wanted to go, leading him without realising he was. Eventually the came to a stop out the front of a boutique with a large red sale sign in its window  
"You want to look in here?"  
Eren nodded   
"If it's alright?"  
"Of course it is. Whatever you want princess"  
Following Eren in, his mate seemed in his element. The omega clearly had something in mind over what he wanted for tonight. Whatever it was and however much it cost Levi wanted to buy it for him. God knows they could use some happiness and if a dress made Eren happy, he'd pay everything he had. Grabbing a few items, Eren moved to the counter, talking to the woman there for a few moments before disappearing into the changing room. It wasn't long before his mate came back, smiling and whispering to the woman at the counter. The woman slipped the dress into a bag and Levi realised his mate was being so secretive because he wasn't supposed to see. All he knew was the dress was white, but he waited until the dress was fully hidden before walking over  
"You found a dress?"  
"Yep... but now I need money"  
Sliding his wallet out, he pulled out his card and handed it over   
"PayWave?"  
"That's fine"  
It only took a few seconds for the purchase to go through and the receipt was printed. Eren smiled as the woman slipped the piece of paper out and placed it in the bag  
"Have a good night!"  
"We will, thanks for your help"  
Taking his hand, Eren lead him from the store. Pausing to kiss him on the cheek  
"What was that for?"  
"For not asking how much it was"  
"Should I be worried?"  
"Nope, it was on sale"  
"I would have bought you it even if there wasn't"  
"That's because you're too good to me"  
"No baby, you deserve more than I could ever give you"

 

*  
Once again all eyes were on Eren as he walked into the bar beside the restaurant. His mates hair was styled in an intentionally messy bun, long tendrils falling in loose ringlets from the bottom. The dress was... it clung to Eren in all the right ways, even though his mate still had baby pudge, it was barely noticeable. It was really kind amazing, it looked like the red bandaged birthday dress from Eren's 17th had had sex with the black one from Valentine's Day last year and produced this little white number, so short that there was barely a hands width between his mates curvy arse and the end of the silky white fabric. Keeping a protective hand on the small of Eren's back, he lead him over to the bar, only to be served by the same arsehole who'd served them the previous year  
"What can I get you?"  
Once again the man's attention was purely on Eren, Levi didn't even seem to register at all  
"I'll have a champagne please"  
"One champagne coming up"  
Levi'a fingertips dug slightly into Eren's back. How dare this arsehole make a pass at his husband  
"I'll have a double whisky, neat"  
All he got was a hum of acknowledgement  
"Eren, why don't we get a table? Our reservations still a little while away"  
"Yeah, that sounds good"  
The bartender placed down Eren's drink, the flower in the glass opening before their eyes. Giving Eren a wink, the man placed Levi's whiskey down with a small thud  
"$27"  
Pulling his wallet out, Levi placed the cash on the table. He had the feeling Eren had just been given his drink for free, and he wasn't impressed at all. But his husband seemed oblivious to it all, the flower still holding his attention  
"Princess, lets sit"  
Eren nodded, taking his glass and flashing him a smile  
"Lead the way"

No matter where they sat, it was in clear view of the bartender. Levi swore the man's eyes were on Eren the whole time and his anger turned into a quietly raging inferno. How could his husband be so oblivious   
"Levi?"  
Jumping at the hand being waved in front of him, he shook his head   
"Sorry"  
"Are you ok? You look mad"  
"I'm fine... I just don't like all these alpha's eyeing you"  
"Levi, no one is eyeing me. So please relax"  
Flicking a glance towards the bar man, the man seemed to be flirting with someone else. Maybe it really all was in his head  
"Sorry, I'm just going to the bathroom, I'll be right back"  
"Ok, do you want me to order another drink?  
"No!"  
Eren looked startled  
"No, sorry. I'll grab one on the way back. Do you want me to get you one?"  
"Yes please, the same again"

Stalking from the room, he headed into the stupidly huge bathroom, waiting until he was sure he was alone before punching the wall. He was being petty. Eren was beautiful, and his husband. His mate would never cheat on him... but Eren could be a total air head when it came to people hitting on him... he shouldn't be so mad at his mate for being oblivious to his own charms. He shouldn't have gotten mad at Eren for being so scattered either. It hurt every time he came to Trost now. It felt like the all the colours of the city had faded when Izzy and Farlan died. It was stupid and irrational and something he couldn't explain. But Trost just left him cold. He'd looked forward to this so much, they'd been under so much stress and he'd believed that the small break from reality would help. But as usual, he was wrong. Washing his hands, and splashing his face, he looked at the person staring back at him from the mirror. He needed to get over himself.

Heading back into the bar, Eren was where he'd left him. Crossing over to him, he pressed a kiss to Eren's head. His husband jumping in surprise  
"You wanted champagne again didn't you?"  
"Oh, yes please"  
Walking to the bar, the man ignored him for a good minute before finally taking his order. It was clear he was disappointed Eren wasn't by Levi's side,. Paying for their drinks he carried them back to Eren, his mates smiling dropping as he did  
"What's wrong?"  
"Your hands bleeding"  
Placing the drinks down he sank into his seat and looked to his hand. It was kind of a mess and he cursed himself over his temper  
"It's ok"  
"Levi, it's not ok. Show me"  
Eren grabbed for his hand, and pulled it over so he could see   
"You punched a wall didn't you?"  
"Maybe..."  
"Why would you do that?"  
Levi didn't answer, instead he pulled his hand back and picked up his drink  
"Levi"  
Savouring the burn of the liquid as it slipped down his throat, he shook his head  
"It was me wasn't it? You're mad at me"  
"No. It's not you"  
"So, you are mad?"  
"Ok yes. I'm mad. But not at you"  
"Then at what?"  
"You have no idea how sexy you and how many alpha's are eyeing you off. I'm mad because I'm jealous"  
"I told you that your imagining it"  
"I am not imagining it. God, you can't be this fucking stupid or blind!"  
Eren blinked at him in shock   
"I'm sorry. It's just... you really are beautiful and you catch everyone's eye no matter where we are. Sometimes I just can't believe someone as beautiful as you, can be with someone like me"  
Dropping his gaze to his drink, Levi hardly expected the laughter that bubbled from Eren's lips   
"Princess?"  
"Sorry. I was just thinking we really do love each other. No matter what happens, you always call me beautiful, even when I felt like a whale instead of a wolf..."  
"That's because you are"  
"Then isn't it about time to accept that you're sexy and handsome?"  
"I'm short, grumpy and people don't even notice me when I'm with you"  
"Then they're idiots. I notice you and that's all that should matter"  
"How do you always say the right things?"  
"It's a gift. How long before dinner? I'm starving"  
At the reminder of food, his stomach rumbled. They hadn't exactly eaten lunch, and the quick fuck they'd had before coming down here had driven food to the back of his mind. Pulling his phone out, the time read 6:10  
"We've still got another half an hour"  
Eren groaned, his hands going to his stomach  
"You're that hungry?"  
"It's 'cause I'm not feeling so shitty now. My stomachs telling me off for not having breakfast"  
"You didn't have breakfast?"  
Eren blushed as he shook his head  
"I was too nervous"  
"Baby, you need to eat better"  
"I was going to eat when we went shopping..."  
Levi groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose  
"You should have told me"  
"It's ok... half an hour isn't that long..."  
"You shouldn't be drinking if you haven't had anything to eat"  
"I know, but this was about having a good time..."

By the time they were seated, everything on the menu sounded good. Ordering without really thinking about it, Levi then moved his chair so he was besides Eren, their legs close enough to be touching  
"I got you something"  
Eren frowned at him  
"Levi, the dress was enough"  
"Now that we have money coming in again, I wanted to spoil you a little. It's not much, but..."  
Sliding the bracelet box from his pocket, he set it down in front of Eren. His mates widened in surprise  
"Levi..."  
"Just open it. I felt like an idiot carrying it around all day. I didn't know when to give it to you"  
Eren's hand shook as he opened the box. Inside was a charm bracelet, with the letters "R", "E", "V" and "R" dangling off it  
"Wow... it's beautiful..."  
"I ordered it online so I didn't know if you'd like it..."  
"I love it. Can you put it on for me?"  
Nodding silently, Levi found his own hands shaking as he placed it around Eren's left wrist. His husband's eyes sparkling as raised his arm to look at the bracelet properly  
"I feel bad, I didn't get you anything..."  
"You're more than enough"  
Leaning in to kiss Eren, his mates mouth tasted sweet as he deepened the kiss. By the time they pulled apart, Eren's pupils were blown with lust and Levi felt like he was falling in love with Eren all over again. If his mate hadn't been so hungry, he would have whisked him back up to their room right there and then   
"I love you Eren"  
"Not as much as I love you"

Over the next 2 hours, they took turns feeding each other and stealing small bites off each other's plates. Beneath the table, Eren's leg was now slung over Levi's while the alpha's free hand was massaging Eren's inner thigh, his fingers sliding up towards Eren's underwear so that they'd brush the lacy fabric teasingly. Pheromones were pouring from his omega making it hard to think straight, and it was obvious everyone close to them were falling under Eren's spell  
"Levi... lets skip desert"  
Eren's words were practically a pant, smirking at how worked up his husband was, shaking his head at his mate earned him a frustrated whine  
"I want to show you off a little longer, before taking you upstairs and pounding your sweet arse into the mattress"  
"My sweet arse would rather it now, but if you're going to make me wait, I need to go to the bathroom"  
"I don't know if trust you not to touch yourself while you're in there"  
"It's either that, or my dress is going to get soaked with slick"  
That fuck sounded hot, but Eren would be mortified if anyone noticed   
Lifting Eren's leg from his lap, he then stripped off the jacket that Hannes had leant him  
"You'll need this"  
Blushing bright red, Eren nodded. Leaving him sitting alone at the table to await Eren's return.

 

*  
Locked in the toilet cubicle, Eren couldn't calm his body down. Being the object of Levi's affection had felt good, but now his erection was throbbing and his thighs were wet. Trying to clean himself up the best he could, each touch left him shaking. Levi has told him not to take care of himself, but his husband had no idea about the state he was in. Sliding his dress up, and his underwear down, he took his aching erection into his hand. Biting his lip and closing his eyes, it was easy to pretend it was Levi touching him, only taking moments for him to bring himself to orgasm. With his chest heaving, he grabbed a handful of toilet paper and wiped himself clean. Levi would definitely know what he'd done, but now he'd be able to finish dinner at least. Flushing the mess away, he slipped from the bathroom stall and over to the sink, washing his hands throughly before rinsing his face. The whole place smelt of him, and he hoped no one needed the toilet.

Yet, as usual, and perhaps to be expected, the door opened and a older man walked in. It was clear he smelt Eren's lingering arousal from the low groan he gave. Rushing to finish up at the sink and get back to Levi, he brushed past the man, only then to be pinned against the door as he leant in an sniffled him loudly  
"I knew it was you. Where's your alpha"  
What the fuck was with him and bathrooms... though this time it was definitely Levi's fault for getting him so turned on  
"Waiting for me. Now let me go"  
When the man didn't, Eren couldn't help but panic. Struggling against him was getting him no where fast and the alcohol on his the alpha's breath had him gagging. Letting go of one shoulder, the alpha's hand slipped between Eren's legs and he lost it. He wasn't going to be the same cheerleader who Reiner had rescued that time and he wasn't going to let this alpha get away with this, even if it was his fault the man was so turned on. Bringing his knee up as hard as he could, the alpha grunted in pain releasing his hold and letting Eren get free of the door. Fumbling to get it open, he was grabbed from behind, two hands sliding into his mouth as the man's other hand gripped his stomach. Biting down as hard as he could, the alpha screamed and released him. Finally getting a hold on the door, he threw himself out into the passage way, rolling his ankle badly and stumbling into the wall as he did. Looking back into the bathroom, the alpha was shaking his hand  
"You little slut. You omegas are all the same, thinking you can trail your scent around. Have you ever thought about what it does to us alpha's"  
As the door between the finally began to close, the man stepped forward and shoved it open again. Trying to limp away, he let out a low whimper as he tried he did. His ankle hurt like a bitch, and because of it he didn't get far before being backhanded across the face.

"What the fuck is going on here?!"  
Looking to where Levi was storming down the hallway, Eren whimpered. His face was now throbbing just as bad as his ankle  
"Levi..."  
Wincing in both pain and at the anger rolling off his mate, he flinched as the sound of Levi's fist hitting the alpha's face. The man dropped like the sack of shit he was, and Levi booted him hard in the stomach, snarling as he did  
"Levi! Stop!"  
He sounded fucking hysterical, but his alpha finally looked to him. The anger dropping to concern immediately   
"Eren..."  
Reaching out for Levi, his alpha stepped over the man and lifted him up like he was made of nothing. The moment he was safely in his husband's arms he started to sob. He'd been so fucking scared  
"Levi..."  
"It's ok. I've got you"  
The sound of footsteps in the hall had him whimpering, his face hurt so badly, but he still tried to hide against Levi's neck.

 

*  
When Eren hadn't come back straight away, Levi hadn't been too worried. His mate was well and truly worked up, which had been the plan. But then dessert came and Eren still wasn't back. Biting down his initial worry, he just told himself Eren was calming back down. That was until he turned into the hallway that lead to the toilets. Eren was half standing, with some alpha moving towards him. There was a sickening crack as the man backhanded his mate and Levi practically roared at him  
"What the hell is going on here?!"  
Moving towards the alpha, Eren whimpered his name, but it did nothing to stop him. Slamming his fist into the man's face with all his weight behind it, the man dropped disappointingly easily. Booting him hard in the stomach, his neck kick was stopped by Eren shrieking at him  
"Levi! Stop!"

The fire in his blood turned cold  
"Eren..."  
Reaching out for him, Levi stepped over the trash and lifted Eren up into his hold. His husband's legs wrapping around his waist as he nuzzled his neck and started to sob  
"Levi..."  
"It's ok. I've got you"

Behind them someone seemed to have finally noticed the commotion happening  
"Is everything alright here?"  
"No. This piece of shit attacked my husband"  
The man was clearly shocked, Eren let out a whimper before mumbling  
"Levi... room..."  
"You want to go back up to our room?"  
Eren nodded against him with a whimper. Levi didn't want to leave until some one took this piece of trash out, but Eren was shaking like a leaf. 

Carrying Eren into the room, Levi kicked the door closed behind him and carried his husband over to the bed, before lowering him down. Eren didn't want to let him go, but Levi needed to clean him up and see how badly he was bleeding. The omega was only supposed to be going to the bathroom, how had that ended with Eren like this?  
"Baby, I need to look at your face. You're bleeding"  
"Don't care"  
"Well I do"  
Sliding his hands along Eren's legs, he tried to get Eren to let go. He didn't expect the yelp he got as he slid from between them  
"What's wrong?"  
"My... my ankle"  
Frowning, he lifted Eren's left leg first, sighing when he saw his mates badly swollen ankle   
"What happened?"  
Eren shook his head, before trying to struggle off the bed  
"I need a shower"  
"Calm down, you can shower after you've told me what happened"  
Maybe Eren had bumped into the alpha and he'd taken in badly?   
"Please... please let me shower"  
His husband sounded like he thought he was in trouble, against his own judgement, Levi nodded. He didn't need Eren freaking out further  
"Ok, but let me clean your face up first"  
"I-I need to get him off of me"  
He didn't like the sound of that... he didn't know if Eren meant it how it sounded, but it only served to make him angry all over again. Starting to crawl away from him, Eren whimpered sadly as his foot hit the bed  
"Baby, stop moving. I'll carry you"

With Eren now sitting on the bathroom bench, Levi was fighting to get his mates shoe strap undone. His ankle had swollen enough for the band to be cutting in and each time his fingers touched the site, Eren would hiss and kick as if trying to get away. His mate wouldn't be walking on it for a long while to come. Taking Eren's ankle firmly, he finally pushed Eren's whimpers out his mind and roughly got the buckle undone. His mate letting out a sigh of relief the moment his shoe fell off  
"Better?"  
"M-much"  
"Can I do your face now?"  
Eren shook his head  
"Shower"  
His husband was just as bad as the kids   
"Let me strip down, and then I can help you"  
"Alone"  
Now he was being pushed away? Oh for fucks sake. Nope. Enough was enough. Toeing off his shoes, Levi stripped himself down before starting to strip Eren. At least his mates nose didn't seem to be bleeding anymore, but he wouldn't be able to tell until he could see more. Getting Eren free of his dress, he eyed the garment sadly as he dropped it on the floor. He'd been looking forward to tearing it off Eren, and the lingerie underneath...   
"You ready? It's probably going to hurt"  
"I-I want him off me"  
"Eren, did he..."  
"No... I stopped him"  
Wrapping his arms around his husband, Eren started crying again. Levi wanted to head back down stairs and rip that fucker to pieces, but now he understood why Eren wanted to shower so badly. Carrying him over to the shower, Levi turned the taps on, before sinking to the floor with Eren firmly in his lap  
"I'm sorry baby... I'm so sorry I wasn't there"  
"I don't want to think about it..."  
"I know. I know baby. You're safe now. It's just me and you"  
Nodding sadly, Eren looked up at him. Blood was mixing with the water and red tendrils were running down Eren's chin and chest. With a shaking hand, Levi rubbed at the places the blood had crusted on. Eren's nose was swollen and his lip split, but that seemed to be the worst of it. Gently placing a kiss to his mates split lip, he didn't expect Eren to turn it into a real kiss. His mate wiggling in his lap as he did  
"Eren... I don't think..."  
Slipping a hand between them, his mate moved to work at his half hard penis  
"Eren..."  
Shaking his head, Eren pushed a hard and desperate kiss to his lips, fighting to slide his tongue into Levi's mouth. Eren's usual sweetness was there, but he could also taste the blood. If he'd waited any longer to go look for Eren... no. He couldn't think about that. Lifting him by his arse, he slid his mate down, moaning into Eren's mouth as he was engulfed in tight warm heat. 

Rising up and down in his lap, his mate seemed insatiable. Their kisses just as deep and desperate, while Eren's finger nails tore at his back. Growling possessively, Levi pushed Eren down onto the tiles and spread his legs furthers part, before slamming back inside. Setting a merciless pace, his hand took Eren's erection, working him until his back arched and semen splattered across his naked form. As Eren clenched and rippled around him, Levi continued his onslaught until his knot finally popped and he collapsed across Eren's stomach. His chest heaving as he tried to suck down air. Beneath him Eren was shaking like there was no tomorrow and the tiles were uncomfortable as fuck on his knees. He hadn't thought this bit through very well. With a little bit of forcefulness he got Eren sitting back in his lap, before nuzzling against his face   
"I love you baby"  
"I love you too..."


	114. Chapter 114

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter before the mini time skip. You can probably tell this story is winding down... so thanks for sticking around...

Carrying Eren from the shower, he sat his mate down on the edge of the bed  
"We need some ice for your face and ankle"  
"It'll be ok.."  
"Baby, it's not ok"  
Moving away from Eren, his mate grabbed his arm and pulled him back to stand in front of him  
"Please don't leave me"  
"Princess, I'm not leaving. I was just getting you some ice"  
"No... it doesn't hurt..."  
Cupping Eren's face, his husband hissed as he did  
"You don't have to put up with the pain. I'll be right back"  
"No, please. Please don't leave"  
Something really wasn't sitting right in the pit of Levi's stomach. Twice Eren had mentioned wanting to wash the man off  
"Eren. Did he try something?"  
The way Eren sucked in a breath told him he'd hit the nail on the head. In that moment angry exploded and consumed his whole body. Letting out an angry snarl, he clenched his fists  
"I'm going to fucking kill him"  
"Levi..."  
"No. He had no fucking right"  
"Please... please..."  
Eren looked at him pleadingly. But before he could reply a hard knock on the door made them both jump  
"Police"  
Oh for fucks sake  
"Hold on a minute!"  
"Babe, we need to put clothes on"  
"I don't want to talk to them"  
"I know, but it'll be ok"  
The police knocked again and Levi let out an annoyed growl. It was Valentine's Day, practically everyone in the hotel would be fucking like rabbits. Knowing he had little choice, Eren finally released his hold and Levi rushed to get him dressed, before putting on a pair of pants and finally opening the door. The two officers didn't look particularly thrilled to be there, and the hotel manager even less. Levi only knew the greasy looking guy behind the pair was the manager thanks to his badge  
"We'd like to talk to you about an incident that occurred around 9pm..."  
"The one where my husband was assaulted, you mean"  
The cop gave a nod. Leaving them to come in on their own, he moved to sit by Eren and taking his hand into his. With the introductions rushed through, Eren was now more or less ignoring him as he recounted what happened. He was fucking murderous, he wished he'd bashed the random alpha into a bloody pulp. But at the same time, he was so fucking proud that Eren had fought back. There was a time not that long ago that he would have been crying on the floor and biting that fuck... he wished he could have seen it. When Eren finished giving his statement, Levi was asked for his. Apparently the shitty alpha had wanted to press charges... but now Eren's side had been heard, hopefully everything would be settled quietly. The police finally left, taking the shitty little sweaty manager with him. At least they weren't kicked out. Locking the door and sliding the chain across, he sighed in relief that they were gone, but now he was left with another issue. 

Sitting on the bed, Eren wouldn't look at him. It was clear his husband thought he was in trouble for with him over what had transpired. Stripping his pants off, he moved to pull Eren close  
"Eren..."  
Eren shook his head, trying to move away  
"I'm sorry I wasn't there"  
Again he shook his head  
"Eren. This isn't your fault. I was the one who started it at the restaurant... I'm so proud of you. You fought baby. You got outside..."  
Eren sniffled and looked to him  
"R-really?"  
"Of course. I kind of wish I'd seen you bite him"  
Eren snorted, the corners of his lips twitching as if he wanted to smile, but it fell short  
"His fingers tasted gross"  
"He's lucky he even has them"  
"I-I w-was so scared"  
"I know... come on, let's go bed. It's been a long day"  
Eren nodded, his omega nuzzling against him before hissing. Fuck. He never got that ice  
"Eren, we should get that ice"  
"No... please..."  
Eren sniffled and wiped at his face   
"Ok, it's ok. Just... I'm here"

With Eren laying against his chest, Levi's fingers were gently ghosting across Eren's hips. He wasn't even conscious of it, but he was conscious of the small sighs Eren was giving   
"Princess?"  
"Hmm?"  
"You're sighing"  
"Oh... sorry"  
"What's on your mind?"  
"That I didn't even get to finish my champagne"  
Raising an eyebrow, he leant up to look down at his mate  
"Seriously?"  
"It's good champagne"  
"Do you want me to get it?"  
"Does that mean you have to move"  
"Yep"  
Eren groaned, but let him slide out from under him. Returning with the bottle of champagne, Eren grabbed it off of him  
"I feel like you love the champagne more than me"  
Eren went to take a sip, but spilt it across his chest, rolling his eyes the alpha took the bottle. before he could start cleaning it up, Eren was lapping at it in long confident strokes, continuing to lick him completely clean, his husband then took the bottle back. His pink lips slid easily over the top of the bottle, before taking a large mouthful. Letting the bottle pop as it slipped from his lips, Eren giggled. The bottle rested against the split in Eren's lip, rubbing at the scab, catching it and pulling enough to let the a drop of blood run free. Not that Eren seemed to notice  
"Did you just..."  
"Maybe... I still can't believe you don't like this stuff"  
"It too sweet"  
"You're pretty sweet. I was so scared you were going to be mad..."  
"Eren, it was kind of my fault. I got you so worked up"  
"I was so scared and so angry..."  
Sliding his hands down, he grabbed Eren's arse and slid him into his lap  
"Shhh, you don't have to be angry anymore. You did so well"  
Taking the bottle from Eren's hand, he placed it on the bedside table   
"Levi..."  
"Give me a kiss and you can have it back"  
"That's not fair"  
Reaching past him, Eren grabbed the bottle back, smiling down at him before tilting his head back and drinking heavily from the bottle  
"If you don't slow down, you won't have any left"  
Eren snorted, lowering the bottle and this time intentionally splinting some on his chest  
"Really?"  
"Mhmmm"  
Once again his husband went to licking the champagne up, sliding down his form as he did. When Eren finally got to his aching erection, the omega gave him a mischievous look. Taking a mouthful of champagne, Eren thrust the bottle at him, before moving to slid his lips over the head of his penis. The feel of the cold bubbles and the warmth of Eren's mouth had his eyes rolling back, he didn't exactly know what to make of the sensations, but it was fucking hot. Rolling his hips forward, Eren's eyes flicked to meet his, his omegas gaze then dropping back down as he set about to sucking him into heaven. Swallowing the champagne down, Eren hollowed his cheeks, his head bobbing faster as if spurred on by Levi's moans. Cumming with a long moan, his chest heaved as the waves of pleasure slowly abated  
"God baby... that felt so good. My omega... so good to me"  
Taking the bottle back from him, Eren drained it before letting it fall to the floor and climbing to straddle his lap. In a move that was less than sexy, his mate went to rub at his face, only he more or less smacked himself in the face and blood began to flow. Wiping at his nose, Eren seemed almost bewildered by the blood on his hands. Trying not to laugh at his husband, Levi took his bloody hands  
"Babe, you've got a blood nose"  
"Oh... it feels weird"

With Eren sitting on the bathroom counter, Levi was now struggling to clean his face and hands. The champagne had left Eren a drunk and horny mess, and completely uncooperative. Taking Eren's hand off his breast again, his mate whined and wriggled   
"They hurt"  
"Probably because you haven't expressed today"  
"They're heavy"  
Resisting the urge to facepalm, he let out a heavy sigh. Letting Eren have his hand back, he checked his bleeding nose   
"Babe, it's not stopping. Maybe we should take you to hospital"  
"Noooo, its fine... you know what's not fine"  
Spreading his legs wide, Eren let out an "oof" before giggling, as his fell backwards against the mirror  
"That site is more than fine, and other time I would be all over you, but you're drunk, your nose has been bleeding for 15 minutes now and I'm worried"  
"I've had worse... please... I need you"  
Sliding his fingers down his body, Eren didn't think twice before sliding them into himself and mewing, thrusting roughly in and out  
"Ok... but for the record this is a terrible idea"  
Pulling Eren to the edge of the counter, Levi was forced to stand on tiptoes so he could thrust in. He tried to keep his pace slowly, but watching Eren work both his breasts until his chest was soaked, feeling his knot forming, he slammed in hard until he had Eren cumming across himself. Sliding free, he jerked himself off, his semen mixing with Eren's. Ignoring his sticky fingers, he moved the wad of toilet paper away from his mates nose. Fresh red blood raced to run down Eren's face, his mates face paled and his eyes widened at the sight of it. Definitely hospital time.

 

*  
With his arms full of his now dozing husband, they were both sitting in the emergency room at Trost general. His husband had both his ankle and face X-Rayed, they were now waiting for the results and Levi was still trying to process all the day's events, the alpha more than a little angry that he didn't bring Eren in sooner, but he honestly believed his husband would be fine. It wasn't like Eren's nose had bled non-stop, or until he'd bumped it... and his ankle hadn't bruised that much... but the doctor took one look and said both needed to be scanned. He felt like a complete and total idiot. He shouldn't have accepted Eren's insistence that it was fine  
"Mr Ackerman?"  
Eren didn't rouse, so Levi shook his shoulder. His mate jumping and looking confused  
"We're at the hospital"  
"Oh..."  
Looking at the same doctor as before, the woman just smiled   
"Well, its good news and bad news. His nose is indeed broken, but as it's not displaced we don't need to do anything but let it heal. The same goes for his ankle. You said he fell while wearing high heels?"  
Levi nodded  
"No high heels for the next 6 weeks. He needs to rest it and ice it. It's a hairline fracture so the bone will mend on its own. If he's in pain, you can use panadol and ibuprofen to help, but if it gets worse, take him to see his usual GP"  
"We live with a doctor"  
Eren seemed so proud of himself over his statement. The woman nodded, her smile slightly wider   
"Well you're all set then. Do you need help getting him out the doors?"  
"Maybe just the one out to the reception?"

Holding Eren in his arms, his husband was back asleep and snoring. This was some Valentine's Day to remember, for almost all the wrong reasons. Not knowing how long they were going to be, he hadn't checked out the hotel, and now he was regretting it. Propping Eren up in the ute, he locked the door so his husband couldn't escape as he drove. Eren stayed exactly where he was for the whole drive, so Levi cracked the windows and headed into the hotel alone. It was barely half an hour later that he was returning to find Eren throwing up in the footwell. Of course he couldn't have a moments peace when Eren was around.

Driving back to Shinganshima wasn't fun in the slightest. Eren was cold and miserable, but thanks to the smell of vomit the windows had to stay down. Laying with his head in Levi's lap, his mate wouldn't stop shivering and putting the heater on only made Eren gag. When the turn off for the house came into view, Levi let out a sigh of relief. The crunch of the gravel had Eren perking up  
"Where are we?"  
"Back home"  
"Why?"  
Because you're a walking calamity and I wasn't taking the chance of staying in Trost and you getting hurt further... well that's what he wanted to say  
"Because you broke your nose and fractured your ankle..."  
"Oh... I forgot"  
Eren's fingers pressed against his nose and sure enough it began to bleed again. Pulling up near the front door, Levi smacked his head against the steering wheel before looking down at Eren  
"Let's get you to bed brat"  
"Did you just call me brat?"  
"I did. You're more trouble than the boys combined, but fuck I wouldn't have it any other way"  
"Mmm... I love you too"  
Levi could only shake his head.


	115. Chapter 115

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep. This was what I was going to do for a very long time now.
> 
>  
> 
> Also, on my tumblr is an ErwinXErenXLevi work if you want something a little different...
> 
> When I started this I actually had 3 stories in my head, but this was the one I started... I didn't think it would turn into this monster.
> 
> I'd say there's like 4 chapters to go... buuuuut we all know me.

Over the next 6 months, the house came along in leaps and bounds. Levi had been paid well for his work at the hospital, and because of the constant flow of people in and out, and word of mouth, his husband had been in demand all across Shinganshima. There wasn't a day that Levi didn't seem to be called to out to some small maintenance job. Eren was quiet proud of him. Today however, Levi was working on their house, more specifically on the extension he'd started building the previous month. Hannes had agreed to stay, and the extension was being built to suit the man's needs. Finishing the sandwiches he'd been making, he stopped to pick up Rei from his high chair. He had no idea how Viren did it, but Rei couldn't sleep through the sound of Levi using the mitre-saw  
"I know, daddy is being soo loud"  
Squirming in his hold, his son tried to make a break from it and stewed apple was smeared across his chest  
"Really? Mummy likes this shirt"  
Rei continued to squirm and baby, the boy not caring in the slightest.

"Levi!"  
Yelling to make himself heard, it took a few seconds for the saw to stop   
"Lunch time!"  
"Sweet"  
Appearing from the chaos, Levi smiled at Rei   
"Apple?"  
"Yeah... he thought my shirt needed feeding too"  
Taking Rei from him, Levi tickled the boys belly  
"I can't believe this little man's going to be one soon"  
"I can't believe the boys are 6..."  
"Mhmmm. Anyway, I made you lunch"  
"I can see that, let's get out of this mess"  
Carrying the sandwiches back to the dining table, Eren pulled the chair out so Levi could sit with Rei. The second they were seated, Rei was grabbing for them  
"Nooo baby. Let me take him so you can eat"  
Levi shook his head  
"No, I missed him, and I missed you. Come down here so I can give you a kiss"  
Blushing lightly, he leant in and pressed a small kiss to Levi's lips   
"There, one kiss. Now watch over him while I got get Viren, he'll be hungry by now"  
"And I think someone misses his brother"  
"And their big brothers"  
The twins were in year 1 now, and learning to read properly. Eli was miles ahead of Ren though. Their son struggled with his numbers still, but Eren couldn't care less. He was happy and healthy, and that's what mattered. 

Walking into their bedroom, he crossed to Viren's cot. The boy babbling and playing with his toes  
"I'm sorry baby, did your noisy dad wake you up?"  
Lifting him from the cot, he nuzzled against Viren's soft hair, but the boy seemed more interested in the apple across his top  
"Fine, reject me for food"  
Carrying Viren out, he placed him in the high chair, before grabbing the bowl of apples he'd set aside for the boy. Setting himself up, by his son, he laughed as the boy clapped his hands  
"He gets his appetite from you"  
Eren shot Levi a playful glare  
"Does not"  
In the past few months, he'd put on enough weight to be called healthy again. At least his ribs didn't show anymore, nor his spine  
"Mhmm... who's turn is it to get the boys today?"  
"Mine, but no bringing the pups into the extension, I don't need Viren stepping on another nail"  
The moment the boys had figured how to stand, they were off. Nothing stopped them, not even the hallway gates designed for toddlers  
"I know, I thought I was going to die when I heard him scream"  
"Yes, you gave mummy and daddy heart attacks didn't you"  
His son opened his mouth, greedily swallowing down the apple and wanting more  
"He doesn't care at all, he just wants the apple"  
"At least he likes apple. He doesn't like bananas"  
"That's because fruit is horrible"  
"Levi, apples are a fruit"  
"You know what I mean"  
Looking back to Viren, Eren nodded his head at the boy  
"Your daddy says these things and then he doesn't know how to get himself out of it"  
"Don't go telling him the truth just yet. I want them to think I'm a good dad"  
"You are a good dad"  
"And you're a good mum"  
"It's a gift, isn't it baby"  
"And what makes me a good dad then?"  
"Because you know how to keep me happy. Happy wife is a happy life"  
Levi snorted   
"I'm not going to deny that. It helps that you're a boss at making sandwiches"  
"You can't really go wrong with them... by the way, how long is it going to before the roof guys come?"  
"Next week. That's why I'm working so hard at getting those roof beams up"  
"That's right. I remember now..."  
"Why, what's the matter?"  
"It's just hard to get into the laundry with that pole thing there"  
"Next week baby... maybe Grandpa Arlert will let you do the washing there?"  
"Probably, but there's always so much of it. I don't know how we fill a basket before lunch"  
"Because these two like to get into everything"  
Eren clicked his fingers  
"Of course! It's the two that don't like keeping their clothes on!"  
"Wait a minute... I thought that was us"  
"Levi! Not in front of the boys!"  
"Come on baby, I was just joking..."  
Rolling his eyes, Eren started cleaning Viren up. Since his heat, Levi had been extra attentive in every way, shape and form... even with him on suppressants and contraceptives, their sex was never lacking, neither happy if the other was feeling less than satisfied. But he did have one small issue, thanks to over sleeping they hadn't had time for their usual quick fuck in the shower before slipping into the roles of mum and dad. Now he was starting to slick, and it was more than a little annoying  
"We'll put the pups in their cots now their done, I want to see what you've been up to"  
Levi raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on his lips  
"Someone feeling a little neglected"  
"Yep. A lot. You've been busy all day and these dishes don't cuddle like you do"  
"Do I need to worry about running off with the plates?"  
"No, the dish ran away with spoon remember"  
Levi groaned and looked to Rei   
"Your mummy is crazy"  
"His mummy is a dork. Get it right"

Putting the pups down, Levi led him through to the bathroom, his alpha's hand sliding straight down his sweats, his fingers moving boldly as the rubbed at his forming erection  
"Really?"  
"You aren't the only one who missed our morning shower"  
As Levi mouthed his neck, Eren moaned freely and spread his legs further to give him more space  
"Mhmm, you're so beautiful"  
"You just want my arse"  
"I do"  
Sliding his hand free, Levi sank down behind him and pulled his pants down as he did. Taking a firm hold of his arse, Levi took no time before moving to lap at his entrance. It'd been too long since Levi had done this and his whole body was soon shaking from the pleasure   
"Levi..."  
Sliding a hand around to take and toy with his erection, Levi worked him until his toes curled and came with a long breathy moan  
"Put your hands on the sink"

Levi was all grunts and snarls as he thrust in over and over, his husband lifting his leg in an attempt to get deeper. Coming with a snarl, Levi collapsed against his back   
"Mmmm, my yummy mummy"  
Hanging his head, Eren snorted and shook his head  
"You're such a dork"  
"But I'm the dork knotted inside of you right now"  
"Yep, and I wouldn't have it any other way"

 

*  
"Leeeevi, in have to go get the boys"  
"I know, but I don't want to let you goooo"  
Moving from the bathroom, they'd fallen into a pile on the sofa. Despite the room having now been wallpapered in a pattern as close to what there originally, and the large panorama of their "spot" over the fireplace, the sofa still hadn't been replaced. Instead they'd opted to wait until the boys were bigger and they actually needed a new one. However, right now, Eren wished they had a new one as he tangled between Levi's legs and he had nothing to grip onto and make his escape   
"I'm going to be late"  
The school had introduced early close on Tuesdays, which meant he needed to be there by 2pm  
"Fiiiine. But let's go running tonight. I want to spend more time with you..."  
"Mmmm. I miss running..."  
"No wonder you're getting fat"  
Slapping Levi's chest, he struggled up, staring down at Levi   
"Nope. You're not getting any ever again"  
"Baby, I was joking"  
"You called me fat"  
"I was joking... please forgive me"  
"Maybe... I'll see how I feel when I..."  
Lunging from the sofa, Levi lifted him into the air and span him in wide circles, Eren screamed and giggled  
"Put me down!"  
"No! Not until you tell me you love me"  
"Not until you put me down!"  
Levi came to an abrupt stop, lowering him down and wrapping his arms around his waist  
"I love you Eren Ackerman! Princess of this castle!"  
"I love you too... now give me a kiss because I really am going to be late"  
Levi nodded and obliged, nuzzling his nose before pulling back   
"Don't forget your arse is mine tonight"  
With a groan, Eren was finally allowed to grab the ute keys and jog out the door.

Driving towards town, Eren's phone started ringing. Slowing down, he pulled it from his pocket. Trust Levi to remember they needed something once he was already driving. Ignoring his own common sense, he answered the call, taking his eyes off the road for a moment. Looking back up, a big black wolf stood in the centre of the road, hitting the breaks, the car skidded as he yanked the wheel in panic. He'd know that form anywhere, but it couldn't possibly be. Before he could comprehend what was going on, there was the sound of crunching glass and metal, and the last thing he heard was Levi screaming his name.

 

*  
It was barely two minutes after Eren had left that Levi's phone began to ring. Jogging across the dining room, he grabbed it from the kitchen, thinking Eren had called to tease him one last time. Everything had been going well these last two months. They'd been able to save enough to do the living room. Hannes had finally agreed to move in with them, but the bride of Levi building him his own room might have sealed the deal, and each day was getting easier than the last. It wasn't like the never fought or screamed at each other, but it was so much better than how things had been at the start of the year.

"Levi! Where's Eren"  
Confused at why Hannes was practically yelling at him, Levi frowned   
"He just left to pick the boys up...?"  
"Grab the pups and come to the hospital, I'll head over and see if I can catch him at the school"  
"Hannes, you're not making any sense"  
"I'll explain when you get here"  
"Or you can explain now"  
"Grisha's out. They were doing a work project, garden work for a wage kind of thing. He was there at lunch time, but now he's gone... this happened yesterday. They only just got off their arses and called the police here..."  
Ending the phone call, Levi's hands shook as he called Eren. His husband was finally doing so much better. He was really coming into himself, and Levi couldn't be prouder. It seemed that despite how terrible their Valentine's Day might of been, the fear had driven Eren to realise that he was allowed to fight back and that no matter what, Levi would be on his side for doing it.

"Come on baby... pick up"  
Rushing to lift the pups up, Eren finally answered the phone. He didn't even get a word out. The sound of screaming tyres, reached his ears  
"Eren!"  
It was like a ghost had walked over his grave. He turned icy cold. The sound do crunching metal and glass filled his ear and he felt like his breath had been sucked from him. Running to grab his keys, he couldn't shake the feeling in his gut.

Driving towards Shinganshima, his fear was confirmed. Stopping dead in the middle of the road, he was screaming and running towards the rolled ute  
"Eren!"  
No,no,no,no,no... throwing himself down onto the gravel, he ignored the way the glass cut up his arms. Eren was just handing there. Blood pouring from some wound he couldn't find. The alpha's fingers shook as he reached out and placed them against his mates neck. It was an eternity before he felt a faint sign of a pulse. Pushing himself up, he sprinted back to the Range Rover and threw himself inside, grabbing at his discarded phone. Calling Hannes with a shaking hand, he sobbed into the phone  
"Levi?"  
"Eren... help... please help..."  
"Levi. Where are you?"  
"N... near the h-house... he rolled the ute..."  
"Levi, don't move him. I'm on my way"  
"He... he's bleeding so badly... and just hanging there..."  
"I'm coming"  
The sudden realisation came to him  
"The... the boys are at school"  
"Levi. I want you to go monitor Eren without touching him. I will take care of everything"  
Dropping his phone there, he rang back to the ute, Eren was still hanging limply and bleeding   
"Baby? Come on baby... open those pretty eyes of yours"  
He longed to touch him, but he was scared now that the slightest move would kill him...  
"Eren... please... please..."

The sound of sirens took so long that Levi couldn't believe they were really there  
"Levi!"  
Hannes grabbed his arm, pulling him away  
"Eren... Eren... he's..."  
"Levi, you need to listen to me. The receptionist from the hospital has picked the boys up. They are safe. You need to take the pups and go there to wait. We don't know where Grisha is. I'll protect Eren, but you need to take care of your boys right now..."  
"I can't leave him..."  
"Levi, go!"  
Shoving him away, Hannes turned his back on him, rushing over to Eren. Stumbling, he finally looked to the Range Rover. His heart was breaking as he found his way over to the car. Taking one look at the boys sleeping in the back, his mouth filled with vomit and he threw up violently. How was he supposed to explain this to them?

He couldn't remember driving to the hospital. He couldn't remember how he'd ended up in Hannes's office. He couldn't move. He just clung to the boys, unable to stop shaking.

In the end, he didn't know how long he waited before Hannes came in looking exhausted. As if the spell had been broken, he staggered to the man, all but collapsing against him. Hannes sank to the floor with him   
"He's stabilised for now..."  
For now...  
"Wh-what?"  
"Levi. Eren suffered a serious head trauma. We had to put a shunt into drain the pressure..."  
Everything else was lost to him... brain trauma was never a good thing...  
"Levi, are you listening to me?"  
"Eren... can I see him"  
"Not now, his condition is still critical. We're just not equipped to deal with these sorts of injuries. I need to get back to him, is there anything you need?"  
"Eren..."  
"Levi, you know I'm going to be working my hardest"  
Hannes tore himself away and Levi let out a long pained howl. He couldn't lose his husband. The world didn't can know they were married. Eren couldn't die without them knowing...

Pulling out his phone with shaking hands, he opened his Facebook page, before opening his videos. Armin had sent them a copy of their wedding video. Uploading the video, his thumbs hovered over the screen. It wasn't the wedding Eren had deserved at all... but they'd been so happy. They deserved to be fucking happy. Finally the video was ready to post. Letting out a shaky breath, he shook his head. He needed to do this  
"On the 18th of December, I eloped with the love of my life @Eren Yeager. Right now Eren's life is hanging in the balance. His father is missing and he was in a car accident this afternoon... they don't know if he's going to survive"  
He didn't know what he was really accomplishing. Maybe he wanted someone to reach out and tell him Eren was alright and this was all a dream... but he did know he wanted the world to know Eren was his... god. His thoughts were such a mess  
"Dad?"  
Realising Ren and Eli were staring at him, he grabbed the pair and held them close. Sobbing against their small chests  
"Daddy, what's wrong?"  
"Mums been hurt..."  
He shouldn't be telling them. It was his job to protect them... the pair began to sob, in fear and confusion.

He was still sobbing when his phone started ringing. He didn't want to answer the stupid device... but he did, purely in case it was Grandpa Arlert. The tears in his eyes blurred the scream as he answered  
"Levi. What the hell happened?"  
Reiner. He hadn't heard from the pair since Eren's Birthday when they'd video called. They'd stayed away like he'd asked, checking in with Eren from time to time...  
"It's Eren... he..."  
"Levi, are the kids there with you?"  
"Yes..."  
"Then don't say anything out loud. Just answer yes or no"  
That meant he wouldn't have to think. He didn't want to think  
"Ok"  
"Was Eren in a car accident?"  
"Yes"  
"Is he alright?"  
Reiner had said he read the status. Was he fucking stupid  
"No... it's bad"  
"Bad as in a break?"  
"I don't know... he hit his head..."  
"Fuck..."  
"They have to fly him to Trost"  
"Levi. Eren's going to get the best medical care money can buy"  
"How can you say that! He was supposed to get the best fucking lawyer! But now Grisha is free and no one knows where the fuck he is!"  
Throwing his phone as far and hard as he could, he let out a mournful howl. He'd scared the boys, all of four of them crying. Screaming in frustration he buried his face between his knees.

A few moments later the door opened, and Levi looked to it. For the slightest moment he'd had the stupid thought it was Eren, but instead it was the receptionist  
"Um... Levi?"  
The kids were better with her than him pushing himself up, he stumbled from the room. He couldn't keep it together enough to be there for them... Eren would know how to be. But Eren was always so much stronger than he knew. They were finally getting things on track. He had a job that made him feel useful, he worked hard and helped other people, something Kenny never ever did. Eren was becoming confident. His mate even driving to Trost by himself and picking up an order because the courier had said they wouldn't be out that way for another 5 days and he'd wanted to finish the job that day. Eren would bring him lunch, he'd bring the boys and was nice to everyone... it was so fucking frustrating. Jogging through the halls, he only barely made it outside before throwing up in the garden. His whole body shook as he retched and he fell to his knees, before slumping sideways.

 

*  
Everyday came and it went, everyday Eren slept like it was nothing. His husband had been like this for 5 weeks now and no one knew why he'd awoken. Grisha hadn't been found, Eren wasn't awake. The boys were falling behind at school and he was stuck under Reiner and Bertholdt's thumbs. With Eren being in Trost, he was living at the Braun manor. Hannes was living in Shinganshima, only able to visit on the days he picked up hospital supplies. 

Aside from Hannes, Reiner and Bertholdt, all Eren's old friends had visited. Including most surprisingly Mikasa. His hackles had risen when the girl walked in with Armin, but the moment she saw Eren, she fell to floor crying and begging to be forgiven. He knew that feeling to well. He'd begged Eren to wake up and he'd begged his husband to forgive him. If he had of let Eren up when he first wanted, his husband might have made it to the school safely. The guilt weighed heavily upon him, only serving to drag him deeper each day. Thanks to the crippling pit in his stomach, Hannes had him on high strength suppressants as well as mood stabilisers. Without them he couldn't function. He'd stayed by Eren's side for days without sleeping, until the hospital finally threw him out. That was when he returned to the Braun manor to find the kids distraught. Since then, no matter how much he wanted to, he only stayed during "acceptable hours", from 9 to 5. That way he was with the boys for baths, breakfasts, dinner and bed time stories. At night the boys slept with him. The pups shared a portable cot, but more often than not, Levi would settle them into bed. They're were probably most confused. The boys understood that mummy was getting better. They hated it, but they understood bits of it, something the pups did not.


	116. Chapter 116

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whelp!
> 
> Well that happened...

"No change then?"  
Jumping at the sound of Hannes's voice, Levi scrubbed at his face tiredly as he shook his head  
"No... did they...?"  
It was two days until the pups first birthday and Eren still slept. Reiner and Bertholdt were still paying Eren's hospital bills, but all Levi wanted to do now was take him home. His husband's physical injuries had headed for the most part, the bruises at least were now gone, but his sleeping princess wouldn't wake no matter how many times he kissed Eren's lips  
"They did, but Levi, are you sure this is good idea. Eren's safe and well cared for here. The boys needs you more than anything"  
Looking down at Eren's face, he nodded. He was desperate for some kind of miracle  
"Please... I hate him being here. I hate it and he'd hate being away from home so long"  
"You'll need to meet with the occupational therapist, and you'll need to wash and clean him everyday..."  
"I know... but I can't leave him. I want him for the pups birthday"  
The twins needed to go back to school, they missed the house, their rooms and more importantly their cats.

Despite signing off on him taking Eren home, he had to talk to so many shitty people that they all blended into one. They all stressed that it was going to be a big job, and the crap that went with it. But Eren just seemed to be fusing with the hospital bed, his colour while still good, was paling from being indoors constantly, and as irrational as it was he feared walking in one day and finding Eren completely gone... Wasted away to nothing. He had to bring him home.

 

By the start of November, Levi had completely lost hope. 2 and half months with absolutely no sign of waking. He'd cried, he'd screamed, he'd trashed the house, he even slapped Eren, but nothing changed. He hated to admit it, but Hannes might have been right. The pups didn't understand why Eren didn't wake up. The twins would lay by Eren for hours if they could. More than once he'd woken to find they'd climbed into bed with him. He hadn't seen Eren's smiling face or heard his mates voice since the start of August, but every day he played their last conversation over in his head. He shouldn't have joked about Eren being fat. He should have told him he loved him more, he should have gone with him... 

 

*  
Waking slowly, Eren's head felt like it was filled with cotton wool. Everything felt slow and sluggish, like he'd been asleep for way too long. Blinking at the brightness filling the room, he frowned, it looked like his parents room, but this wasn't how it usually looked and why were there two cots in here? Opening his mouth, he tried to speak, but it was like he'd forgotten the way to move his tongue. He wanted his mum... or even his dad. Just someone to tell him what was happening... he'd fallen asleep after playing with Armin and Mikasa, so why was everything so different now.

Dragging his uncomfortable and uncooperative body to the window, his frown only deepened at the world outside. Why was there a room on his house he didn't know about? Why was everything so wrong? He didn't understand any of it and as much as he hated to admit it, he was completely terrified. Nothing made sense. Reaching to the window latch, his arm felt like it'd been made of lead and his fingers were clumsy as he twisted the latch. Letting his arm drop, it then took everything he had left to go the window up and slide through it.

Falling hard on the ground, Eren felt something slip from his hand, but he didn't look back as he shifted and started into the woods. There were so many news smells around him and he couldn't process it all, it just made his headache when he did. There were 4 smells that smell so close to his that it left him more than a little confused, and one smell that had his racing mind anxious to find the source, but he couldn't remember ever smelling anything like it before.

Dragging himself through the woods, every bit of him felt taxed... like a lackey-band stretched so far that any moment it would snap. But he had one goal in line, the same spot he always ran to when everything got too bad, or he needed to calm down. His spot. His sanctuary. The place he'd found one day and had loved ever since. Arriving at his spot, he fell hard against the rocky outcrop. His tongue lolled from his mouth, his chest heaved and a low whimper fell from his mouth. That same comforting smell was here, but so was a familiar smell. The smell of his father. Shifting back, he tried to push himself up, but his arms wouldn't support him. He needed help. Letting out a sob, tears rolled down his face  
"D... d...ad?"  
His whole body twitched and spasmed like he was having a fit, and he couldn't have been any more scared if he'd tried. Where was his mum? And his dad?  
"D... dad?!"  
He tried to yell, but his mouth was just too dry. He let out a gasp, his sides cramping painfully, causing him to curl into a ball.

Warm hands came to cup his face, and Eren's eyes fluttered open. The face of his father hovered close, but like everything off, something was different about him  
"Eren?"  
"D-dad...?"  
"Oh thank god. I've been so worried"  
His father lifted him like he'd just fallen asleep on the sofa or something  
"Wh..."  
"Eren, it's ok now. I've got you"  
With a small prick against his neck, his world went black again.

 

*  
Levi was rushing, he couldn't help it. One of the hospital staff had broken the rail on a sliding door in the morning and now he was stuck replacing it. Thanks to a long line of stupid people, Hannes was snowed under with work, which meant he was trying to keep the pups in his sights while he worked. He'd have dropped them off with Grandpa Arlert, the man had been a god send these past few weeks, but he had a cold so bad that Armin had to come down and look after him. The teen however was going to pick the boys up and take them home if. Grandpa'd been more than happy to take the pups when he'd actually had to work. But with this, he'd been forced to leave Eren home alone. It wasn't likely his husband would wake while he was gone, but he wanted desperately to be there incase. He wanted to be the first thing Eren saw when those wide green eyes finally opened.

"Viren! No"  
Snatching the ruler from the boys hands, he was then stuck with a crying toddler. He was barely keeping it together as it was, but Eren was all alone and it left him feeling sick. Sighing in annoyance at himself, he picked both pups up and rocked them. They'd already figured they could push their portable play pen around, and it had all been down hill from then  
"I'm sorry. Daddy's just..."  
Daddy was a fucking wreck...  
"Daddy is ready for a break. You guys are probably hungry too"  
Grabbing the nappy bag from the hallway, he ducked into the room with the broken door and sank down on the floor. He had no idea how Eren had managed to deal with all of this. He needed Hannes's help and Grandpa Arlert's and Armin's and Reiner's and Bertholdt's... 

With Rei and Viren trapped in his crossed legs, he cracked open the jar of baby food  
"Mmmm. Pumpkin and apples... how the hell thinks that tastes good?"  
Rei clapped his hands, babbling again  
"No food until you say "da" or even better "dada""  
Viren and Rie both looked up at him  
"Come on guys, it's easy "dadadada""  
So this was his life now... reduced to babbling like the boys   
"Da.."  
Levi's eyes widened at Rei  
"Da da da"  
Both boys seemed so happy, and Levi's eyes filled with tears. They'd babbled out "Ma" before, but he hadn't really been sure he'd heard it.. but "da"... he definitely had  
"Yeah babies, I'm your da"  
He couldn't wait to tell Eren about it... it was stupid but he always told his mate everything that happened each day... but Eren should have been here for this.

With the pups fed, and put back in their play pen, Levi went back to finishing hanging the door rail. They'd called him "dada"... he couldn't hide the small smile that was bought to his face each time he thought of that.

 

*  
Arriving home at a little after 2, he had time for a shower, but first he first wanted to tell Eren about the pups saying "dada". Carrying the boys through to where his sleeping princess laid waiting. His blood turned cold and his heart starting pounding. Placing the pups down, he span around slowly... the front door was still locked... Eren couldn't have just disappeared   
"Eren!"  
Running from the room, he threw open the doors in the hall, screaming his mates name. Eren couldn't just disappear. He couldn't. The house was safe... it was locked...  
"Eren!"  
His voice was shrill, tears rolled down his cheeks. He should have been here... running back into the bedroom, the pups were babbling "dada" again, but this time it meant nothing to him. Eren had just up and vanished. Running back through the house, he tore the place apart, even the sofa cushions were ripped off... but there was no sign of him. Breaking down in the middle of the living room, he screamed in pain. He didn't know what else to do. He wasn't capable of rational thought. He'd lost Eren in the car accident, and now he'd lost him again.

"Dad?"  
Blind to the fact Armin was standing there with the boys, he screamed into his hands  
"Why don't you boys wait outside, I'll talk to your dad"  
Crossing the room, Armin placed his hand on Levi's shoulder. Jumping at the physical contact, his heart rose for a moment, his confused mind thinking it was Eren. He let out a small whimper of pain when he realised it wasn't   
"Levi?"  
"Ere-Eren..."  
"Levi, what's this about Eren?"  
Raising a shaky finger towards the hall, he couldn't say the words out loud. Armin took off down the hall and Levi's head fell back against his knees  
"Where is he?!"  
Grabbing his shoulders, Armin shook him  
"Levi, where's Eren"  
His alpha side flared, he practically roared at the blonde  
"I don't fucking know!"  
Armin finally stopped shaking him  
"What do you mean you don't know...?"  
"I don't know where he is! He was gone when I got home!"  
"And you didn't call Hannes?"  
"Hannes is working"  
"Don't move"  
Like he was able too.

He was still sitting there crying when Hannes rushed into the house  
"Levi, what's all this about Eren"  
"Hannes, he's not here. I had a look around. The bedroom windows open, but there's no sign of him"  
"Armin, I understand you're worried, but I'm asking Levi what happened"  
"I... I don't know... he was gone when I got home"  
Taking his face in his hands, Hannes stared into his eyes, the man's face blurred to the point he wouldn't know it was him if he wasn't speaking   
"He couldn't have gone far. He's been in a coma for the last 14 weeks. He hasn't got the strength to go far. I don't even know he got out the bed..."  
"Because... Eren could always do the impossible... the doors were still locked"  
"He must have woken up disoriented... Levi, Armin said the window was open. Did you do that?"  
"No..."  
"We'll check around the house, you wait here"  
Shaking his head, he didn't want to fucking wait. Eren could be outside and hurt  
"I can... smell him..."  
"Good. Use that nose of yours"  
Hannes's tone was falsely cheerful, he tried too hard and fell wall short. Not wanting to listen any longer, he shifted.

Padding out ahead of everyone, he started by the bedroom window, almost immediately a glittering shine in he dirty caught his attention. Pawing at it, it revealed itself to be Eren's rings. He hadn't been allowed to wear them when he was hooked up to all those stupid machines in Trost, but the moment Eren had been back home, Levi had slipped them back onto his husband's finger where they belonged. Taking a deep sniff at the ground, he could smell nothing but Eren's lingering fear. Leaving the rings, he sniffed deeply, catching Eren's trail leading from the house. Why would Eren run and where would he even go?

With his paws pounding against the soft dirt, he chased the scent all the way out to what was their spot. That's when a sickening feeling filled his stomach. A scent like Eren's was violating their spot... but his mate had definitely made it this far on his own. Sniffing around the site led him straight to the tent, bits of food wrappers and all sorts of rubbish littered the inside and he was sick to his stomach to know he now knew where Grisha had been hiding out. Sniffing his way from the tent, the trail went to the edge of the small stream, but disappeared on the other side. He followed both banks until the water got too deep to cross, but couldn't pick anything up. Grisha must have used something to cancel their scents... letting out a long howl, he felt a degree of sadness he would never describe or explain. His heart shattered into a million pieces and it felt like he'd never be able to reassemble the pieces.


	117. Chapter 117

Eren drifted in an out of his dreams as his father drove. Nothing he saw in them made sense... but then again, his whole world felt like it had been tipped up side down and nothing seemed like it would ever be right again.

Since then, the days had all rolled into one. When he'd finally awoken properly, his father had been by his bedside, only it wasn't his bed and he had no idea where he was. He just wanted his mum... but his dad said she'd died and that they lived here now... he said that he was 19, that he'd been in a car accident and that's why couldn't remember. He'd said that after his mother had died, Eren had had a mental breakdown and run away from home with an alpha who used to hurt him for fun... none of this made sense. In his head he was 10. In his head he was in primary school... his best friends in the whole wide world were Armin and Mikasa... but now he was missing a whole 9 years and the only person he had was his dad. The dad he remembered didn't have a whole lot of time for him, but he was there when he really needed him and since he'd woken up, his father had been looking after him. His body was still weak, but the calendar on the wall was marked with red crosses, each marking off a day. He'd been here for a month now  
"Eren? Are you awake yet?"

Jumping at the sound of his father's voice, he shakily slid from the bed. His legs didn't always want to cooperate, but he was getting better  
"Coming!"  
Padding into the kitchen, his father had already made breakfast. Sometimes when the man smiled at him, he felt a shiver roll down his spine, as if he should be afraid. But he didn't have anyone else  
"Sorry, I over slept"  
"It's alright, you've still got a few hours"  
Frowning in confusion, Eren took his seat. The small cottage they lived on belonged to an old man and was tucked in the corner of his property. He'd only met the man once, and apparently his father had been hired to be the man's person doctor as he was blind as a bat, but insisted he was still as strong as a horse  
"Eren, we talked about this. Old man Pixis needs someone to cook and clean up at the main house"  
"Oh... sorry..."  
"I know you're worried about your memory not returning, but you're safe here. He's not going to find you"  
Swallowing hard, he nodded  
"It's just..."  
"I know you're lonely. You've always had a lot of friends, but you liked the neighbours boy right?"  
"Marco was alright... but why can't I tell him my name"  
"Because if that alpha finds out where you are, he'll come and kill you for leaving. You saw what he did to your stomach"  
Eren's hand moved to sit over the gross scar that ran along his belly. There was another just as nasty on his back, but his dad said that was from his accident  
"I know..."  
"Eren, I know you're scared, but you're safe here. As long as you stay with me. I lost your mother, I can't loose you too"  
"I know dad. I miss her so much"  
"I do too. Now eat your breakfast"

Walking across the field and up to main house, Eren was panting by the time he arrived. He didn't even know how to cook or clean for that matter. But hopefully the man was too blind to notice. Knocking on the front door, he waited in the sun. He loved the feel of the sun   
"Hi Eren, come on in"  
Marco knew his name was Eren, but Grisha said to say their last name was Marley, like the country. He felt misleading the boy, but he had no idea what else he could do  
"Hey Marco. I didn't know you'd be here"  
Marco smiled widely as he moved out the way to let him enter  
"Pixis needed a light change and mum volunteered me. Besides, you're the only around here I can hang out with. This place is waaaaay out in the sticks"  
There was something almost holy about Marco. He was just one of those good people, inside and out  
"I know what you mean. Dad said I'm supposed to help cook and clean, but I've never cooked in my life"  
Marco gave him a shy smile, one sniff had told him the teen was an omega  
"I'd be happy to help"  
"You would? Thank you!"  
If he had his own way, he'd be out running and playing, building himself a new cubby or finding a new spot. But he was an adult now and Grisha didn't like it when he mentioned it.

Marco was amazing in the kitchen. Eren tried to help the best he could, and sometimes his body stayed moving without him realising it. Something about being in the kitchen seemed so fucking familiar, but the harder he tried to grip onto it, the faster it slipped away. This was his life now and he had to accept it.

 

*  
Despite the huge reward that Reiner and Bertholdt had posted, every lead they ever got lead to a dead end. Calls from all over the country had come in. Each and every single one of them a false lead. It didn't matter how sure he was that Eren was still alive, it seemed that he was the only one. A year had passed. A whole fucking year and there had been no sign of Eren or Grisha. Eren's face had been all over the news, Grisha's too, but no good came of it. It was like the pair had dropped off the fucking planet. 

After Eren had disappeared, the police had sounded so confident and sure they'd find Eren safe and sound shortly... they'd assured him Grisha couldn't not leave a trail. Apparently the man had been a model patient at the mental hospital, helping staff with the others there and the fact he'd ran had taken all the staff by surprise. The police briefly picked up something in Trost the day after Eren disappeared, but absolutely nothing had come from it. No one could tell him where his husband was... each day that passed only made it harder. He'd called the police station everyday, until finally they stopped taking his calls. He was barely hanging on and he certainly wasn't coping.

His first attempt at killing himself was on Christmas Day. The boys asking innocently if mummy was coming home and he hadn't been able to answer. He'd tried to be strong for them, but... he couldn't do this. After that Hannes sold his house and cars, taking over the running of the house. He hadn't even been able to get out of bed. He couldn't eat or drink, he'd just throw it all back up, and he'd curled around Eren's clothes so many times they no longer had his smell. Every body left him. He didn't deserve to be happy. Without Eren, he couldn't find the strength, even when the boys needed him... Eren wouldn't just leave him... but why hadn't he come back? Late at night and left alone with his thoughts, a little voice in the back of his head would remind him how he didn't deserve Eren in the first place. The only time he could see him husband was in his dreams. That's why he wanted to die. He wanted to dream forever. These thoughts only compounded to the guilt he felt over being a bad father. The shock of what he'd tried to do had snapped him back to reality. He'd nearly left the boys parentless, and guilt stuck to his soul like an imbedded and festering thorn.

*  
"Marco! Wait up!"  
Riding his push bike next to Marco, the biggest smile was on his lips. His father didn't know, but today he and Marco were going into town. He'd never been into Jinea, even though he'd been living so close for over a year now. His memories hadn't come back, but Marco didn't care. His friend still wanted to he his friend. Of course, like today's trip, Grisha didn't know that Marco knew. His friend had caught him after a bad nights sleep and a fight with his father, so Eren had spilled everything to him. He'd never cried as hard as he did when he told Marco that he couldn't remember anything about his past. Riding their bikes as fast as they could, they raced each other all the way into town.

Having reached the edge of Jinea, the both climbed from their bikes panting. Marco looked a dishevelled mess, so Eren supposed he looked much the same. Beginning to follow behind Marco, Eren was hit with a sudden rush of nostalgia, and his steps faultered  
"Eren?"  
"Sorry, this place is so much like home"  
"You miss it don't you?"  
Nodding his head quickly, he offered Marco a small smile   
"Yeah. Shinganshima was always home for me, I never pictured living anywhere else"  
Marco nodded sympathetically   
"Why don't be grab lunch? Theirs the awesome pizzeria just down a little bit. I bet you didn't have one of those"  
"Yes we did"  
The words were out his mouth before he could stop himself... Shinganshima didn't have a pizzeria... so why was he so certain it did. Shaking his head, he started pushing his bike again.

Like in Shinganshima, the clothing stores stocked things that looked like they'd been there since the day they opened. He'd expected Marco to walk right on by, but the teen stopped in front of the window, his eyes evidently on something there  
"What is it?"  
Blushing lightly, Marco pointed to a white dress   
"Oh, you like that?"  
"Don't you?"  
"I'm a boy"  
Marco rolled his eyes with an exaggerated sigh  
"Don't you know us omegas can pretty much wear anything we want?"  
"Still, I don't think I'd ever be caught dead in a dress. I do have my pride in being a guy"  
"I don't know, I think you'd look great in a dress"  
Marco's sweet words had him blushing. He wasn't in love with the teen, and he was already bonded to an alpha... though apparently he was a drop kick loser that only cared about breeding and beating him... but if he hadn't been...  
"Eren, you really are the prettiest person I've ever met"  
"Then you haven't looked in a mirror lately, have you?"  
Marco seemed to glow under his words of praise, his friend cast a final look to the dress  
"Let's get some lunch"

Sitting in the red leather booth together, Eren's leg was brushing against Marco's. The touch wasn't unwelcome, but it did definitely drive home the fact that even if he found Marco sweet and nice, he could never have sex with him. The chemistry wasn't there  
"So you still haven't remembered anything?"  
Shaking his head, Eren took a big bite from his slice  
"That sucks"  
"Sometimes I have dreams..."  
"Oh? What kind of dreams?"  
Eren blushed all the way to the roots of his dyed black hair  
"Oooooh, now you have to tell me"  
"I'm with this alpha... he's really short though, but he's hot. He tells me how much he loves me and calls me perfect..."  
"He's got good taste"  
"You do realise he only exists in my dreams right?"  
"Shhh... I want details"  
"When he touches me... I melt. My whole body feels like it's on fire, his hands across every inch of me and his lips mouthing at my neck..."  
His penis twitched with interest. It was embarrassing enough to have woken with his underwear full of cum and slick more than once...  
"And then he takes me and it's like... he fucks me hard and knots me, before nuzzling my neck and telling me how much he loves me... I go to tell him I love him, but just as I'm about to say his name, I wake up"  
Marco's sweet scent held both traces of jealous and arousal  
"Or something like that"  
"I'm jealous. I'm never going to get an alpha stuck in this shitty town"  
Eren looked to his friend  
"You will. You're too lovely not to"  
"You really know how to make a guy feel special. Anyway, do you think it's a memory?"  
"I can't see how it is. Dad said me alpha used to beat me..."  
"It's a shame we don't know his name, we could look him up if he did"  
"I'm not allowed a phone remember"  
"He's still on about that? God. Welcome to the 17th century, I'm Grisha Marley"  
Laughing openly at his friends impression of a TV announcer, he accidentally disturbed some jock looking teens at another table. Marco' smile dropped instantly   
"We should go..."  
"Marco?"  
"Trust me. You don't want to get stuck here when they've got you in their sights"  
"Oh... ok. I'm sorry"  
"No. It's fine. Why don't you grab another slice and we'll go"  
Walking from the pizzeria, Marco was quiet as they made their way to the supermarket. That was the whole reason they had to come to town. Old man Pixis was running low on Gin. The man loved his alcohol with more passion than Eren had ever possessed for anything. Paying for the 6 bottles of Gin, Marco also grabbed a few chocolate bars and gave him a wink. In this shitty backwards corner of the world, it was comforting to have one person he could call a friend.

Coming out the supermarket, Marco settled the bottles in the basket of his bike, but they hadn't even taken them out the rack before the same group from the pizzeria were standing beside them  
"Hey Marco, thought anymore about being my omega"  
"No. Now go away, I've got to get back to work"  
"Word on the street is you like servicing old Pixis. What's he got that I haven't?"  
The word "servicing" had Eren seeing red  
"Or maybe you're with him now? Two omega together, my cocks getting hard just thinking about it"  
He'd never found the word "cock" sexy. If anything it made him want to laugh, and he couldn't help himself as he did  
"Oh? Something funny? It won't be so funny when you're bent over and begging for it like the sluts you two are"  
Marco let out a low whine, so Eren moved to step between him and the alpha  
"I'm sorry, Marco and I have taste. We don't go around picking up the first bit of alpha trash that blows our way"  
Letting out a snarl, the alpha went to strike him, but Eren got in first, landing a hard blow against the teens face. It wasn't the first fight he'd gotten into while protecting a friend  
"Eren..."  
"It's ok Marco"

In the end, the noise they were making had the shop keeper coming out and yelling at them. The three alpha's had ganged up, and thanks to that his ribs were aching like a hell, but he'd gotten a few good blows of his own in  
"I can't believe you did that!"  
"How could I not? You're my friend Marco"  
"But you could have been hurt"  
"So? When a friends in trouble, you've got to do something about it"  
Marco nodded   
"Thank you Eren"  
"Any time"  
Grinning happily, he felt truly alive for the first time in a long time. The rush of the blood pumping through his veins and the feel of a fight... it'd been forever since he felt it


	118. Chapter 118

After parting with Marco, Eren wheeled his bike home, a smile still plastered widely across his face. It remained across his face right up until the moment he stepped inside the cottage and found his father waiting for him  
"Where have you been?"  
"Marco had to run some errands for Pixis in town"  
Grabbing his hard by the shoulders, his father's eyes narrowed as he stared into his town  
"You didn't go into town did you"  
"It was for..."  
The blow that hit his face was hard enough for him to see stars. It felt like his brain had been dislodge and smacked hard against his skull, and he'd bitten his tongue hard enough to draw blood  
"Eren! You know you can't go into town!"  
Scared stiff he didn't know what to do. It wasn't the first time his father had hit him, but the man always apologised afterwards... but this time... he was truly terrified all the way down to the depths of his stomach  
"What if someone recognised you! What if he comes after you! You need to be careful!"  
This part of the lecture he'd had before. Grisha had said the same thing when he'd asked to go to town before   
"I know you're tired of hiding, but it's for your own good. I won't let you go back to him"  
"Him?! I don't even know who he is! I can't remember anything and you won't tell me! I'm sick of being locked up all day! I want to have a life! I'm 20 now dad!"  
"Your body might be 20, but in your mind your still a kid! This is for your own good!"  
Struggling from Grisha, Eren shook as tears ran down his face  
"It's not fair! I have one friend here! I want to go home! I want to go back to Shinganshima"  
"You are home you little shit! You have no idea what I've given up to do all this for you! It's about time you learnt your place!"  
Grabbing him by the hair, Eren shrieked as he fought. His father dragging him down into the basement off the cottage  
"Stay down here until you've learnt some manors!"

Alone in the dark, Eren didn't know how to process what had happened. His father's reaction was so extreme... he'd never thought he'd be shut down here in a time out. He supposed his father thought he'd just go out the window if shut in his own room... which he totally would of if his head wasn't so sore. It'd been over a year since they moved out here and he highly doubted anyone would be looking for him anymore. He didn't think he seemed to be the type who'd pick a bad alpha... but 9 years is a long time to completely forget. With nothing else to do, he grabbed the blankets from the wash and curled up on the floor. His awesome day ruined had been ruined.

Grisha kept him down there until dinner. His father's cool hands had shaken him awake  
"Eren... I'm sorry about before. I get so worried... dinners ready now if you want to come up"  
Nodding at the man, he let himself be pulled up and into a hug  
"I get worried that you're going to undo all the hard work I've put into keeping you here..."  
"It's ok. I won't go to town again"  
His father gave a nod and helped him upstairs. All through dinner Eren felt sick. Every time his father looked at him he felt a sharp pain in both his arm and stomach and he had no idea why, and his head... it hurt just to have his eyes open  
"Eren?"  
"Sorry... I don't feel well"  
Rising from his chair, his father pressed his cold hand against his forehead   
"You have a bit of a fever. Probably from all the excitement you had today. Why don't you go to bed?"  
"I'm sorry"  
Grisha gave a single nod and Eren rose, before padding down the hall and into his room. Feeling hotter and grosser by the second, he opened the window as wide as he could before crawling into bed. 

 

*  
"Levi. Are you sure this is a good idea? It could be just another dead end..."  
"And it could be Eren!"  
"Look, I'm just saying why don't you call this Marco back?"  
"I've tried but he won't answer"  
"Doesn't that tell you this was just a prank?"  
"He didn't seem the type..."  
Hannes shook his head with a sigh   
"We all miss him, but that doesn't mean you should run off at the first sign of..."  
"Hannes... please... if it is him... or if it isn't... I have to know"  
Grabbing the bag he'd tossed together, Levi carried it through to the living room. Placing it down only so he could hug and kiss all four of his sons  
"Guys, I need you to be good for Hannes while I'm gone"  
Ren and Eli didn't look terribly impressed  
"Why can't we come with you?"  
"Because it's just for one night. But I'll be back really soon"  
"Whatever"  
Both of them turned their backs towards him. Whatever had become their favourite word since Eren had gone missing and he felt like a shit father every time he'd left them behind. But he didn't want them to get their hopes up... though this time he was sure.

It'd started about a week ago with a random text message   
"Hello... um, I saw your missing persons ad and I think I know your husband"  
It wasn't the first message he'd gotten like this, but that message had been followed by another  
"His names Eren right? And his father's Grisha"  
Yes. They could have gotten that information anywhere... but that wasn't how these messages usually went. He couldn't deny his heart had been racing as he typed his reply  
"You know my husband?"  
"I think so. his hairs black, but he has the most amazing green eyes"  
Great. Black hair... Eren's hair was brown, there was no two which ways to look at it. Angrily hitting call, he was prepared to scream into the phone for the mystery texter to fuck off. Instead the call was answered with a timid "hello?". Normally a pranked wouldn't just answer   
"Look kid. I've been fucked around enough since his father kidnapped him. If this is some sort of joke, then you can just fuck off"  
There was such a long silence that he thought the kid had done just that  
"You... you wouldn't hurt Eren would you?"  
What kind of a question was that?  
"Of course not. He's my husband and the mother of my kids... and his piece of shit father is the one who hurt him"  
"O-ok... he doesn't remember you... he doesn't even know I looked him up... but last week he came to work with a black eye. I don't want Eren being hurt"  
Levi's heart stopped. He didn't remember him?   
"Kid, what's your name?"  
"Marco Bott"  
"You say that Eren's being hurt?"  
"His dad... he's really weird. He won't let Eren do anything. He says he keeping him safe from the alpha who used to hurt him... but I looked Eren up... I just don't want him to be sad anymore"  
His call to Marco had cut out thanks to his battery dying and since then every time he'd called he hadn't got through. He hadn't been able to leave during the week due to Hannes working, but now it was the weekend and thanks to Facebook he'd found a Marco that seemed to match the voice. 

Yes it was probably incredibly stupid and most likely not anything more than a dead end, but he had to go...

 

*  
Rolling over for the upteenth time, Eren let out a long sigh. He couldn't get comfortable. Since that day his father had hit him, his head had been throbbing almost constantly. It was like there was something trying to get out, but it couldn't and he was left feeling frustrated. It didn't help that he'd had a fight with Marco. His friend had tried to tell him that his own father had kidnapped him... but how was he kidnapping if he didn't have any other family? It was the first fight he'd had with Marco, and when his friend tried to show him "proof" he'd gotten so mad and thrown his phone. They hadn't talked since. He'd seen the boy around the yard, up at the main house, but Marco seemed to be avoiding him and he was so angry at himself. He only had one friend and now he was back to zero. Climbing from his bed, he padded out into the kitchen   
"What are you doing out of bed?"  
"Headache..."  
Rising from his chair, Grisha staggered a little as he made his way over to him. Beer breath filled his nose and his whole body tensed  
"I'll get the panadol from my room"  
"Thank you"  
The whole exchange had been over before it began, so why the fuck was his heart racing? Forcing his trembling body over to the sink, he poured himself a glass of water  
"Here"  
Jumping as the packet was placed down next to him, Eren felt a low whine slip from his throat  
"Eren?"  
His father's voice held the traces of a laugh... or rather like if he wasn't suppressing it, the man would burst out laughing at his low whine  
"Sorry... it's just a really bad headache"  
"Take the pills and go back to bed. Pixis needs you to help him in the field tomorrow"  
"Yes dad"

Even medicated the pain didn't ease, though he did finally fall into a fitful sleep. Faces of people he didn't know came to mind only to change and morph as if colours in a kaleidoscope. With his body drenched in sweat, he was a slave to his dream, completely unable to escape.

 

*  
Jinea was an awful lot like Shinganshima. A whole lot of nothing and he had no real leads. Pulling the Range Rover up in front of the local store, he knew from personal experience that the staff there were likely to know everyone. Perhaps it was just wishful thinking, but for a split second he was sure he caught a small whiff of Eren's sweet scent, but the certainty was gone almost as fast as it had hit him. Composing himself the best he could, he pushed through the plastic curtain and into the small store  
"Hello! Anything I can't help you with?"  
Jumping at the unexpected voice, Levi nodded. Ok, so he'd been expecting a hello, but not that fast. Trying not to appear too eager, he moved to the counter, and pasted the fakest carefree smile he could onto his face  
"Hi, I don't suppose you can help me. My friend Marco was going to meet me at Pixis's, but as I'm from out of town, I've gotten a little lost"  
The fakeness of his own words had him wanting to gag. But, like everything in this life, this was for Eren   
"Oh, you've overshot his turn off by a long shot. You want to go back and take a left onto Wall Road. His farms called "Maria Rose""  
"Thank you, I would have been totally lost without you"  
Giving another fake smile, he strode back out the store and the smile dropped the moment he did. Please let Eren be waiting for him...

 

*  
It was fucking hot... no, it was worse than that. It was hot and muggy. Dark storm clouds were rushing in from the west, so Eren was working against time to get the soil turned. It wouldn't have been half bad if he had anything other than a bent hoe. Marco was already working when he arrived, and he had the shovel. Why stupid old Pixis need the corn planted today of all days had him scratching his head. The man truly was an eccentric. Leaning against the hoe, Eren's ears pricked up and his gaze turned to the road. A huge black car was kicking up one hell of a dust cloud as it came to a stop before a stop by the farms front gates. He didn't know the car, but he knew that whoever it wasn't hadn't come around before and his curiosity was getting the better of him... and evidently Marco too. Jogging up to where Marco stood, his friend had a fierce frown on his face  
"A friend of yours"  
Marco jumped as if he hadn't realised he was there   
"No. No one I know..."  
"Do you think we should go meet them?"  
"Nah, if they're here for Pixis, it's got nothing to do with us"  
Eren shook his head  
"They could be lost..."  
Marco struck his shovel against the ground  
"Do whatever you want. You always do"  
Eren let out a long sigh  
"Marco... look, I'm sorry we got into a fight and I'm sorry about your phone... but it's scary having no memory and then you tell me dad's a bad person. He's the only family I've got"  
"I know you're scared... but I really was just trying to look out for you"  
"That's what makes you a good friend. Now, race you to the gates!"  
Dropping the hoe and taking off toward the gates  
"Eren that's cheating!"

 

*  
There was no way Eren could be here. The house looked one strong wind away from tumbling down... but that Marco kid's words echoed on his brain. Climbing from the car, all it took was one sniff and his senses were filled with the smell of Eren. Taking off running, he didn't even close the car door, and when he couldn't get the rusty gates to open, he vaulted over them.

To the left was the house, but to the right was two people running towards him and Eren's scent... he didn't even have to think twice about taking off through the field towards them  
"Eren!"  
Stumbling on the uneven ground, he ignored the pain as his knees struck it, pushing himself up and pushing himself harder. He could see the faces of the pair running towards him now and he knew those green eyes anywhere. Eren. His Eren. After so long  
"Eren!"

The pair in front of him came to a slow stop, both looking at him like the was crazy. But he couldn't stop himself. Launching himself onto Eren, he sobbed out all his frustrations as he nuzzled Eren's soft skin  
"Thank god... thank god... I was so worried"  
"Are you Levi?"  
He knew that voice, but could do anything but cling to Eren now he had him. But instead of happiness or love, his husband smelt so scared  
"It's ok princess. I've got you. You're safe..."  
Whatever Eren was thinking was lost to him and he let out a choked sob of confusion as Eren pushed him back. His husband's green eyes were wide, and fine tremors ran through his form  
"I feel like I know you..."  
Fuck... he hadn't wanted to believe Marco was right... but it truly seemed like Eren didn't remember him. He nodded quickly  
"I'm Levi... you're my husband"  
Eren turned white, backing away  
"You can't be here"  
"Baby..."  
"No! You've come to hurt me again!"  
"No baby... never. Please... our sons miss you"  
Eren swayed before dropping, Levi catching him easily and guiding him down  
"Eren!"  
Marco sounded alarmed  
"Marco... what have you done?! You know what dad said! He said my alpha tried to kill me!"  
Levi felt gut punched. If Eren couldn't remember anything and if that had been the way since he'd woken... that meant there had been 13 months of Grisha's lies...  
"Eren. I know you're scared... but I promise I never hurt you. You can feel that right? I... I never thought I would see you again..."

Letting out a low moan, Eren's hands gripped his head. Levi had no idea what to make of it and looked to Marco   
"He... he gets headaches..."  
Oh... that probably wasn't a good thing... but other things needed to be done   
"Marco, do you have your phone?"  
"No. Eren broke it..."  
That explained why his calls went unanswered  
"Can you help me? I need to get Eren out of here and somewhere safe"  
"No! Get away from me!"  
Eren practically screamed at him. His poor husband must be experiencing so many conflicting things... he couldn't imagine what it was like not to understand or remember anything   
"Eren please... please baby. I promise I'm not here to hurt you"  
Looking to Marco rather than Eren, the omega nodded   
"There's a police station... if it's all true shouldn't we go there"  
He'd wanted Marco to call the police anyway.

Eren fought him the whole way back to the car, and Levi felt every bit the bad alpha that Grisha had described him as. Getting him into the back seat, he closed the door, effectively trapping him thanks to the child safety locks  
"Marco, can you drive?"  
Marco paled, but nodded   
"Can you drive us to town. I promise I'll tell you everything, but we need to move before Grisha takes off again"  
It was almost surprising he could get his sentences right. His heart was still pounding and he wanted nothing more than to touch and kiss Eren. To make sure he hadn't been hurt... but he couldn't. Hissing and growling like an angry alley cat, Eren kicked at the door of the Range Rover, clearly not impressed by what was going on. But rather than upsetting him, Levi felt proud. His husband hadn't lost his wild spark to fight, if anything it had been rekindled into a towering inferno.

Climbing into the back of the car, he had to physically fight to hold Eren still. His husband screamed for Grisha, but thankfully Marco ignored it  
"Eren... if this is all some big misunderstanding, the police will sort it out"  
"I don't care! I don't understand what's going on!"  
Ignoring the hard blows Eren pounded on him, Levi wrapped his arms around him  
"Baby... you know me. You know my smell"  
"I know your smell! But I don't know you! What have you done to me?!"  
Not sure what exactly Eren was asking of him, he let out a long breath  
"Eren. You were in a car accident. You hit your head and you were in a coma"  
"I know that! Dad told me!"  
"Did he tell you he escaped? Did he tell you he was in jail because he tried to kill you?"  
"You're lying!"  
"No baby. I'd never lie to you... not about something like this"  
"Is his dad really that bad?"  
Marco's voice shook  
"He is. Eren had severe PTSD from his father. He stabbed him and left him for dead"  
Marco let out a small gasp, but Eren only struggled against Levi harder   
"Stop lying!"  
"Eren..."  
"Shut up Marco. You did this didn't you? You contacted him!"  
"Only because your dad hurt you! I didn't want to believe it, but there were so many things online about you..."  
"No... you're wrong..."  
Starting to sob, Eren shook his head  
"He's the only family I have..."  
"Eren, I'm your family. I'm your mate. We have kids together, 4 beautiful boys..."  
"No... no... he would have told me..."  
"It's true. Do you want to see?"  
"Guys, we'll be at the police station soon"  
Letting Eren go, Levi grabbed his phone out and tapped the screen. His background was Eren holding the twins close, all three grinning happily. Holding his phone up, Eren's breath caught  
"See, that's you with our older twins. Ren has the black hair and Eli has the brown hair..."  
"It's not true..."

With his arms around Eren's waist, he carried his now limp husband into the police station.   
"Hey Marco"  
It seemed Marco was well known here, the woman at the front desk waved, so did the two officers. One rising to move over to them  
"What's all this then?"  
"This is husband Eren, he's been listed a missing persons for the last 13 months. His father Grisha attempted to murder him, and kidnapped him"  
The man raised an eyebrow as he looked to Marco  
"It's true... I looked it up. Eren doesn't remember anything..."  
"So you're saying we have an alpha rough handling an omega, that is apparently his husband because his father apparently kidnapped him"  
The sarcasm in his voice rubbed Levi the wrong way  
"His father tried to murder him. He has the fucking scar across his stomach. He was in a god damn car accident and a coma. Grisha Yeager is a wanted criminal!"  
The man frowned at the name Yeager  
"Oi Bert, did he just say Yeager?"  
The cop turned back to look at the other officer   
"What of it?"  
"It was that big case remember. That alpha escaped while doing community work... I think it's on the board"  
Walking through the half door besides the desk, Bert took his time to walk over to what was labelled "Community notice board". Pushing a few papers up, the man finally nodded  
"I guess we better go check this out. You two can wait in the holding cells for now"  
"You should call for back up. He's a dangerous man"  
Bert snorted   
"I doubt he'll pose much of a struggle"  
"He's a pure blood alpha Wolfblood. Without Eren..."  
"Pffft, no one such thing as a pure blood any more"  
"Yes there is and your kidding yourself if you think otherwise"  
"Go on, show us a big bad wolf than"  
"Marco, keep a firm hold on Eren"  
Marco frowned, but wrapped his arms around Eren and Levi backed up a few steps before shifting. Bert near shat himself and rising to his full height, Levi had the man fumbling at his holster. Shifting back he raised his hands as he rose  
"What the fuck was that?!"  
"Eren and I are both Wolfblood. Trust me when I say you don't want to take him on wh..."  
His sentence was cut short by a thud. Eren had slipped from Marco's hold, landing hard on the polished cement floor. His husband shaking as if having a fit, but his eyes wide open, throwing himself down next to Eren, he lifted him into his arms, his husband's arse on his knee  
"Levi?"  
Marco clearly had no idea what to do  
"Do your cells have beds?"  
Bert gaped at him like a fish, his mouth opening and closing before nodding   
"Patty, take them through to cells. Don, make sure the doors locked firmly. We don't need any more surprises"  
The man was clearly used to his badge controlling all situations for him and now he had to think for himself, he seemed to be struggling.

 

*  
Locked in the cell next to Eren and Marco, Levi watched as Eren's twitching finally came to an end and he slumped against the bed. Marco had his husband's head cradled in his lap, stroking Eren's hair in a loving way. It was a small comfort to know Eren had someone by his side... but he could get deny he wasn't jealous as fuck and wanted to tear Marco off his husband   
"Is he asleep?"  
"Yeah. He feels like he has a fever"  
"It's probably all too much for him... Marco can you tell me what Eren remembers?"  
Marco nodded, but didn't look up from Eren   
"He's been really scared about remembering... Grisha said you used to hurt him..."  
"No. Grisha hurt him. Eren tried to leave him once, he bashed the shit out of him and broke his arm"  
Marco shook his head  
"He's never done anything like that... he only hit him twice that I know of..."  
Swallowing down his anger, Levi was already fighting hard not to hunt Grisha down and tear his throat out. At the farm his main priority was to get to a safe place, but now Eren was safe...  
"Twice is as good as a hundred times"  
His words were more of a snarl then he'd meant  
"I just... I still can't believe it. Eren's such a good friend... he even stood up for me"  
"Yeah. He's always been like that. He'd walk through glass if it meant saving someone from hurting"  
"You really love him don't you?"  
"With everything I have..."  
"He doesn't remember you though. He used to think he was 10 when he woke up..."  
"He's 21 in March... he was still 19 the last time I saw him... he's grown up so much, and he's missed so much. Our other set of twins hadn't even turned one the last time he saw them. They're two now... and filled with so much energy... it's going to kill him that he wasn't there"  
"You'll take him away now won't you?"  
"I'll take him home..."  
Marco sniffled and nodded  
"Hey, you two can still be friends. I owe you more than my thanks. And I believe Eren owes you a need phone?"  
"It wasn't even that good of a phone"  
"That doesn't matter. Fuck... I need to call Hannes..."  
"Who's Hannes?"  
"He's like our dad. He took custody of Eren when his dad ended up in jail and helped him keep our kids"  
Marco fell silent, giving him a moments peace to call Hannes.

"Levi?"  
Hannes sounded tired  
"Yeah, everything alright there?"  
"The pups haven't settled since you left"  
Even if their ears and tails had now faded, they were still pups in his eyes  
"How about there? Any trace of Eren"  
"Yeah. I found him"  
Hannes let out a shocked gasp  
"What do you mean you found him?"  
"I mean he is literally in the cell across from me right now. He's alive, he's safe and breathing. The police have gone to pick Grisha up... I don't know why Grisha didn't kill him, but... I'm so fucking relieved"  
"You say that, but you don't sound completely happy"  
"He doesn't remember me"  
Hannes let out an "oh"  
"Yeah. Apparently he can't remember anything since he was 10"  
"Levi..."  
"Hannes... don't. I can't. I have him back... don't tell me he won't remember me"  
"Brain injuries can be tricky..."  
"I know... I remember the lecture... his friend says he's been having headaches and Hannes, he had this fit thing before..."  
"His body's probably in overdrive trying to process everything. Is there anyone who can take a look at him there?"  
"No, like I said, we're locked up waiting for the police to get Grisha..."  
"I can come down..."  
"No. You stay with the boys... I don't know what to tell them..."  
"I'll work something out. Levi. Thank you for finding him"  
"It was Marco. He's the one who deserved the thanks"  
"Yeah... ok. Viren just bit Ren. I need to go"  
"Ok, give the boys big kisses from me"  
"Or I could give them hugs and you an kiss them when you get home"  
"That too. Thanks Hannes. We'll be home as soon as we can be"  
Ending the call, he opened his videos, he was sure Marco believed him, but he wanted to show the omega their wedding video. Eren evidently meant a lot to him, and he wanted to show him that he was going to be safe and loved. Since Eren's disappearance, he'd watched the video so many times he knew every word off by heart  
"Marco, I want to show you something"  
Marco frowned as he finally looked up at him  
"It's nothing bad. I can see you care about Eren, but I also know you have no way of really knowing if I love him. Our friend filmed this when we got married..."  
Sliding his arm through the bars, he held it there until Marco finally slipped Eren's head from his lap and moved to take the phone.

When Marco finished, he handed the phone back silently   
"Are you ok?"  
"I guess I never really had a chance"  
Oh. Marco was in love with Eren... he should have realised sooner  
"Marco, do you think maybe you can come with us?"  
"Why?"  
"Because Eren doesn't remember me. It's going to be hard for him, and having a friend will help"  
"I've never left Jinea"  
"You haven't been to Trost?"  
"No..."  
"We'll have to change that. I know Hannes wants to thank you and the kids will too..."  
"You said you had 4? The ones in the video right?"  
"Yeah. Ren and Eli are the older set of twins. Viren and Rei are the younger pair..."  
"Wow... two sets of twins"  
"It's the wolf blood in us. It means we're more than likely to have multiple pups"  
"So Eren can turn into a wolf too?"  
"He's smaller than I am"  
"That's so cool... does that mean your kids can too"  
Levi nodded as he pinched the bridge of his nose  
"Ren and Eli would spend all their time as wolves if they could. I caught them trying to get the pups to change the other day. That's the last thing I need. They're too young to know how to change back"  
"Sounds fun"  
"It's never quiet"


	119. Chapter 119

A loud thud had Levi's heart racing. He could smell Grisha, and the blood lust running through his veins had his whole body shaking. He was so fucking close and Grisha was just there...   
"I'm sorry, you said this was about my son? Where is he?"  
"He's resting at the moment, he collapsed"  
"I'm a doctor, let me see him"  
"Let's just have a little talk first, we haven't met"  
"If my sons collapsed, I really need to see to him first"  
"He's perfectly fine. He's got a local boy looking after him, and his husband"  
Levi smirked. He could picture Grisha's face  
"He's not safe with him! Let me see him!"  
"Now now, let's get you settled down in here and we'll have a little talk while my partner had a talk with your son-in-law"  
"That abomination isn't my son-in-law!"  
"Yeah, yeah"  
It was only a few moments before Bert appeared  
"Levi, let's have a little talk of our own"  
Levi was ready to hit the next person who said "little talk". 

Sitting next to Bert's desk, Levi was in full view of Grisha. The alpha's smell was significantly colder than it had been when the man had been lead in. He was a cornered rat, and that made him all the more jealous. These two country officers might think they had the upper hand, but if Grisha shifted...  
"You should sedate him. If he turns, your partners going to be in a lot of trouble"  
"Don can hold his own"  
"You say that even after seeing me shift?"  
Bert frowned   
"I don't know how they do things where your from, but we don't drug our suspects around here. You have worries of your own. You see, Grisha had a lot to say about you. The alpha that raped his son and forced him into a bond. Getting him pregnant and leaving him..."  
Levi's hands clenched and he ground his teeth  
"That's not true"  
"But you do have kids right?"  
"4 sons"  
"And all fathered by you?"  
"Yes. Bonding with Eren was purely accidental and happened when I saved his life"  
"That's not what Grisha said"  
"Of course it isn't. He openly said on multiple occasions he wanted Eren dead"  
"Then why has he spent the last year looking after him?"  
Levi swallowed and shook his head   
"I don't know... he's not mentally stable"  
Why were they even having this conversation?  
"So you find it hard to believe he did it out of love?"  
"Grisha wouldn't know what love was even if it bit him on the arse"  
"It's a shame we can't ask Eren about all this. But it seems you did a number on him just getting him here"  
"Look. I came to you because I wanted the police to help. I didn't come to you to be interrogated. I love my husband and I have searched for him everyday since he went missing. You have no idea what I've been through"  
"Mhmm..."  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"If you really missed him, why didn't you find him sooner? Why didn't he reach out to you?"  
"Because as I've only just found out, Eren has amnesia. He was in a car accident on his way to pick up our older twins from school. He was in a coma for months and the one day that no one was home, was the day he woke up. Don't you think I've felt guilty for that every single day since?"  
He was on his feet and panting before he even realised. His eyes firmly on Grisha   
"My husband suffered through years of PTSD because of that man. He believed he deserved having his arm broken by his father! He believed he deserved being stabbed! And when he tried to talk to his father about it all, that piece of trash said he wished he'd gutted him! Right now all I want is someone to lock him away before I tear him apart by myself!"  
Letting out a snarl in Grisha's direction the way the man gave him a cold smile told him something horrible was going to happen  
"Get your partner out of there"  
"What?"  
"Don! Get out here!"  
Don seemed confused, but as he rose, Grisha shifted, lunging across the table. Bert fumbled for his gun while Patty screamed. But Levi threw himself forward, and into the room, shifting as he did. The alpha had a firm hold on Don's arm, the man would be lucky if he kept it. 

Snarling at Grisha, Levi lowered his stance, his eyes pinpointed on the smaller alpha. He definitely had the advantage here. Releasing Don's arm, the cop stumbled back in fear. Moving between Don and Grisha, they were now face to face   
"Grisha Yeager. You are under arrest for assaulting a police officer. If you do not turn back into a human, I will shoot to kill"  
Grisha didn't even seem to notice the man, that alpha instead lunging for Levi's throat. Letting out a rumbling snarl, Levi used his momentum against him, slamming him down onto the floor and giving Don enough time to get out the room  
"Levi! Move!"  
He was sure if he moved Grisha would be shot. But with Eren the way he was... he didn't know what to do and he hadn't gotten any answers from the man. Bert fired a warning shot, and Grisha used his momentary pause to throw him off. 3 shots rang out, and Grisha shifted back. The man laughing almost inhumanly. 

Shifting back Levi grabbed Grisha by the shoulders  
"What's so fucking funny!"  
"You! Eren! This!"  
Blood dribbled from the man's lips  
"How do you think Eren's going to feel that you killed his father? What's that slut omega going to think then?"  
Shaking Grisha harder, he snarled in the man's face  
"Why would you do this?! Why did you take him away?!"  
"Because it was funny. What's greater than tearing two people who love away from each other? He took Carla from me and took all her love. So I took his love from him. I didn't think he'd lose his memory in the car crash, but fuck I'm glad it did"  
Grisha continued to laugh, right up until the moment he drew he last rasping breath. Levi dropped him and staggered back. To Grisha this had all been a game. He'd caused Eren's crash. He'd taken his husband away just to fuck with them... because he was jealous of Carla? What the fuck was that? He was jealous of the boys sometimes... but never to the point he'd do something like this to them...  
"Levi?"  
Shaking his head in disgust. He couldn't... he just couldn't. Grisha had known this was the end for him from the moment they let him bring him in and by implicating Levi in his death... he'd never be far from Levi's thoughts.

Patty took Don to get medical help. They didn't have a doctor here, but a small medical post. That left him with Bert. The man clearly struggling with what had happened. After taking his statement, they sat their quietly for a long time  
"Levi. I don't ever want to see you or Eren here in my town again"  
"Does that mean you're letting us go?"  
"We can't keep you and frankly, I don't want to. Thank you for helping Don. But get the hell out of my station"  
Levi gave a nod, he followed Bert into the back where the cells were. Eren was awake and crying against Marco  
"What happened?"  
"When the shots sounded he woke up scared"  
"We're leaving now. I'll take you home on the way"  
"I don't think I should leave Eren"  
"I can't just take you without your family knowing"  
Marco looked like he'd forgotten all about them, he paused and then nodded quickly  
"I'll tell mum and dad... I can still come with you right?"  
Levi blinked in surprise   
"Sure..."

With Eren sobbing against Marco in the back, Levi was forced to drive. He didn't want to fucking drive, not when he knew Eren would have smelt the stink of death from him father. If he was honest, Levi's whole body was still shaking and he felt bone tired. He had his answers now, but he didn't know if I could say he felt better for knowing. Pulling into the drive Marco indicated, he pulled up in front of a small, plain house. He'd barely put the car into park when a woman came running out. She looked so much like Marco that she could only be his mother. Climbing from the car, Levi opened the back door and awkwardly gathered Eren up against him, rocking and hushing him. His husband was repeating "dad" over and over  
"Marco, who is this?"  
"This is Eren's husband"  
"Eren had a husband, and why is he so upset? You best go get Grisha and sort this all out"  
Marco looked to him for help  
"Sorry, I would shake your hand if I could. But as you can see, Eren's falling apart. His father just died, so I'll be taking him home. I was actually wondering if maybe I could borrow your son?"  
Eren was whimpering now, he'd worked himself up so much he couldn't breathe  
"Marco. What is he talking about?"  
"Ma, its a long story"  
"Then you better come in and tell me everything. You can't just go off with strangers"  
"But mum, Eren isn't a stranger"  
"You didn't even know he was married"  
"He didn't know he was married. He has amnesia from a car accident"  
Marco's mum closed her eyes and sighed   
"That's it. You're not going. Get up in the house and don't even think about coming out until you're ready to tell me the truth"  
"He's not lying. Eren was in a car roll over back in 2019. He was in a coma, and then taken by his father. His father had been in jail for attempting to murder him, but escaped during a community project. To me Eren is my world, he's my mate, my husband and mother to our four children. But to Eren, I'm a total stranger. That's why I asked if I could borrow Marco. He's Eren's only friend here, and it's going to be scary enough coming back to Shinganshima and a family that's missed him... when he has no idea they even existed"  
Eren let out another whimper and Levi felt his pants growing wet. He couldn't blame his mate for being so rattled   
"You'd better come in and explain this to me properly"  
"I'm happy to do that, but um..."  
"Marco, head on up and put the kettle on"  
Marco looked to Levi and Levi nodded, the freckled face kid taking off towards the house  
"I don't know if I believe all this, but Eren's been a good kid"  
"He really is. I'm so sorry to ask, but can we use your bathroom?"  
Readjusting the hold on his omega, Marco's mother gave a sympathetic sigh   
"I'll send Marco to get Eren a change of clothes. I don't think we'll have anything small enough for you"  
"I have clothes in the car"

Shown through to a plain yellow and white bathroom, Levi sat Eren in the bath. Like with his husband's unit in Trost, the shower was over the bath. Moving to strip Eren's shirt off, the omega grabbed his wrist, his thumb rubbing the scarring there  
"It was a stupid thing to do... and I know you don't remember me, but I love you. And the idea of not being with you... I couldn't take it"  
"I... I-I'm s-s-orry"  
"Eren. No. It's not your fault. You didn't know about me. You didn't put the blade in my hand or pull it down my arm"  
"I-Is d-dad..."  
"Eren, I know you probably won't believe me. But he was a bad man. I didn't want things to happen like this. I just wanted to take you home"  
"I h-have n-no one now"  
"You have me and our kids. And you have Hannes. And Armin"  
"Armin?"  
"Yep. He's been helping me out a lot since you disappeared, him and Grandpa Arlert. They've been really worried about you"  
"I... I can s-see them?"  
"You sure can. Mikasa too"  
Mikasa would be a maybe, but the girl had been besides herself worrying about Eren, he doubted she wouldn't show. Eren nodded quickly   
"I-I miss them"  
It hurt Eren didn't remember him, but he remembered Mikasa and Armin... so that was something. He'd have to call them ahead of time and explain  
"Let's get you cleaned up?"

Eren blushed bright red when Levi stripped down to his underwear. His mate wasn't capable of washing himself, and became increasingly aroused under his touch. Fuck it was hard not to act on his impulses. But bathing Eren, he did get a good view of Eren's body. His mate had a few light bruises across him, and then a nasty one on his shoulder. If Grisha wasn't dead... no. Eren was alive. He was warm and breathing. Grisha was gone and he was safe. Helping Eren from the bath, he had to suppress his anger as Marco took Eren to help dry and dress him. He rushed to shower himself, leaving their soiled clothes in a pile. Marco had bought him up his pyjamas, and he wondered if the omega was having a small dig at him. With his wallet and phone retrieved from the pile, he headed downstairs, following Eren's scent. Marco and Eren were sitting at a big wooden table in the kitchen   
"Thanks. Do you have a bag I can chuck our clothes in?"  
"Marco, grab Levi a bag"  
Marco did as he was told and Levi headed back up, cleaning up their clothes before heading back down.

It seemed to take forever to get things straightened out. Marco's mother didn't seem to truly believe until Marco pulled out his laptop and showed both her and Eren all the news articles. Eren chewed his lip bloody, and refused to look at him  
"And you'll keep Marco safe?"  
"Yes ma'am. The only thing he has to worry about is a pair of two year old twins and a pair of 7 year olds"  
"Marco. You'll call me when you get there"  
"My phone broke..."  
Marco's mother sighed  
"If you don't mind, I would like to replace Marco's phone. I can also give you both my number and the number of the doctor that lives with us. His names Hannes, and was Eren's legal guardian after Grisha ended up in jail"  
The woman nodded  
"One week. You can go for one week, but that's only because Pixis is going to need me there all the time until we can organise for more permanent help. I just can't believe the kind of man Grisha turned out to be"  
Eren let out a low distressed whine, his mate looked ready to collapse at any moment, only looking worse as Marco left. Mrs Bolt, retrieved a pen and paper, so Levi wrote out the house address, his number. Hannes's number, Eren's number, and the number for the Shinganshima police and hospital. Nodding to himself before passing it back. The woman finally cracked a smile   
"Thank you. You must understand what it's like?"  
"I do. The kids wanted to have a sleep over at a friends... I damn near grilled the mum over it and was the "uncoolest" dad ever"  
"Marco never really had a lot of friend. He's the only male omega in town... that's why when Eren showed up, I was so relieved he finally had someone who'd understand"  
"I don't intend to come in the way between their friendship. Eren actually has his license, and hopefully being home will start to trigger things, but I would love if he'd visit Marco, or Marco could come stay with us"  
He sooooo was not letting his husband out of his sight if he could help it... but that's not what the woman wanted to hear  
"Eren. You have a good alpha here... but if anything at all goes wrong, you'll always have a home with us"  
That was the final straw. Eren's eyes rolled back and he fell from the chair. His husband was still unconscious when Marco returned, but this did make it a hell of a lot easier to get him into the Range Rover.


	120. Chapter 120

Pulling into the petrol station on the outskirts of Trost, Levi let out a small yawn before looking to Marco and then to Eren. Both omegas were asleep, in Eren's case he hadn't woken since collapsing, while Marco had been a ball of energy right up until he passed out. Reaching out and shaking Marco's shoulder, confusion settled of the omegas face  
"Sorry to wake you. I have to get fuel, do you want anything?"  
"A juice would be great, but a coffee would be even better"  
"We're about an hour and half from home now"  
"Oh. I better just have a juice then"  
"Do you want anything to eat?"  
Marco looked towards the brightly lit building. He didn't want to leave Eren on his own in the car, but Marco also wasn't a dog. He couldn't just force the omega to stay there  
"Why don't you take my card while I fuel up? That way you can get anything you like"  
"No... I couldn't do that"  
"Marco, right now you could do almost anything and I would be ok with it"  
Marco laughed lightly  
"I'll just wait with Eren"

Having filled the car, he head inside, grabbing two bottles of juice, half a dozen chocolate bars, a tea for himself and a bucket of hot fries. If Marco was anything like Eren, the omega had a massive sweet tooth. Heading back to the Range Rover, he knocked on Marco's door, the omega opened the door, taking most of the pile from him   
"You got chocolate?"  
"I took a chance. Eren loved chocolate"  
"He still does"  
Levi nodded, a small sad smile on his face. At least in some ways Eren was the same.

Marco's eyes were wide as they drove through Trost, it was like he didn't know where to look. Much like whenever he had to bring the pups into the city with him. It was kind of sweet in a way  
"Don't worry, we can do a day trip up here and we can explore until your hearts content"  
"What about Eren?"  
"What about him?"  
"He's too upset to come somewhere like here..."  
"Oh, he wanted to see his friend Armin, so he can visit with him, or Armin can come with us. Either way it's alright. We'll work something out"  
"Ok"  
Marco didn't sound like it was ok, and Levi kind of wished they were home already as he really didn't know how to handle the teen. Marco was just lucky he wasn't an alpha, his country bumpkin arse would have been left behind if he had been.

Marco stayed awake the rest of the drive but didn't really speak. Levi was exhausted and imagined the omega had to be too, even with the nap. Finally turning into the drive, he let out a groan of relief as the lights of the house came into view  
"Is this where you guys live?"  
"Yep. Home sweet home. The boys will probably be asleep, but the pups might be up"  
Marco nodded and Levi pulled up next to the house. Turning the car off and then letting out a deep breath, Levi found himself scared of what was coming next. Eren was still asleep, but that could change at any minute.

 

*  
Carrying Eren inside, Marco trailed behind with their two bags. Hannes all but leapt from the sofa and crossed over to him. The man gentle brushed Eren's hair back from his face  
"How long has he been asleep?"  
"He collapsed at Marco's, so he's been asleep the whole drive. Marco, this is Hannes, Hannes this is Marco. The whole reason we have Eren home safe"  
Hannes looked up to Marco  
"Thank you... you have no idea what you've done for this family"  
Marco shifted uncomfortably, but Hannes's attention was back on Eren   
"Bring him through to your room and I'll examine him"  
"Marco, you can just put yourself on the dining table. I'm sorry about the mess, but 4 boys together... it's chaos"  
The house wasn't that much of a mess, but there were toys everywhere. Carefully following Hannes through to his room, he laid Eren out on their bed  
"You said he collapsed?"  
"He had some kind of fit at the station, and he was out of it until Grisha died"  
"Wait. Grisha's dead?"  
Sinking to sit next to Eren, Levi nodded   
"He shifted and bit one of the cops. The other one put 3 bullets in him"  
"Shit..."  
Hannes looked from Levi to Eren and then back to him  
"Did he say why?"  
Levi let out a bitter laugh  
"Yeah. He wanted to keep us apart. He blamed Eren for taking all of Carla's love, and keeping us apart was all some big game to him"  
"Oh Levi..."  
"Don't. I can't Hannes. I have Eren back, but now I have no idea what to do. I've been forcing myself to let Marco take care of him because he's so fucking scared"  
Hannes placed his hand on his shoulder  
"Go check in with the boys, they've missed you. I'll take care of Eren and Marco can use my room if he wants. I'll bunk in with the pups"  
"Thanks Hannes"

Marco was hovering near the doorway, unsure what to do  
"I'll give you a tour. Hannes is a doctor, so he's going to make sure Eren is alright"  
"Ok..."  
After showing Marco where he'd been sleeping, they back tracked. Hannes's old room was now the pups, both boys were awake and playing in their tent. The tent had stemmed from the twins finally getting their own cubby house, and the pups not being allowed to enter. For the most part the four got along, but sometimes the twins needed their own space  
"Viren... Rei..."  
Getting on his hands and knees he peaked inside the tent  
"What are you two doing??"  
The toddlers squealed with laughter  
"Daddy"  
"Hey babies, come meet daddy's new friend"  
With his arms full of the two boys, he pulled them out the tent  
"Marco, this is Viren and this one's Rei. These little monsters are supposed to be asleep"  
Ticking their backs, both boys squealed again  
"They look like Eren"  
"Mhmm, their eyes are more green than the twins. But even though they barely got to know Eren, they are so much like him"  
They really where, they had the same cheeky smiles and mischievous nature. Rising to his feet, he placed both boys down on Viren's bed. The twins had gotten new beds, so the pups had gotten their old ones. The cots were now in the shed beside the extension, surrounded with Hannes's stuff that didn't fit in the man's space. Grisha's stuff that has been stored at Hannes's had been binned. Levi had been so filled with anger that man, he'd thrown it all out.

Tucking both pups in, he pulled the blankets up and kissed both their foreheads  
"I've got a special surprise for you in the morning. I love you guys"  
Marco stepped out the room first and Levi turned the light off as he closed the door behind them  
"Do you want to meet the twins, or do you want to get some sleep?"  
Marco looked dead on his feet  
"Sleep would be good"  
"Ok. Feel free to get up whenever you want. The boys usually have me up at 6, so if you want to skip the early morning chaos of bath times, you're probably best off hiding until you smell food"  
Marco gave a small nod, before awkwardly walking through to the extension. Eren needed to hurry up and wake up, he'd bought Marco with them just for him, after all.

Hannes was sitting besides Eren when he walked in, the man had a small frown on his face  
"What's wrong?"  
"He has bruises..."  
"Apparently Grisha hit him. I don't know what else he did"  
"I'd love to get him in for an MRI. Make sure everything is alright from head to toe"  
"Yeah... Hannes what do I do now? He wanted to see Grandpa Arlert and Armin. If I tell them he's back, how am I supposed to tell them he doesn't remember?"  
"I'll call Armin and explain. Maybe put something on Facebook? Just explain he doesn't remember and he needs space, but he is home and safe"  
"They'll want to see him"  
"I know. I'll think about it over night. You should try and get some sleep too"  
"I'm too scared. I'm scared he's going to run away or he's going to hate me and be mad at me for bringing him here"  
"Levi, all you can do is be patient until we know more"  
Rising from the bed, Hannes patted his shoulder  
"Get some sleep and we'll deal with in the morning"

Get some sleep. Like it was that easy. He'd been running around like a mad man in pyjamas all evening and now it was time to climb into bed with Eren... he didn't know if he even should. Kneeling beside the bed, he took Eren's hand in his and placed a kiss to the back of it. Even if Eren don't remember, he did.

 

*  
Waking with a throbbing headache, Eren groaned in pain. He just wanted it to stop, but everything around him was kicking his brain into over drive and he couldn't keep up. Yesterday he'd been home with his dad, but now... he was... he didn't know  
"Eren?"  
Letting out a groan, he tried to crawl into a ball. The pain in his head had small whimpers rising and his stomach rolled  
"Hannes!"  
The same voice was yelling now, he wanted it to shut up. He wanted to fall back to sleep and find this all a dream.

A warm hand came to his forehead, and he tried to squirm away from the touch  
"Eren, do you remember me? My name is Hannes. I was a friend of your mums"  
Hannes... deep down something seemed familiar, but he couldn't put a face to the name  
"I'm a doctor, I'm going to have a little look. Can you tell me what's wrong?"  
"My head"  
The words were a struggle to get out  
"I want to take you in and run some tests. Is that alright? We can bring Marco"  
Marco was here? Marco had come with him? He wanted Marco  
"Levi, why don't you carry him out the car and I'll get Marco"  
"Ok..."

The moment Levi's arms wrapped around him, he felt something he couldn't explain. He felt like... it was like part of him was being reunited and the same confused feeling had was filled with yesterday. His dad had said his husband had hurt him, had hit him and... but this touch felt like... like he was loved. Like this person would never hurt him... and his smell. Once again he was groaning in pain. Just trying to process it hurt  
"It's ok Eren, I've got you baby"  
The alpha's voice was so full of love. Why would his dad lie to him if he was this loved? It all had to be some kind of trick.

At the hospital, everyone seemed to stare, but Marco stayed by his side. His friend held his hand, keeping close through it all. Even flinching when he had to have blood taken. The man named Hannes seemed more and more familiar, but there was still a fog over everything. At least the pain killers they'd given him were working now   
"Eren?"  
Blinking at Marco, he looked to his friend   
"Hannes was asking you what you could remember"  
Oh what...  
"Um... I um..."  
"Marco says you can't remember anything from the last 10 years?"  
Eren shook his head, looking to his knees. He felt so incredibly guilty he couldn't. These people seemed to genuinely care  
"Eren, it's ok. I have a feeling your headaches come from your brain trying to remember. But you don't need to force yourself. This is going to be a huge adjustment for all of us. We all love you and we are all here for you"  
Eren shook his head, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes  
"I don't know what's going on! I don't know what do! Dad's dead! And I don't know you people! Levi says he's my husband but I don't remember! He said I could see Armin! Where's Armin?!"  
His voice was rising on hysterics, and he didn't know why  
"Eren, it's ok. You can see Armin. Do you want to go see him now?"  
"Can Marco come?"  
"Of course he can"  
His friend probably thought he was a total freak by now. He had no idea why he'd even want to come with him... but he was grateful he did.

Marco kept a tight hold on him as they left the hospital, Eren kept his face buried against his friends neck the whole time, even though he couldn't see them, he could still feel everyone staring at him. He felt like a freak of nature on display, and the whispers as they passed didn't help.

Sitting in the front of the silver Jeep, Eren's eyes flicked over town. Nothing had changed, but he did let out a small gasp at the fact their was a pizzeria in town  
"What is it?"  
"The pizzeria"  
"Oh, that went in about 3 years ago..."  
"So it wasn't here before?"  
Jumping at Marco's voice, Eren turned to awkwardly look at his friend  
"No. Why?"  
"Because we have one back home, and Eren knew there was on here"  
Hannes nodded  
"See, you'll get there"  
But what if he didn't want to. This life came with a husband and kids... that meant responsibility. He was still secretly thrilled each time he swore. How was he supposed to be a parent?

 

*  
Sitting on Armin's bed, Eren couldn't help but be shocked. Everything was the same, but not  
"You have no idea how good it is to see you again, Levi's been out his mind worrying since you disappeared"  
Levi. Levi. Levi. He was tired about hearing about Levi... but that's all his friend wanted to talk about  
"It's just so weird you can't remember. I mean, like, we went to high school and you have kids and a husband"  
Marco placed his hand on Eren's shoulder   
"Maybe we should talk about something else?"  
"Sorry. It's just. I'm so happy to see him. I don't even know what to say"  
"Do you have any photos?"  
He surprised himself by even asking... he didn't want to know, but the words just came out before he could stop himself  
"Sure! What ones do you want to see? Do you want to see the ones of you? Or the kids or Levi? Or maybe when you went on holiday to Marley? You were pregnant then, you didn't even tell me and Mikasa 'til you got back"  
"Marco..."  
"Let's just start with the ones of who everyone is? That way he can put names to faces"  
Thank god for Marco. Grabbing his laptop, Armin climbed up and sat on his other side  
"Ok! So I'm thinking Facebook would be best"  
Over the next hour he had so many names and stories crammed into his head that it started throbbing all over again. Apparently he and Mikasa didn't talk anymore because Mikasa fell in love with him, but she'd been distraught when he'd been in his car accident. Apparently Sasha and Connie could out eat an army and he used to be a cheerleader... he liked to run around in girl clothes... whoever was in those photos wasn't him. No matter how much they looked like him. But he knew it was all true. He didn't know how he knew. But he knew  
"Wanna see photos of your other best friends? They live in Marley, but they flew you over for their wedding"  
Shaking his head, he let out a small whine   
"Armin, I think that's enough"  
"Oh... ok... Eren. I know you don't remember, but we all remember and we'll get you back to normal"  
He was normal. Or at least what he knew to be normal. They all thought he was a freak... climbing from the bed, he swayed as the room span. Something warm and wet dribbled over his lips   
"Eren!"  
Holding a hand out to keep both his friends back, he felt something clawing at his brain. Something so close it was on the tip of his tongue. Wiping his face with his hands, he pulled them back and stared down at the blood on them. A stab of fear gripped his heart. Pure terror, and his stomach throbbed. Stumbling he fell to his knees  
"Marco, get Hannes"  
No. Don't get Hannes... he was so close... close to something. Pain and fear. The redness of the blood... terror and panic at being all alone. Letting out a pained groan, he tried to push himself up. He needed something... someone... someone...  
"Eren!"  
Hannes sounded panicked, the man taking him by the shoulder  
"Get me some tissues"  
It was only a heart beat later that something was shoved against his face. His chest was heaving so badly that he couldn't breathe. He felt like he was suffocating. He had to run. He had to get out of there. Pushing back against Hannes, he stumbled to his feet, not stopping when his friends called his name.

Throwing himself out the front door, he shifted and ran. 

 

*  
At home Levi had just about worn a hole in the floor pacing back and forth. Hannes had called to say they were going to see Armin, and he couldn't deny he didn't feel jealous. He'd been the only one still searching for Eren, but Eren didn't want him  
"Dad?"  
Pausing to look at Eli, his son was sitting at the dining table looking worried  
"Hey kiddo, what's up?"  
"When can I we see mum?"  
Levi sighed. The twins had woken to the smell of Eren. The boys both confused as to why they couldn't see him and trying to tell them that their mum couldn't even remember them... he felt like an arsehole  
"We talked about this"  
Crossing to the dining table, he hefted Eli from his chair  
"I know, I know. Mummy is sick... but dad..."  
Eli's lip quivered  
"I know, I miss him too. Mummy is with Uncle Armin at the moment"  
"Doesn't he love us anymore"  
"Of course he does! He's just a little mixed up at the moment"  
"Then why can't he be mixed up here?"  
"Because it's complicated. Where's your brother?"  
"He's playing with the pups"  
"Then why aren't you playing with them?"  
"Because I want mum..."  
His heart was breaking for his son  
"Why don't you go play, I'll call and see where mum is"  
Eli shook his head and clung to him, burying his face against his neck as he started crying.

"Hannes, when are you guys coming home? Eli's crying his eyes out"  
Hannes let out a groan  
"We're looking for Eren. He shifted and ran off"  
Levi's blood first turned cold, and then turned to molten lava as fury gripped every piece of him  
"Why the fuck didn't you call me?"  
"Because we've been looking for him"  
Oh fuck that  
"Get home right now. I'll find him"  
"Levi, he's not..."  
"I don't care. I will fucking find him. He hasn't even been home 24 hours and you've already lost him. I never should have let him out of my sight"  
Ending the call, he carried Eli down to the pups room  
"Ren, you and Eli need to stay here with the boys. Hannes is coming home soon, but I need to go out. You both stay in the room until I get back"  
The boys both looked scared as they nodded  
"Are you going to get mum?"  
"Yeah. Yeah babies, I'll be back. That's why I need you to look after your brothers. Hannes won't be long"  
Both boys nodded quickly and Levi pulled the door closed behind him. He was soooo not impressed.

Shifting, Levi took of running. If Eren thought he was still a kid, there was only one place his husband would go. He was absolutely livid that they let this happen. It had damn near broken him to let Eren leave with them this morning. Running through the woods, he pushed himself as hard as possible. His paws pounding like a drum. 

Eren's smell was everywhere, but it took him a minute to find his mate. The omega slumped over near the edge of the pool. Shifting back, he raced down to the waters edge  
"Eren!"  
Rolling his mate back, Eren was pale as fuck and his face bloody   
"Eren? Baby, can you hear me?"  
Taking Eren's hand, he squeezed hard  
"Baby?"  
Green eyes fluttered as his husband groaned  
"L-Levi?"  
"Yeah baby. I've got you"  
"I-I'm scared..."  
"It's ok. You're safe now"  
Eren shook his head  
"He... he's going..."  
"Eren you're safe. No ones going to hurt you"  
"He did... I remember... he..."  
"Eren, Grisha's dead. He's dead and you're safe"  
Whimpering as he lifted him, Eren's head lolled against his chest  
"Confused"  
"I'm Levi, you're Eren. You are my husband and my whole world"  
"Dork..."  
Eren went limp in his hold, and Levi was trembling as he felt for a pulse. It was there. Weak but there. He needed to get Eren home.


	121. Chapter 121

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the short chapters guys, but I felt if I made them too long, it would get confusing with all the jumping back and forth...
> 
> Please forgive me

Carrying Eren into the house, Hannes rushed towards him. Letting a snarl out, he glared daggers at the man  
"Don't come near him"  
Hannes stopped short, and the room was heavy with silence. Marching past them all, he carried Eren into the bathroom and ran the bath. He needed to get Eren warmed up. Stripping his still unconscious mate down, he placed him in the bathtub, before glaring at the door when a light knock fell on it. Marco popped his head in  
"Um... do you need help?"  
"Get in here and close the door"  
Marco nodded, doing as he said. Turning back to Eren, he squeezed a generous amount of bubble bath into the tub  
"Marco, what the hell happened?"  
"We were sitting in Armin's room. Armin was showing Eren everyone he used to know"  
Of course Armin was  
"Eren was getting worked up, so we stopped, but he climbed from the bed. His nose started bleeding and he started freaking out. So Armin sent me to get Hannes, but when Hannes came up, Eren pushed him away and took off"  
"And he didn't say anything?"  
"No... he just seemed really scared"  
Levi nodded  
"He remembered something. That's why he was so scared"  
Marco let out a gasp  
"He did?"  
"Yeah. He was terrified and thinking of Grisha"  
"Is that why he ran?"  
"I don't know. Marco, can you go into our bedroom and grab Eren out some clothes. All his things are hanging on the right side"  
"Ok... is there anything else you need?"  
"No"  
Marco left him with Eren and Levi sighed  
"Baby, I wish you'd open those green eyes of yours. You've got no idea what you keep doing to my heart"  
He took his time to wash Eren down, making sure all the blood was completely gone before lifting Eren from the bath and bundling him up in his towel. Right now only he and Marco were to go near Eren. Armin and Hannes were in the shit. Marco wouldn't have known what to do, but those two should have been used to Eren in his wolf form by now.

Drying Eren down, his mate let out a low groan   
"Eren?"  
Shaking his head, his husband tried to curl in on himself  
"Eren, its Levi. I know you're hurting, but I need to dress you"  
"Go away"  
Snorting at his husband, Levi indulged himself by kissing his husband's bonding mark. Eren groaned and grabbed at his head  
"Baby, does you head hurt?"  
Eren nodded with a low whimper   
"Ok, let me get you dressed and then we'll see about getting something for your head"

Eren was silent as Levi dressed him, and the alpha didn't know if that was a good thing or not. Eren had definitely started remembering, he wouldn't have said "dork" if he didn't. He didn't like Eren being in so much pain, and had no way of knowing if this was normal  
"Mummy!"  
Shit!   
"Wait!"  
The twins ignored him, climbing up onto the bed and grabbing at Eren   
"Mum! Where have you been?"  
Eren blinked at them blankly  
"Guys we talked about this. Mums not feeling well"  
Eli bit his lip, while Ren stuck his face right in Eren's   
"Mum, are you sick?"  
"Do you really not remember us?"  
Eren looked like he knew the weight behind Eli's words. He let out a shaky breath  
"How could I forget you guys?"  
The boys might have been happy at Eren's words, but Levi knew Eren didn't remember them  
"Where are your brothers?"  
"With Uncle Armin"  
"Then that's where you guys should be"  
Trying to lift Ren away from Eren, the boy clutched to Eren with all his might  
"Noooo! I want mum!"  
"Mums sick"  
"I don't care! I want my mum!"  
"L-leave them..."  
Levi frowned at his husband   
"It's ok... but can Marco come back?"  
"Of course he can"

Walking into the living room, Levi picked both pups up off the floor  
"Marco, Eren wants you"  
"Has he said anything?"  
Armin was sitting next to his Grandpa, the old man looked lost and it wasn't a look that Levi liked  
"He remembered being hurt, and he remembered we used to call each other "dork", but he's just so overwhelmed. He doesn't remember the boys, but they don't know that. So don't say a word to them"  
With Marco following, Levi returned to the bedroom. The twins were talking Eren's ear off, and he groaned at himself for forgetting to grab some panadol  
"Boys, settle down. Marco, find a space. I don't know if the introductions were done..."  
He knew they had been, but this was more for Eren's sake. His husband obviously didn't want to upset the kids, which was so totally an Eren thing. He pointed to each kid in turn  
"Ren. Eli. Viren and Rei. All four were born in this house, and Viren and Rei in this bed"  
Marco pulled a face  
"The sheets have been changed since then. Give me some credit"  
Placing the pups on the bed, the pair immediately climbed towards Eren   
"Daddy?"  
"This is your mumma"  
"Mumma?"  
Close enough  
"Yeah babies. Your mum"  
Rei grabbed onto Eli, the boy then lifting him onto Eren. Eren looked slightly alarmed  
"Eren, are you hungry?"  
Eren shook his head, his eyes firmly on Viren now, the boy had thrown himself over Eren's legs, making a desperate attempt to reach his face  
"Eren, you should eat. You haven't eaten all day"  
"I feel sick"  
"Probably because you haven't eaten"  
"Dad lets us have cookies when we feel sick. Dad, can mum have cookies?"  
Marco suppressed a laugh  
"Dobbers. Do you guys want cookies?"  
Ren and Eli both nodded  
"You're lucky I love you"

They only had packet cookies, the ones he made were never as good as the ones Eren made. Hannes, Grandpa and Armin were all whispering over on the sofa, so Levi ignored them. Bringing the box back to the bedroom, he found Eren shaking, his nose bleeding again. All four boys were crying and Marco looked confused   
"What happened?"  
"He said Ren, and then his nose started bleeding"  
"Boys, I think it's time we let mum get some sleep. Take the cookies into the living room. Maybe Grandpa will want some?"  
It was clear they didn't want to leave, but Marco came to the rescue, ushering the four of them out and leaving the pair of them alone   
"Eren?"  
"It hurts..."  
"Ok baby. I've got you"  
Sliding beneath the blankets, he wrapped his arms around Eren as Eren wriggled down  
"Try and get some sleep. You're got to be exhausted"  
"Why do you feel so safe?"  
"Because you've been through a hell of a lot in a short space of time"  
"I don't remember the kids... I don't remember any of this"  
"That's ok. Thank you for not telling them"  
"I didn't want to upset them"  
"Yeah. You would do anything for those boys"  
"Can you tell me about them?"  
"Eren, I think you really to rest"  
"How can I rest when I don't know anything! How do you think it feels! I don't understand! And you! Every time you touch me, my body like melts and I don't know why. You're supposed to have beat me! So why am I drawn to you!"  
So Eren felt like he was melting... he knew he should probably be taking more away from his husband's statement than that, but he was only human, and his alpha was a total perv. As it was, his dynamic wanted him to push Eren down and knot him  
"Ok. How about this. You get 3 questions and then you have to sleep"  
"That doesn't seem fair"  
"Don't make me drop it down to 2"  
"Ok! Ok... did I really give birth to those kids?"  
"Yeah. You had the older two when you were 13, and then the pups when you were 18"  
"So we had sex and you're the father?"  
"Yep. That's your three questions. But I'll give you one more"  
"How did we meet"  
Settling down, he forced Eren so he was half laying against him with his head against his chest   
"Well..."

 

*  
By Eren's 5th day home, he had remembered a few small things, and was sure of others... even if he didn't remember them.   
He remembered his dad had tried to kill him.  
He didn't know if it counted, but he remembered he liked bright colours.  
He remembered that the spare towels were in the bathroom vanity.  
What he was sure about was that he'd loved Levi.   
He was sure his husband had loved him and he was sure they'd been happy.  
He was sure he loved all his kids.  
And he was sure he was frustrated that he wasn't remembering faster. Things would come in flashes and the pain in his head never let up. He was honestly exhausted and he couldn't escape.

Outside the room, that he apparently shared with Levi, people were beginning to gather. Levi hadn't thought to tell him about this "welcome home" party thing, until the night before and he chewing his lip bloody with worry. His husband had shown him photos of everyone, and he'd tried his best to remember names, but he was so nervous he felt sick. The only nice thing about being in this place were the kids. Even when he was curled up in a ball, Ren and Eli would come climb up with him, the pair not saying anything as they just curled around him. He really couldn't believe he'd birthed such cute kids, or that he'd raised them before Levi had come back into his life. Everything the alpha told him seemed like it was out of some story, but the characters didn't seem to get their happy ending. Instead, they got this.

"Eren?"  
Looking up at Marco, Eren didn't know what to tell his friend  
"Hey, if you don't want to do this, you don't have to"  
"No... these people are supposed to be important to me"  
"That doesn't mean I like seeing you look like you're suffering"  
"Thanks for being here Marco. I know I haven't been much fun"  
"That's because so much has been going on"  
Sitting down on the bed next to him, the fellow omega wrapped his arms around him  
"Soooo, tell me the goss. You and Levi done anything?"  
Snorting at his friend, he shook his head   
"He tells me things when we're in bed and he cuddles me. It feels really nice"  
He could feel himself blushing   
"Oooh, you like him"  
"I think I do... he's the one I was dreaming about"  
"Well he's hot. And he seems to love you"  
"But... I still don't know"  
"I think you do. I can smell you"  
"Are you trying to say something?"  
"You want to looove him! You want to huuuuug him!"  
"Marco!"  
"Don't deny it"  
Looking at each other, they both giggled  
"Thanks. I feel better now"  
"Good, because I don't know anyone out there"  
"You probably know them better than I do"  
"Only because I looked then up online"  
"Stick close to me?"  
"Of course. You ready?"  
"Nooooo"  
Laughing as he dragged him up, Marco caught him easily as he swayed  
"Eren?"  
"It's fine. Just a headache"  
"Ok, let me know if it gets worse"

"Ereeeeeeeen!"  
Before he knew what was happening a girl had thrown herself on him   
"Hanji, stop it. You know he doesn't remember you're crazy"  
"But Levi! I missed him!"  
"And now you're scaring him. Everyone back off"  
"Eren, did you really forget me?"  
"S-sorry"  
Hanji pulled back, she frowned for a moment, before grinning happily  
"That just means we get to start all over again. I'm Hanji, and the guy with eyebrows is Erwin. We used to work with Levi"  
Oooook  
"Hanji"  
Hanji raised her hands as she backed off  
"Ok! Ok! I know he's your husband, but you can share just a little"  
"Nope. I finally have him back"  
"So mean"  
Stumbling back a little, Marco squeezed his hand   
"Will you all shut up!"  
Levi's yell had everyone hushing   
"Ok! Everyone, this is Marco. He's Eren's friend. Eren, these are our friends"  
The one person he hadn't seen yet was Mikasa... he really hoped she'd come...  
"So, we have..."  
Levi pointed to each as he spoke  
"Sasha, her boyfriend Connie, and Connie's bum buddy Jean. Ymir and her girlfriend Krista. Reiner and Bertholdt, they're our friends from Marley. Grandpa and Armin you know. Mikasa's coming, she's just stopping by home on the way here"  
Eren nodded, feeling completely overwhelmed. So many people were staring at him so expectantly. He didn't have anything to say  
"Eren?"  
Looking to Marco, he shook his head   
"Sorry... this is too much"  
Letting go of Marco's hand, he retreated back into the bedroom.

"Mum?"  
"Eli"  
"Don't you like your party?"  
"It's not that. I'm just tired"  
Eli crossed over to him, climbing into his lap like it was his right  
"I missed you mum. Dad was good an all, but you're better"  
"I am?"  
"Yep. You give the best hugs"  
Clearly hinting he wanted a hug, Eren wrapped his arms around him  
"Like this?"  
"Yep! Mum, you're not going to leave again are you?"  
He had no where to go...  
"No. I'm staying here"  
"Good"  
How could this small boy care about him so much?  
"Eli, did dad take care of you all?"  
"Yep! But daddy got really sad... but then he got better. He can't make good cookies"  
"Do you want to try making cookies?"  
Eli shot up in his lap  
"Can we?"  
"I'm game if you are"  
"Can Ren help... but not the others. They're too small"  
"We have to wait for everyone to go home, and then we can"  
"Nooo. Let's do it noooooow"  
He couldn't say no to those pleading eyes  
"You better ask dad if we have everything for them"  
"Ok!"  
Jumping off his lap, Eli ran off. Eren was envious of the boys energy, nothing seemed to slow them down.

"Mum! Aunty Mikasa is here. She wants to see you"  
This time it was Ren who came to get him  
"Ok"  
Mikasa... hopefully she'd at least treat him normally... but what was normal. God. His head was throbbing harder since hearing her name. Letting the boy take his hand, he wondered what had happened to Eli. He'd been so excited about cookies... Walking into the living room, everyone stared at him again, but instead of that Hanji person jumping on him, it was Mikasa  
"Eren! I missed you so much! I'm so sorry! I was such a bitch"  
Breathing her smell in, Eren staggered, sagging against her  
"Levi!"  
The last thing he heard was her screaming his husband's name before passing out.

 

*  
"Eren!"  
Grabbing his husband as he slumped, Eren shook and spasmed in his arms, his nose bleeding as he did  
"Hannes..."  
"Out the way Levi"  
The whole fit lasted way longer than Levi was comfortable with, and everyone in the room was silent  
"W-what the fuck was that?"  
"It happens when he starts remembering... but that's the worse I've seen him"  
Nodding at Marco's words, Levi moved in and lifted Eren into his hold  
"Sorry guys, I need to lay him down"  
This whole party had been a terrible idea, but everyone wanted to see Eren now he'd been found. Reiner and Bertholdt had dropped everything and flown over. Of course they wanted to pay Marco the reward money for finding Eren, but they hadn't even talked about it with him. He didn't think Marco would take it, but the kid definitely deserved it. Shaking his head quickly, he scolded himself and turned his attention to Eren.

With Eren cleaned up and resting, Levi left him to sleep. This had all been too much for him, like he'd known it would be. Walking into the living room, he ignored everyone but the kids, taking the pups into his hold  
"Daddy!"  
"Hello my monsters"  
"How's Eren?"  
"Sleeping. He hasn't been sleeping well since he came back. Everything happened so fast. He was happy... and now Grisha's dead and he's here with people who call him family, while he doesn't know us"  
"And he hasn't remembered anything?"  
"He remembered Grisha hurting him... and he knows he used to know me, but that's about it. In his head he was 10, not 20"  
Rocking Rei on his knee, Viren tried to grab for his face   
"And that fit thing, he's just going to be ok?"  
"Hannes is the one you have to talk to about that"  
Hannes let out a long breath  
"Brain injuries are tricky. No two are the same..."  
Levi tuned out, he'd had this lecture before  
"Mumma!"  
Viren finally succeeded in smacking him in face  
"You want your mum?"  
Viren nodded  
"Ok, but mummy is sleeping"  
"Noooo. Play!"  
"Sorry, it doesn't work that way"  
Eli let out a huff  
"Eli?"  
"We were supposed to make cookies with Mum! He said!"  
"I can make cookies with you..."  
There was Bertholdt, always trying to save the day  
"No! I want mum! You're all trying to keep mum away from us! But he's our mum!"  
Taking Ren's hand, Eli pulled his brother along. Bertholdt went to follow, but Levi shook his head  
"Just let them go"  
"You can't be serious"  
Ignoring Mikasa's little out burst, he rose and lifted both boys with him  
"Guys, be nice to Marco. Help yourself to whatever, I'm going to take care of the boys"  
Yep. He was a coward. He knew how Eren must be feeling when everyone looked to him so desperately, because it was a look they'd all given him. He couldn't stand it. Heading back into the bedroom, he found the boys curled up in their wolf forms  
"I know. It sucks, but move over, I'm coming in"  
Ren and Eli didn't move, so Levi plopped the pups in between them, receiving no reaction at all. Climbing in next to Eren, he curled up around his mate, his head against Eren's chest, listening to the steady beating of Eren's heart.


	122. Chapter 122

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be the last...
> 
> Yep.  
> She had a good run, but it's time to put this beast down.
> 
> As always, thanks for reading and sticking with me. I love you all!

Waking to a heavy weight across him, for the first time in days his head wasn't so friggin sore  
"Levi... get off me"  
His husband's weight shifted slightly, and with him pushing the best he could, he wasn't so hot anymore  
"Eren?"  
"Levi?"  
"Are you ok?"  
"Why wouldn't I be ok?"  
"Because you collapsed again"  
Eren frowned at him  
"I did?"  
"Yeah. Mikasa hugged you and you fainted"  
"Mikasa hugged me?"  
"Yep. Do you really not remember?"  
"It's kind of fuzzy"  
"Do you still have a headache?"  
"It's not as bad as it had been"  
Levi was now staring at his face and Eren was bewildered as to why  
"What?"  
"Nothing"  
Shaking the alpha lightly, all he got was a smile   
"Tell me"  
"You just seem better"  
"I'm feeling better... naps solve everything"  
Stretching out, his foot hit something furry  
"The boys are in bed?"  
"Eli had a tantrum, so we all came and hid in here"  
"You left Marco on his own?"  
"He's fine"  
"He doesn't know anyone"  
Crawling away from Levi, he shook Eli awake  
"I thought we were supposed to make cookies"  
His son shifted back, looking at him with wide eyes  
"Or don't you want cookies?"  
"I want cookies..."  
Seriously, he couldn't say no to him  
"Levi, do we have everything for cookies?"  
"I think so. You want me to help?"  
"Nope. Eli and Ren wanted to make cookies with me"  
Eli shook Ren, his son grinning at his brother   
"Ren! Mum's making cookies!"  
Reaching over Ren, he picked up Rei  
"Hello, look how big you are! You're bigger every time I look at you"  
The boy whined softly  
"You want your daddy?"  
Passing him to Levi, he picked Viren up   
"Oooh, god. So heavy!"  
Falling back, he tickled the boys stomach, Viren laughing happily. Fuck he'd missed this. It didn't even occur to him to question what he'd just thought   
"Mum! You said cookies!"  
"Sorry babies, cookie time"  
Leaving the pups with Levi, he carried both Eli and Ren out and into the kitchen. Immediately the whole space went quiet, and he ignored that fact as he set the boys down on the counter  
"Eren, what are you doing?"  
"Mum said he'd make cookies with us!"  
"Eren, are you sure that's a good idea?"  
"It's just cookies, I know how to make cookies"  
"Ok! But we're here if you need us"  
Leaning in between the boys he whispered  
"Reiner worries too much, doesn't he?"  
The boys giggled and nodded. He hadn't even realised he was acting differently, instead he focussed on making cookies... but nothing was where it should be. It took him twice as long as to find all he needed  
"Where does dad keep the cookie cutters now?"  
"In this draw"  
Of course it was the one that was hidden behind Ren's legs   
"Eren, is Levi in the bedroom?"  
"Yeah, he's playing with the pups"  
Looking up, he saw Reiner, Armin and Hannes heading towards the room. He had no idea why... but a few seconds later, that didn't matter. In the corner of the sofa, Marco and Jean were whispering away, it was clear Marco found the alpha agreeable, and it wasn't his place to tell his friend not to date a horse.

With 4 trays of cookies in the oven, Eren lifted the boys down   
"Wanna do mummy a big favour?"  
Both boys nodded  
"Go climb on Uncle Marco"  
They seemed a little confused, but nodded, running off and jumping on Marco  
"What the hell. Eren! I'm trying to talk to Marco!"  
Jean sounded so pissed, causing him to giggle   
"I don't care if you've lost your memory, you're still an arsehole"  
"Oi! Not in front of the kids!"  
"It's not like you even remember them"  
Both boys turned to look at him, both had tears in their eyes. He'd barely opened his mouth before they were off and running.

Both boys had shifted by the time he made it out the front door. Shifting himself, he ignored Mikasa calling his name. He knew these boys loved him. How could Jean be so fucking cruel? Running hard to catch the boys, he caught Ren's tail in his mouth and the boy came to a stop. A wave of nostalgia hit him. He'd grabbed Levi's tail the same way before. Shifting back, he grabbed hold of Ren  
"Stop! Ren! Your name is Ren Ackerman Yeager! You love lions! You named your cat Mr Kitty, but before that he was called Captain! You're my son and I love you!"  
Ren stopped struggling and shifted back. His son bursting into tears. Gathering the boy into his arms, he rocked him  
"I'm so sorry baby! Ok, I don't remember most things but I remember how much I love you"  
"Muuuuuuum!"  
Ren wailed for him like there was no tomorrow. The sound of pounding paws gave way to another warm boy grabbing for him  
"Eli Ackerman Yeager! You love wolves! Your cats named Titan and you're my son! I love you babies. My babies"  
"Mum!"

All three were still awkwardly sobbing against each other when Levi finally found them  
"Thank god. I thought something had happened"  
"Jean opened his horse mouth and told the twins I didn't remember them"  
"You remember Jean's a horse?"  
"And how to make cookies and how much I love these guys and you. I was crazy about you"  
Levi's eyes widened  
"You... you remember?"  
"Not everything... but... I didn't even realise I had"  
His husband shook as he walked towards him, falling to his knees and nuzzling at his neck   
"Eren..."  
"I'm sorry I don't remember everything"  
"That doesn't matter. I missed you. It's been so hard"  
Holding his three crying loves, he had no idea what to say or do. He had no idea what they'd been through.

The boys were the first to calm first  
"Mum... cookies?"  
Snorting at his boys, he pulled back and wiped his face   
"Ok. It's about time we went back"  
Levi shook his head  
"Levi, we can't stay here"  
"Just a little longer"  
The boys struggled up from him  
"We'll race you back home! Last one home gets no cookies"  
The boys took off, it was as if he and Levi were forgotten   
"Levi, will they be alright?"  
"Oh yeah. The know their way home now. They know to follow their scents"  
"You taught them a lot while I was gone, didn't you?"  
"I had to... Eren. I missed you every day. I didn't think you were coming back"  
Turning properly, he took Levi's hands in his, but his gaze was on the scars   
"I'm so sorry... you did that because of me"  
"It was Christmas... I could... I could barely get out of bed. With Izzy and Farlan gone... and then you gone. There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't regret not going with you. Hannes found me in the bathtub. He patched me up, then sold everything to move in"  
"I... I had no idea"  
He felt like a total dick for not knowing  
"I know. I was so scared, I couldn't believe you were in one piece. I..."  
"You feared the worst?"  
"I did"  
"Levi. I might not remember everything and I don't know what's going to come back and what's not. So I'm sorry for all the things I'll say and do that will hurt you"  
Levi took his face in his hands   
"Can I kiss you?"  
Snorting, Eren nodded. The kiss his alpha gave him made him moan. It started so sweetly, but soon turned hungry. Regretfully, Eren broke the kiss   
"We should get back"  
"Yeah..."  
Neither of them made to move  
"This moving things means actually moving"  
"Moving is effort and effort is overrated"  
"I feel like I taught you that one"  
"You totally did"  
Levi finally rose, reaching out and pulling him up. Giving his husband a quick hug, he took off running   
"Race you home!"  
It didn't take long before Levi's huge wolf form was running by his side  
"That's cheating!"  
Levi seemed to shrug at him, before picking up his pace. Shifting, Eren ran after him. He might not be who he was, but he was feeling a little bit more hopefully about everything in comparison to yesterday.

 

*  
Two days later, Levi found himself driving Marco, Eren and the pups out to Jinea. The boys were home with Hannes, but since Eren had started to remember, he'd clung to the pups something fierce. They'd stopped in Trost to do some shopping and Marco had been a kid in a candy store, everything seemed so bright and shiny to him that Levi envied his innocence. Eren had been alright for the most part, but that was because he had the pups to distract him. Though he did go into a few shops with Marco, before asking permission to buy a couple of things on his own. It made him proud that Eren had the confidence to do that. Eren hadn't remembered anything else, but that was ok with him. He knew who Levi and the kids were and that he loved them, and that he was happy with them. Anything else after that was just a bonus. Yes, he wanted Eren to remember their life together, but maybe it was better for Eren's mental healthy if he didn't remember everything.

Pulling up in front of Marco's house, Marco let out a sigh  
"Coming home after all this excitement. I don't know if I'm relieved or not"  
"You're always welcome to come stay with us when you need a dose of madness"  
"I feel like we'll be seeing a lot more of Marco"  
Turning to look at his husband, Levi raised an eyebrow  
"Marco and Jean are dating now"  
"Eren! That..."  
"Look at you Marco, winning hearts all over the place"  
"It's not like that..."  
"Marco, its fine. Levi's teasing. Anyway, you have a new phone now so you'll be able to stay up all night talking to him"  
Marco turned bright red as he hid his face behind his hands   
"Come on, we'd better get you inside before your mum thinks something's wrong"

The shopping Eren had wanted to was for Marco, apparently the omega had liked some dress in town, and Eren wanted to thank him in some way. They two had disappeared upstairs in a mess of giggled whispers, leaving him with pups and Marco's mum. Every second they were gone passed in an awkward silence before, finally, Marco and Eren came down  
"Everything alright?"  
Eren nodded quickly  
"We just had some things to talk about. Like the house and stuff"  
"The house?"  
"Where dad... I told Marco to take whatever he wanted"  
"Is there anything you want from there?"  
"I... I don't know"  
Eren chewed on his lip  
"Eren, if you want to go take a look, I'll come with you"  
"I think I want to go on my own"  
Marco and his mother looked just as concerned about that as Levi felt, but if Eren felt he needed to go, he wasn't going to tell him he couldn't   
"Marco, would you mind watching the pups? I'll walk him over"  
"Levi, I can go on my own. We can't just leave the boys here"  
"Nonsense Eren, if you need to do this, Marco and I'll watch the boys"

Eren wouldn't let him hold his hand as they walked over to the small cottage where he'd been living with Grisha, his husband instead walked with his hands clenched into fists by his side  
"Eren...   
"Just wait here Levi"  
Eren jogged up to the front door, leaving Levi behind. Grisha's smell still hung in the air, and his alpha was on edge. It didn't matter if Grisha was dead, the man's cruelty had left never healing scars in both their hearts. Levi forced himself to wait, but in the end, he couldn't do it. Eren was taking too long, or at least he was in Levi's mind. Walking over to the door, he was immediately hit by the smell of his distressed mate.

He found Eren in the kitchen, the omega sitting on the floor sobbing. Across the room was a broken beer bottle, evidently his husband hadn't been able to take coming back  
"Eren..."  
Grabbing for him, Eren wailed  
"Why! Why did he do all this? He hated me! So why didn't he just kill me?!"  
"Because he knew this would hurt you more"  
"I hate him! I thought he cared! He was the only person I had and now he's dead!"  
It was clear the year with his father had changed how Eren felt about Grisha. He could tell Eren loved his father a different way now. The man had taken care of him, even if it was just a game to him  
"You have us now"  
"But for how long! I haven't remembered anything more! How long is it going to be before you get mad that I can't remember? You didn't sign up for this!"  
"Eren, I promised to always love you when we got married. But even without being married, I would stay by your side all the way into hell"  
Lifting his husband into his arms, Eren buried his face against his neck  
"I hate him! I can't ever get that year back! My kids might as well be strangers"  
"Oh baby, no. They're still the same..."  
"They aren't! The pups are so big and I don't even feel like their mum! I missed their first words! I missed all of it! I want my year back"  
"Baby, I know you do. But it gets easier"  
"How do you know!"  
"Because I missed the twins first words. I missed them learning to walk. I missed them being born... but fuck. I love them, I love them so fucking much..."  
"I want to go home"  
"Alright, lets go get the pups and we can go home"  
"Do... do you think they love me"  
"I know they love you"

Carrying Eren over to the Range Rover, his husband sobbed the whole time. He didn't even say anything when Levi placed him in the front passenger seat. Instead he just curled in on himself  
"I'll go get the boys"

Marco and his mother came out to say goodbye to Eren, his husband had clung to Marco as Marco cried. Having the smell of two upset omegas left him baring his teeth, even though he could do nothing to change the situation. Promising to keep in touch, the pair finally parted  
"Thank you Marco..."  
Marco gave Eren a small shy kiss on the cheek  
"Anything for you"

 

*  
Christmas had come and gone, as had New Year's Day. Eren hadn't really remembered anything new, but that wasn't the issue he was having. Having been home for over a month now, he was acutely aware of how being close to Levi left his body feeling. More than once he'd woken to his husband rutting up against him in his sleep, and it wasn't that he didn't want to try and be intimate, but every time he made to come on to Levi, his husband would brush him off.

Currently Eren was sitting in the bath mulling over his sex life, or rather lack of. If he couldn't remember having sex with Levi, that meant he was practically a virgin. Blushing bright red, he let out a squeal and slid down so the lower half his face was covered  
"Eren?"  
Looking at Levi, he had no idea how the alpha had heard him  
"Everything alright?"  
Nodding his head, he wished he could just melt into the water   
"Are you sure? You look a little red"  
Why? Why did this have to happen? Crossing over, Levi placed his palm against his forehead  
"You feel a little warm, here, why don't we get you out"  
That probably wouldn't be a good idea... he was already hard and he didn't need his husband brushing him off again. Sliding back up, he wiped the bubbles from his face  
"I'm fine Levi, just go back to whatever you were doing"  
"No, it's time you get out. It's pretty late now and the boys have school on the morning"

Reaching into the bath, Levi pulled the plug out, before reaching for him. Eren's face couldn't burn any brighter as Levi helped him from the tub. His mates eyes went straight to his crotch, letting out a small "oh". Storming over, he grabbed his towel  
"Eren, you don't have to be embarrassed"  
It just went from bad to worse  
"Leave me alone Levi"  
Marching into their room, he ignored his needy body in favour of grabbing clothes out their wardrobe   
"I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable"  
At least when he'd seen Levi jerking off, he'd left his husband to it...  
"Levi, just stop already"  
"I'm just saying..."  
"No, you're making things worse. You'd rather jerk off than touch me. I've seen you and I left you alone. You don't even care that I might want to touch you... or want you to touch me"  
Tears began to roll down his face. He'd officially hit all the mortification he could take and if God would kindly kill him, that would be great  
"Eren, it's not that. Of course I want to touch you, but you've been through so much in such a short stretch of time"  
"I can't help that I can't remember! I can't help if you love the old me instead! But this is me now!"  
He needed to shut up. Levi came over to him, taking his hands  
"I love you, the old you and the new you are still you. I didn't want to push or rush you"  
"There's not wanting to rush or push, and there's not wanting me"  
"Do you want to have sex?"  
Letting out a small squeak, Eren couldn't look at Levi as he nodded. Leaning in to kiss him, Eren's whole body tingled, if kissing felt this good, he couldn't imagine how sex felt.

Having made it to the bed, it felt like Levi's hands and tongue were everywhere. His husband obviously not at all ashamed to give into his desires. Moans and whines fell from Eren's lips, he'd tried to swallow then down, but he just couldn't. When Levi pulled back, Eren sucked in a deep breath, but soon his eyes went wide, his husband's fingers rubbing at his twitching opening   
"Le-Levi"  
"It's ok, it's been so long I need to open you properly so it doesn't hurt"  
Nodding quickly, he squeezed his eyes shut. When Levi's fingers slid in his back arched  
"Shhh... it's ok"  
It wasn't that. It felt really, really good. It didn't take long before he was rocking against Levi's fingers  
"You're so fucking wet"  
He didn't need the commentary, he could feel and hear how wet he was. When Levi's fingers brushed against something his eyes flew open as he shot up  
"What the..."  
His sentence was cut off by Levi beginning to thrust and rub against the spot   
"Feeling good?"  
"D-don't stop"  
As if to purposefully tease him, his husband slid his fingers free, before crawling up the bed and opening the bedside draw  
"Condom... I know Hannes is keeping you off any meds for now"  
Oh. Right. His next heat was due next month, his last being in November. So he totally didn't need to fall pregnant. Levi rolled the condom on and moved back between his legs  
"Princess, we don't need to do this if you're not up to it"  
"I... I want to"  
"If you want to stop..."  
"Levi, shut up"  
His husband laughed lightly, his hands moving to Eren's hips. With his husband sliding inside of him, Eren came straight away  
"Eren"  
"Don't... and don't you dare stop"  
"Yes baby"

With his body melting, and Levi's lips on his, Eren was sure he was in heaven. Sex was great... he definitely liked sex, and the growls and moans his alpha was making made him almost wish they weren't using a condom. With his legs wrapped around Levi's waist, his mate lifted him from the bed easily, holding and controlling the way he bounced limply against his erection. Levi definitely had the stamina  
"Eren, I'm going to cum. Do you want my knot?"  
"Mmmm. Alpha... need your knot"  
If he thought he was already full, when Levi's knot popped he came so hard he saw black. He was only out for a moment, but Levi had flipped them over. He was now laying along his husband's chest, listening to his racing heart. He couldn't explain the tears in his eyes, he just felt so... loved and wanted  
"So?"  
"Wow... just... wow"  
Levi snorted before pressing a kiss to his sweat drenched forehead  
"Wanna know a secret?"  
"Mmm?"  
"It's always this good..."  
His spent penis twitched with obvious interest  
"... and we have a whole 14 months to make up for"

By the time Eren finally collapsed against the bed, he couldn't think. He had no idea it was physically possible to feel as good as he did. Letting out a long groan, he felt Levi's knot finally pop, his husband rolling him over so he was spooned up protectively in his arms. Nuzzling at his neck, Levi's fingers ghosted over his stomach, before drawing circles lazily with his cum  
"Levi... no more"  
"You're so adorable, I can't help myself"  
Snorting as he moved to take Levi's hand, he intertwined their fingers  
"You're such a dork"  
"Mmmm, you have no idea how much I missed you calling me that"  
"That's because you're a weirdo. But you're my weirdo... right?"  
"Always baby. Always and your dork forever"

Needless to say, the boys didn't go to school that day.


	123. Chapter 123

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Sits in corner and sobs*
> 
> What is to become of my life now?
> 
> As always, happy to answer any questions! And I hope you're all not too mad at me.
> 
> Just a reminder. Eren was found December 2020

** 2 Years Later **

 

"Levi, where are we going!"  
With Levi dragging him along the street, Eren was left to wonder where the hell they were going. The last two years hadn't exactly been perfect, and he hadn't remembered much in that time, but the happiness he did feel each time he looked at Levi made up for all of that   
"It's not much further"  
"You said that like 3 blocks ago! My feet hurt"  
Spinning around mid-step, Levi pulled him up against him  
"Eren"  
"Levi"  
"Do you trust me?"  
"Of course I do"  
"Then shut up. It's not that much further"  
"But we have to be back in time to pick the boys up from school"  
"Hannes is picking up the boys, I messaged him when it seemed like you were going to take forever"  
"If you'd just told me..."  
"Nope. It's a surprise"  
"Then carry me..."  
Levi raised an eyebrow, but Eren didn't back down. His feet were seriously sore from running around in brand new flats all day. Levi had suddenly got it into his head that they were going to Trost because it was Valentine's Day. Last Valentine's Day home, his husband had spent the whole day pampering him because the boys brought home a cold and they couldn't go out. But this time, Levi seemed determined that they were going out, no matter what.

"Fine"  
"Fine what?"  
"I'll carry you"  
Grabbing at his arse, Levi went to lift him  
"You can't!"  
"But you just told me to"  
"I didn't think you really would!"  
"Eren, I would do anything for you"  
"Then I want a piggy back"  
"You're such a brat. My tall, lanky, sexy, dorky brat"  
"I'm not a brat!"  
"You've cause me enough trouble to earn the title of brat"  
"You still love me"  
"I do. Now one piggy back coming up"

With his arms happily resting over Levi's shoulders and his husband holding onto his legs, Eren giggled as people stared   
"They think you're crazy"  
"They have no idea. Oh! Shit, hang on"  
Clutching Levi as his husband jogged across the road, he blushed as the alpha stopped at a small florist. As if sensing the fact Eren had no intention of letting go, the man came out from behind the counter  
"I need one long stemmed red rose"  
$45 for one flower seemed extreme, but he couldn't stop smiling as he stared down at it   
"Right, we can continue now"  
"You mean there's more?"  
"Of course there's more. I wouldn't walk you all over town if there wasn't"  
"I don't know! I can't really remember Trost"  
"Then just let me be your guide"

Coming to a stop out side an older styled movie theatre, Eren let out a gasp  
"Are we going here?"  
"No, I just bought you here to stare at its architecture"  
Playing along, Eren leant back  
"I'd say it's from the 1920's, the big band era..."  
"And you call me a dork!"  
Letting him carefully slide down from his back, Levi then took his hand  
"Sooo, what do you want to see?"  
"You"  
"Yes, you get to watch the movie with me, and you get to choose"  
"Can we watch something scary? They're always so fake that it's funny"  
"We can watch whatever you want"   
Frowning at Levi, he couldn't put his finger on what he was feeling  
"Baby?"  
"We did this... we did all this before..."  
The smile Levi gave him, gave him butterflies   
"Yeah baby. Our first Valentine's after I got back from the boot camp"  
"I remember. You let me pick the movie too. It was..."  
"Attack on Titan. Everyone pretty much got fucked up"  
"That's right! Oh my god! They have the second movie out!"  
"Eren..."  
"Please"  
Giving his husband the best puppy dog eyes he could, Levi pulled his wallet out   
"Yay! Best husbando ever!"  
"Husbando?"  
"Blame Marco. Oh, did you know he and Jean got engaged?"  
Levi pulled a face  
"I had such high hopes for the boy"  
"Leave them alone. Besides, according to Marco, Jean doesn't only look like a horse, he's hung like one"  
Levi gagged at his words  
"Princess, I love you more than everything, but I can never, ever forget that"  
"I kind of wish I could too. But he's really happy"  
Following Levi, his husband bought their drinks, popcorn and tickets  
"Is there anything else you want?"  
"To hurry up so we get good seats?"  
His husband mumbled something under his breath about him being an adorable dork, but took his hand anyway.

 

*  
After the movie, Levi led him across to the hotel across the road, once again he realised they'd been here before, but this time his steps slowed  
"Eren?"  
"No... it's nothing"  
"Are you scared?"  
"A little..."  
"Last time you were here, you broke your nose and ankle. It was after that you threw up in the car and we had to drive home with the windows down"  
"That's when you called me a brat!"  
"It's your fault for loving champagne more than me"  
"I can't even remember how it tastes"  
"It's kind of sweet and bubbly. Like you, if you were a drink"  
"I'll take that as a compliment. Let's go in?"

"Aren't we checking in?"  
Standing in the elevator, Eren was confused  
"The room fairies have already come and been"  
Sliding his hand into his pocket, Levi pulled out a keycard   
"When... how?"  
"I might have had a little help in the form of an Armin"  
Eren groaned, of course Armin helped  
"Yep. While you were distracted, I swapped him the car key for the room key"  
Eren had no words, instead he nuzzled his husband's neck  
"You're so lucky I love you"  
"You couldn't really be mad at me"  
"No, I couldn't"  
When the elevator doors open, Levi swept him off his feet  
"Oi! Be careful! I don't want my rose getting damaged"  
"I'm not going to damage the rose, but I'm totally going to damage your arse!"  
"Nooooo!"

Kicking off his shoes as Levi carried him into the room, Eren giggled. His husband paused long enough to kick the door closed behind him, before carrying him over to the bed. Rose petals were scattered across the crisp white bedspread in the shape of a love heart   
"I don't remember that"  
"Neither do I"  
Dropping him into the centre of the bed, Eren bounced lightly, before stretching out with a happy sigh  
"Don't go falling asleep on me already"  
"For one thing, you're over there and I'm down here..."  
Toeing off his own shoes, Levi climbed onto the bed, his husband tickling him like they would the pups   
"What's the second thing?"  
"I don't know! Mercy! Stop!"  
Levi pulled back, taking his rose from him and placing it on the nightstand. With his precious flower safe, he locked his legs around Levi's waist and held his alpha against him. The man not playing fair as he took his face into his hands and Levi's mercury eyes stared into his  
"I love you Eren Ackerman"  
"And I love you Levi. Thank you for this... I know how frustrated you get when I can't remember, but you never let it show. Thank you for not giving up on me"  
"Eren, I could never give up on you, also, this isn't the last of the surprises for today"  
"It's not? I don't get my champagne and sex?"  
"You get both, but no champagne until after dinner"  
"That's not fair... I'm your princess, I deserve to be spoilt"  
"And you will be. But first, I have something for you"  
"You didn't have to get me anything"  
Levi tried to pull away, but Eren held him tighter   
"Eren..."  
"It can wait. I want you now"  
Sliding his hands down Levi's side, he awkwardly fumbled his husband's pants and belt undone  
"Someones horny"  
"Mhmm... I wonder who's fault that is?"  
"Mine, all mine. Now let me go so I can take care of you"

Pushing Eren's dress up, Levi licked and sucked at his erection through his underwear. He hadn't been too sure when Levi told him he used to wear dresses, but they really were comfortable. Apparently the lingerie underneath was a thing, but he couldn't remember it. Still, Levi seemed to be enjoying the red lacy thong. Hooking his thumbs under the fabric, his husband finally freed his aching erection, blowing across the tip   
"It's not fair to tease"  
"Who said I'm teasing?"  
Grabbing his legs, Levi hefted him down, before burying his face between his legs and beginning to eat him out. Fuck Levi was so good at this, his husband knowing just where to touch and how much tongue to use until he started to gush slick. Threading his fingers through Levi's hair, wanton moans spilled freely from his lips, and Levi's pheromones robbed him of all sanity. His alpha working him into frenzy before swapping his tongue for his fingers and his mouth sank down over his bowed erection. It barely took moments before he was cumming down his alpha's throat in thick bursts. Levi swallowed him completely, pulling back with a smirk  
"You look so fucking wrecked and we're only just getting started"  
Climbing up his body, Levi lowered his legs and took his mouth, his own sweet saltiness had him moaning into his mates mouth  
"You want more?"  
"I want to watch you fucking me"  
Levi let out a growl, grabbing him by the arse and lifting him off the bed, carrying him into the bathroom, before standing him up in front of the counter. The whole time Eren had giggled, after squealing when Levi had suddenly swept him up. 

 

*  
With Eren bent over the counter, his omegas eyes were closed and his pink lips parted as he slammed into him. Eren was adorable when he was horny, but also tended to completely forget the whole condom aspect. Hannes has tried to put Eren back onto contraceptives and suppressants, but they'd left his husband with debilitating migraines. When his husband had gone into heat, trying to remember to use a condom had nearly driven him mentally, but thankfully Eren hadn't fallen pregnant. No. That was a lie. He wanted to have more kids, and his alpha was angered that Eren hadn't fallen pregnant, but things weren't stable enough for his mate to even think about falling pregnant again.

When it became clear Eren's memory wasn't getting any better, his mate had fallen apart, thinking himself a burden. It had completely blindsided Levi, Eren had been doing so well. Even learning Ren was dyslexic hadn't upset Eren as much as the memory thing did. They'd screamed at each other until Hannes finally came in and yelled at them to shut up. Both of them had stared at the man like he was crazy for interrupting them. Part of the problem might have been Eren's reluctance to place his wedding and engagement rings back on. He wore his promise ring, promising he was going to try his hardest, but even now, his rings weren't back on Eren's finger where they belonged.

Eren came hard around him, drawing his orgasm out in a sudden rush, and Levi slumped over Eren as he panted  
"You ok baby?"  
"Mmmm... I think I need a nap"  
"Whatever you want princess"  
Eren so far hasn't noticed the white dress hanging on the shower door, so Levi decided to wait until after their nap to show him. He knew for a fact that Eren would love this dress, after all, his husband had chosen it before all this had happened.

Climbing into bed, Levi set an alarm for 6. Dinner was at 6:30, which meant they had time to shower before heading down. With his husband curled up in his arms, his fingers settled on Eren's stomach. He just couldn't help himself. It didn't take long for Eren to fall asleep, and his mates steady breaths soon lulled him to sleep.

 

*  
Waking up before the alarm, Eren was in a playful mood as he woke him. Having stripped the dress off, Levi woke to a lap full of grinding alpha. Raising an eyebrow, he laced his fingers behind his head  
"Enjoying yourself?"  
"Plenty... we have time right?"  
"Well that depends on what you want to do"  
"What I want is to ride you until you knot me"  
"Mmm, I like the way you think. There should be condoms in the draw"  
Something else he'd had Armin take care of. Eren reached over him easily and pulled out a condom  
"Eren?"  
"Yes?"  
"Have I told you lately how sexy you are?"  
"Nope"  
Snorting at his husband, Levi's hands slid from behind his head, and he reached for Eren's face  
"You really are beautiful"  
"And you really are a dork"

With Eren riding him reverse cowgirl, Levi was enjoying the view immensely. The omega had put on weight since having been found, his arse plumper and curvier, which drove him completely wild. Though this time he'd remembered not to say anything about Eren's weight to him. Feeling his knot pop, he sat up and wrapped his arms around Eren, tickling him lightly until Eren finally giggled  
"Happy Valentine's Day baby"  
"Mmmm. I got you something"  
"You did?"  
Levi was confused, he had no idea when Eren could have gotten him anything  
"Really?"  
"Yep!"  
"What did you get me?"  
"Laid"  
Tickling Eren until he couldn't breathe, they fell back onto the bed. Both laying their catching their breaths until Levi could finally pull out and Eren rolled over to face him  
"I did get you something?"  
"I thought you got me laid"  
"That too. But you'll have to wait until dinner to see what it is"  
"Now who's teasing"  
"Me, but you love me anyway"  
"That I do"  
Behind them, Levi's phone started to beep. Leaning in, Eren pressed a kiss to his lips, before climbing from the bed   
"I'm going to shower"  
"I'll be there in a minute"  
Moving to slide the condom off, Levi's heart began to race. Pulling the torn condom from his dick, he had no idea what to say or do. Eren would freak... but he had planned something special for dinner.  
Hearing a scream front he bathroom, he rushed to toss it in the trash, before jogging to the bathroom  
"Levi! How? It's gorgeous!"  
The white dress was exactly... well as close to exactly as he could get... to the one Eren had taken photos of on his phone before they were married. When Eren had disappeared, he'd gone through Eren's phone a million times, he'd kept it charged in hopes that one day it would ring and Eren would be on the other hand  
"I couldn't get you the one you wanted to get married in, but this was as close as I could get. I thought maybe you could wear it tonight"  
"Yes! It's perfect"  
Throwing himself into his arms, Eren nuzzled his neck like crazy. No. He couldn't tell Eren about the condom.

At 6:15pm they stepped off the elevator. Eren looked perfect, his mate blushing under everyone's gaze. The last time Eren was here him in a white dress hadn't ended well, but this time was different. Taking his husband's hand, he frowned as the pad of his thumb caught. Raising Eren's hand, he stared   
"I thought..."  
"Levi, it's time. You are my husband. You're my everything"  
Staring down at the two rings, he nodded   
"You're my everything too..."  
Though this did make his plans slightly harder. Leading Eren towards the bar, he really hoped he was doing the right thing.

 

*  
Eren's breath was taken away. All his friends were there. Marco and Jean, Sasha and Connie, Ymir and Krista, Mikasa and Armin, Reiner and Bertholdt with a kid he didn't know, Hanji and Erwin. And finally Hannes, Grandpa Arlert and their 4 kids   
"Levi, what is this?"  
"Seeing you can't remember your first wedding, and most of us weren't there... we might have planned this..."  
Eren gaped at Levi   
"But...!"  
"Hannes went and got himself a licence to legally wed us. I know you've seen our wedding video, but it's not the same"  
Eren's eyes filled with tears. It really wasn't. In a way a tiny part of him, way down deep, felt like he wasn't really married, though he'd done his hardest to hide it...  
"So, Eren Ackerman. Wanna get hitched again"  
"Booooo! Try again!"  
Eren bit his lip to keep from smiling as Sasha booed Levi, before throwing a peanut at his face  
"Eren, stop laughing. This is serious"  
Nodding at Sasha, he did his best to school his features   
"Eren Ackerman. I love you. I love our kids, our life together and even some of our friends. Will you please do me the honour of marrying me?"  
"Yes. After all, no one else could put up with a dork like you"  
His words earned him a peanut of his own to the face  
"It was going so well"  
"They're hopeless"  
"Yeah. We are"

Sasha brought him over a bouquet of bright flowers  
"Our blushing bride needed flowers"  
"Thank you, they're perfect"  
"See Mikasa! Told you I was top bridesmaid!"  
"No! Eren's known me longer!"  
"But I remembered the flowers!"  
"No, Marco remembered the flowers. All you've done is eat. I'm surprised the cake is still in one piece"  
"That's cause Connie said we can eat as much as we want for dinner"  
Sasha looked to Connie, and Connie looked to Reiner   
"Yep. All you can eat and drink. Also, Bertholdt would make an excellent bridesmaid"  
Groaning at his friends, he shook his head  
"Marco can be bridesmaid"  
"What"  
"No! That's not fair!"  
"But Eren..."  
Sasha and Mikasa weren't impressed at all  
"You guys said it yourself, he remembered the flowers"

With Marco standing by his side holding Viren, and Erwin standing by Levi's side holding Rei, Eren was holding hands with Levi. His husband had taken both the rings off his finger  
"Dearly beloved. We are gathered here today to witness the wedding between Levi Ackerman and Eren Ackerman..."  
"Hurry up Hannes... get to the good bit"  
Bertholdt smacked Reiner upside the back of the head, the blonde glaring at his husband before Bertholdt placed a kiss on his lips  
"I can't hurry up, I'm trying to remember the lines"  
Oh god. This wasn't what he'd expected his wedding to be like, but he wouldn't change it. Hannes continued, the man seemed relieved when it finally got to the vows  
"Eren. You're my husband. You might not remember everything, but that's ok. You said before I didn't love the new you, but I do. Even if you forget me all over again, I will never, ever forget you and no matter where you end up, I will always come for you. You are my mate, my partner, my omega. The mother of our four beautiful boys. You are my everything, even my dork"  
Taking his hand, Levi slid a diamond ring onto his finger. His eyes widened  
"I will always love and cherish you, placing you before everyone in this world, in sickness and health and I will never cheat on you. I told you one day I would put the kind of diamond you deserve on your finger"  
Eren didn't know what to say. It was a beautiful ring. His eyes filled with tears as he nodded   
"Always Levi"  
Gathering him against him, Levi held him as he cried   
"Guys! You're supposed to be exchanging vowels"  
Eren sniffled and nodded  
"Always come and save me. Don't let me go. No matter how much I push and fight and yell and scream. Always love me and I'll always love you. No matter what you do. You're the only dork for me"  
A showering of rice landed over them   
"Connie! Too soon!"  
Levi gathered him back up against him  
"I now pronounce you husband and husband. You make kiss your husband"  
Levi dipped him, the alpha kissing him as more rice showered down on them. When Levi finally stood him up, both of them were short of breath  
"Always Eren. I'll always come running to save you"  
"I know. Now give me your hand"  
Sliding his promise ring off, he slid it onto Levi's finger, earning him a raised eyebrow  
"It's a promise now"  
"In that case"  
Levi held his pinky up  
"A pinky promise! This is serious"  
"Yep! Now shake already"  
Hooking their fingers, they shook.

"Dinner time guys!"

Their fingers were still hooked as they walked into the restaurant.

Eren was flawed to find out Reiner and Bertholdt had been keeping their own secret. The boy that was with them was the boy they'd just adopted. His name was Falco and he was immediately hooked around Ren's finger. The kid held onto Ren's every word and Armin was already planning the wedding. That night they all ate and drank way too much, Eren exhausted by the time he stumbled onto the elevator with Levi. Hannes and the boys were coming back tomorrow to pick them up, and Reiner and Bertholdt had arranged lifts home for everyone else. Falco seemed happy that Ren would having a sleep over at their "big house".

Eren had expected Levi's good mood to last as they fell through the doorway and into their room. Literally. Laying on the floor next to each other, Eren had to kick the door closed   
"Levi! I think we're drunk"  
Instead of laughing, his husband sighed  
"Baby. We need to talk"  
Eren's happiness dropped, but then surged again. Slapping Levi's arm, he stumbled up and over to the bed, collapsing onto it and spreading his legs  
"Let's just fuck..."  
Sliding his hand down to fondle himself, he was in the best mood he could remember being in. But Levi pulled his hand back and closed his legs before sitting beside him  
"Eren. This is serious"  
This time when his mood dropped, it didn't bounce back up  
"Wh-what's wrong?"  
"Earlier... earlier when we were having sex, the condom broke. You were so happy, I didn't want you to worry. I'm so sorry baby"  
Eren stared at him, before laughter bubbled up   
"Eren, did you hear what I just said?"  
"I'm sorry. You're so serious. Look. Levi, whatever happens, will happen. Condom's aren't 100 percent effective"  
"But what if you fall pregnant?"  
"Then I get pregnant and our family grows even bigger. What happened has happened, and whatever happens I will love you. And you'll love me right?"  
"Always Eren. No matter what"

 

*  
Eren wasn't feeling particularly loving 10 months later as he bore down and birthed their pups, once again in their bed with Levi delivering them. Two girls and a boy. All healthy, happy and strong. But like he'd told Levi that night, he'd love him no matter what happened and Levi had put up every single mood swing and bout of morning sickness. Falling back against the bed, the first words from his lips weren't "I want to see", but instead "you're getting a vasectomy".


End file.
